Cambodia Morning News For March 1

Cambodia Calls US Aid Cutoff, EU Sanctions Threats an ‘Insult’
The Cambodian government on Wednesday called a cutoff of aid, including military support, by the United States and a threat of sanctions by the European Union “an insult,” while Prime Minister Hun Sen said the country is importing thousands of tons of military weapons from an unnamed nation.
— Radio Free Asia

‘He will not come to our country and behave like that’: Cambodian PM facing backlash over threat to Australian protesters
Shadow Treasurer Chris Bowen says Australia will not let Cambodia’s Prime Minister intimidate or harass protesters when the authoritarian leader visits this month.
— ABC

MoFA: Cambodia Exports Goods to the EU Worth of Approx. $3B
In just the first nine months of 2017, Cambodia had exported goods to the European Union worth of approximately $3 billion, stated Ouch Borith, Secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MoFA) at the opening ceremony of the 2018 Annual Congress.
— Fresh News

New Quality Certificate To Promote Made-in-Cambodia Brand Abroad
In a bid to increase consumer trust in locally made products and build up the made-in-Cambodia brand, a new government directive is urging businesses in the kingdom to apply for a recently launched quality label for local products.
— B2B

Probe into Chinese investment to Sihanoukville still idle
A task force established a month ago to address problems stemming from an influx of Chinese investment to Sihanoukville has not received a single report of illegal businesses or taken any enforcement action, with one official maintaining it was impossible to take “serious” action for fear of discouraging more investment.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Government Postpones Loggings for Dam and Economic Land Concession Projects
The Royal Government of Cambodia has decided to immediately suspend loggings from the cleaning of reservoirs of the Lower Sesan 2 Hydroelectric Dam Project, according to the Council of Minister’s letter addressed to Environment Minister Say Samay, dated on Wednesday.
— Fresh News

Cambodia On Course To 7 Million Tourists Goal
Following double digit growth in foreign tourist arrivals last year, Cambodia is expected to welcome 6.1 million international visitors in 2018 and is well on course to achieve the government’s goal of having seven million tourists a year by 2020.
— B2B

Spokesman vows Cambodia will fight against ‘colonisation’ after US cuts aid
The Cambodian government expressed “dismay” yet remained defiant yesterday in the face of a US decision to cut aid to the Kingdom in response to its ongoing political crackdown, saying it would not comply with demands to restore the forcibly dissolved opposition CNRP.
— The Phnom Penh Post

Cambodian court orders seizure of former opposition HQ
A court in Cambodia has ordered the seizure of the headquarters of the country’s former opposition party, which was dissolved last November after a ruling that it was involved in trying to overthrow the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen.
— The Republic

Thai Police, NGO Rescue Lao and Cambodian Workers Trafficked For Labor
Thai police working together with labor rights advocates freed 19 migrant workers, some still in their teens, from an ice factory early this month after one of the migrants escaped and described to police the conditions in which they were being held.
— Radio Free Asia

PM Hun Sen: No Tourist Wants to Visit a Country in War
Prime Minister Hun Sen said that there are no tourists in the world want to visit a country in war; in contrast, peace, political stability and security are key elements to ensure that Cambodia is a hospitalized destination.
— Fresh News

Whatever happened to same-sex marriage in Cambodia
While LGBTIQ Cambodians have long had powerful proponents calling for their right to marry, legal change still seems a long way off.
— Southeast Asia Globe

Cambodia offers ethnic Vietnamese short-term residency in migrant crackdown reprieve
Thousands of Vietnamese fled to Cambodia during war time, and remain officially stateless.
— VnExpress

Feature photo Maite Elorza

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Cambodia morning news by AEC News Today is your one stop source for Cambodia news on matters of governance and policies affecting Asean business communities. It is published M-F by AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies not politics.