Cambodia Morning News For November 14

Bank loan portfolios set to be at least 10% in local currency
Cambodian commercial banks are showing a stronger preference to provide riel loans to microfinance institutions (MFI) as they rush to increase the share of local currency in their loan portfolio to at least 10 per cent by the end of next year.
— Phnom Penh Post

Rice exports continue to fall
Cambodia’s rice export fell 13.20 percent in the first ten months of 2018 due to two factors, the European Union stopped buying Cambodian rice and the 300,000 tonnes quota to China was not fulfilled, said Kann Kunthy, vice president and managing director of Amru Rice Cambodia.
— Khmer Times

Blue Circle to add wind power to Cambodia’s energy production
Energy security is Cambodia’s next burning challenge. But Blue Circle Chief Executive Officer Olivier Duguet has a novel solution to fix energy security woes in Cambodia.
— Phnom Penh Post

On Cambodian Independence Day, King Calls on for National Unity and Reconciliation
Cambodia celebrated its 65th year of independence on Friday, with King Norodom Sihamoni using the occasion to call for national unity after years of political discord in the country.
— VOA Cambodia

Sugarcane a ‘huge potential for farmers’
Cambodia’s three major sugar companies produced 120,126 tonnes of raw sugar in the first nine months of this year, said a Ministry of Industry and Handicraft report.
— Phnom Penh Post

Seeing red: ‘Cambodia doesn’t have anti-China nationalism – yet’
China is investing billions in Cambodia’s economy, outspending even the Kingdom’s national budget. But as more and more Cambodians raise fears of crime, corruption and colonial ambition, could rising public resentment lead the nation back to its dark days of racially motivated violence?
— Southeast Asia Globe

Coalition Calls on UN Expert to Investigate Claims of State-Backed Land Grabs in Cambodia
A global coalition of grassroots groups of small food producers and food sovereignty advocates has called on a United Nations expert to probe allegations of state-perpetrated land grabs in Cambodia ahead of an upcoming review of the human rights situation in the country.
— Radio Free Asia

Cambodia’s new gaming law potentially ‘transformational’
Government representatives suggest that Cambodia’s new gaming legislation could be passed by 2019.
— Casino Review

Cambodia receives 1.44 million Chinese tourists in first 9 months, up 71.2 pct
Cambodia attracted 1.44 million Chinese visitors during the first nine months of 2018, up 71.2 percent over the same period last year, said a Cambodian Tourism Ministry’s report released on Tuesday.
— Xinhua

Experts call for women’s part in demining activity
Demining experts on Monday encouraged women to work in defusing unexploded ordnance to reduce the number of explosive remnants of war in Cambodia and some Asean countries.
— Phnom Penh Post

Tourist arrivals up 12 pct
Cambodia welcomed 4.3 million holidaymakers from January to September, an increase of 11.8 percent compared to the same period last year.
— Khmer Times

Cambodia pledges to support Vietnamese Cambodians in Tonle Sap Lake
Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Shokhonn on November 13 affirmed that his country will work to support the Vietnamese-Cambodian community in Tonle Sap Lake to resettle.
— Nhan Dan Online

Pardons due for Water Festival
The National Commission for the Evaluation of Prisoners has selected more than 100 inmates to either be pardoned by the King or have their sentences reduced to mark the Water Festival.
— Khmer Times

Clams confiscated in Preah Sihanou
Preah Sihanouk provincial authorities on Sunday seized more than 400kg of clams from fishermen in Prey Nub district’s Veal Rinh and O’Chrov communes and returned them to the sea.
— Phnom Penh Post

Kampong Cham pumps water to offset drought
Authorities in Kampong Cham province are attempting to minimise the effects of drought in the province.
— Khmer Times

ASEAN Countries Discuss with Development Partners to Solve Regional Mine Issues
A three-day Regional Workshop on “Enhance Mine Action Knowledge and Promote Future Platforms for Mine Action Knowledge Sharing for ASEAN Member States” kicked off in Siem Reap provincial city yesterday.
— Agence Kampuchea Press

Security firms urged to register
The National Police on Monday appealed to all security companies to register with the Interior Ministry and ensure that their guards are properly trained.
— Khmer Times

Yamaha helps Cambodia in combating water woes
Cambodia is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, but the paucity of safe drinking water haunts the people. For them now there is something to cheer about as ‘Clean Water Supply System’ developed by Yamaha Motor Company is making a positive difference in their life.
— Big News Network

EU project boosts community participation
The European Union has completed projects in eight provinces that began in 2016 and were aimed at strengthening community participation in decisions made by local authorities.
— Khmer Times

Laos, Cambodia, Viet Nam agree to jointly promote Buddhism
Buddhists from Laos, Cambodia and Vi?t Nam gathered in Vientiane on Tuesday for the first Cambodia, Laos and Vi?t Nam Buddhist Leaders’ Conference, which aimed to strengthen co-operation in promoting Buddhism in the three countries.
— Viet Nam News

Group calls for UN scrutiny over land grabs
A global coalition of grassroots groups has called on the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Cambodia to look into cases of land grabbing allegedly perpetrated by the state prior as part of her review of the human rights situation in the Kingdom
— Khmer Times

Japanese teen funds library for Cambodia school out of her pocket
Instead of spending the gift money she received each New Year’s and on entering school, Miyu Ozawa saved it for her future.
— Asahi Shimbun

UK To Provide Financing to Support Some Main Projects in Cambodia
The United Kingdom has expressed its intention to provide financing to carry out some main development projects in Cambodia in the fields of infrastructure, human resource training, public welfare and technology.
— Agence Kampuchea Press

Cambodia charges 18 people with human trafficking in surrogacy case
A Cambodian court on Tuesday charged 18 people with cross-border human trafficking in the latest case of illegal surrogacy business, a court spokesman said.
— Xinhua

Cambodia, China Jointly Organise Public Private Forum
Cambodia and China have joinly organised a Workshop on Public Private Partnerships (PPPs): Experiences of China, in order to further better coordinate the cooperation of the sector.
— Agence Kampuchea Press

Nepal, Cambodia to sign air services pact
The government has started doing homework to sign a bilateral air services agreement (ASA) with Cambodia. The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MoCTCA) has said that talks are being held with concerned authorities of Cambodia to finalise and sign the agreement for direct flights between the two countries.
— The Himalayan

Feature photo Pulitzer Center/ Kounila Keo

This week’s Cambodia morning news feature photo acknowledges World Diabetes Day, November 14.

Find our previous morning news feature photos in the AEC News Today Morning News Feature Photos gallery where you will find a pictorial display of daily life throughout the Asean Economic Community (AEC).

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.