People and government
Vietnam bans leasing land inside Cambodia
Vietnam has agreed to ban its citizens from leasing land in Cambodia to avoid increasing tensions along the border following a request from Prime Minister Hun Sen, according to Interior Minister Sar Kheng. Kheng on 6 January said that Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung had agreed ...
Border guards told not to turn blind eye
Cambodia’s top immigration official has warned against corrupt border police allowing foreigners to cross into Cambodia illegally. According to the National Police website, Sok Phal, director of the general department of immigration, warned on 5 January that such practices would be punished without exception. Keep reading ...
Finance ministry weighs in on controversial dairy back taxes of $30 million
Eight dairy importers and producers in Vietnam may be able to escape back taxesof VND700 billion (US$30.69 million) in a controversial case of import tariff calculations that even officials cannot see eye to eye on. The businesses, including Vinamilk and Dutch-owned FrieslandCampina, said they have imported an ...
Riots keep Thai embassy in Yangon closed
The Thai embassy in Yangon has extended its closure over security concerns for its staff and Thai nationals after protests which started late last month against the Koh Tao verdict. Keep reading ...
Auditor proposes tax exemption review
The State Audit Organisation (SAO) has proposed that the Ministry of Finance’s Department of Customs review tax exemptions and provide detailed accounts of the implemented financial measures. The proposal was included in the audit report, as part of the final implementation report of the 2013-2014 state ...
New maid training DIY
Cambodian recruitment agencies are drawing up more extensive training programs for maids being sent to Malaysia following a lifting of a ban on the practice in December. However, it remains unclear by what standards the programs created by the agencies – many of which have been ...
China protests to Myanmar after landmine injures official
China said on 5 January it had lodged a protest with Myanmar after one of its border officials was blown up by a landmine after going to investigate an earlier explosion close to the frontier with the Kokang region of Shan State. A spokesperson for the Chinese ...
Authorities move to clear squatters from town water supply
Pyin Oo Lwin officials are cracking down on forest dwellers squatting near a road construction site alongside the city’s only water supply. The township’s Department of Environmental Conservation and Forestry blamed the squatters around Lake Thit Ta Pin Taung for causing forest degradation by lighting forest ...
Masked man at Koh Tao rally demands meet with Interpol
A masked vigilante on 5 January stood up in a swell of protesters and said he has evidence that can prove the innocence of two Myanmar men sentenced to death in Thailand. Ko Zaw Lin and Ko Wai Phyo were handed guilty verdicts on 24 December for ...
Putting the brakes on tests
As of 6 January, possessing a licence to drive a motorbike on Cambodia’s roads no longer requires a driving test. Prime Minister Hun Sen on 5 January announced the elimination of the test along with a decision to more than halve the cost of a licence in ...
