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The Japanese government has granted its two NGOs in Cambodia $692,522 to fulfil their projects, and guarantee food and nutrition security for participants.

The agreements were signed on Thursday, Dec.27, within the framework of the Grant Assistance for Japanese NGO projects. The Heart of Gold and the Foundation for International Development/Relief (FIDR) are the beneficiaries.

As stated by the Japanese Embassy, the Heart of Gold gets $396,033 to support the National Institute of Physical Education and Sport. This will help improve curriculum, train teachers, and extend facilities for physical education. Approximately 65 staff members and 200 trainee teachers get a better environment and the 800,000 Cambodian students get more effective physical education.

The second project (by the FIDR) is in Kampong Chhnang and is allotted $296,489. With the aim of increasing rice farm productivity and diversification, improving children’s nutrition, and promoting farmers’ networks and agriculture cooperatives in Rolea Pheir, Tuek Phos, and Boribo districts.

Furthermore, approximately 250,000 people in the target areas are to get sufficient nutritious food through these grants.

Japanese Ambassador to Cambodia, Horinouchi Hidehisa, expressed his pleasure at granting this aid, “I hope that the teacher training project in Cambodia will grow and the physical education project flourish. I expect the second project will improve the livelihoods of the people in those areas, and afford them enough food and health.”

Tezuka Koji (Heart of Gold) and Minami Yumiko (FIDR) committed their organizations to efficiently operate the projects, saying that the Japanese taxpayers’ money will be put to good use.

Philippine Airlines (PAL) announced it will launch a flight service to Phnom Penh from Manila in early April.

Filipino media ABS-CBN quoted PAL president Jaime Bautista yesterday as saying that the airline will begin this year direct flights from Manila to Phnom Penh, as well as destinations in Vietnam and India

Mr Bautista said with the new flights the airline aims to make Manila a hub for passengers traveling from the United States to South and Southeast Asia.

“In opening this new routes Philippine Airlines is making a strategic decision to go beyond our traditional service of point-to-point market,” Mr Bautista told reporters.

The airline will fly from Manila to Hanoi starting March 31, to Phnom Penh starting April 1, and to New Delhi in the second week of April, Mr Bautista said.

Chea Aun, a spokesperson for State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA), told Khmer Times that this will be the second airline connecting Cambodia and the Philippines, with Cebu Pacific, a Philippine low-cost airline, flying to Siem Reap.

He said PAL has yet to confirm to SSCA the new flight’s launch date as well as its schedule.

The World Bank on Wednesday released its latest edition of Cambodia’s economic outlook, expecting that the Kingdom’s economy will grow higher this year compared to last year.

The World Bank Cambodia Economic Update, a biannual report that provides up-to-date information on short- and medium-term macroeconomic developments, said Cambodia’s economic growth rate will reach 7.1 per cent this year.

The figure is slightly higher than the seven per cent recorded last year. The growth is driven primarily by domestic consumption and exports, which are largely supported by strong demand in the US and the EU.

Despite the positive outlook, World Bank economists warned of external risks, which include the potential withdrawal of Everything But Arms preferences for Cambodia, and the unpredictable spill-over effects of the US-China trade dispute.

Internally, risks related to the financial sector should also be considered as the Kingdom continues to grow with large exposure to the construction and real estate sectors.

“Priorities for Cambodia include safeguarding the health of the financial sector, while building reserves, strengthening competitiveness, and preventing a rapid real exchange rate appreciation, given the recent surge in imports,” said World Bank senior economist for Cambodia Sodeth Ly.

The World Bank in 2016 revised the status of Cambodia’s economy, moving it up a rung from the low-income bracket into lower-middle income territory after its 2015 gross national income (GNI) per capita surpassed the $1,026 threshold to reach $1,070.

With economic growth averaging seven per cent annually, the Cambodian government expects the country to reach upper-middle-income status by 2030 and become a high-income nation in 2050.

To reach the next tier – the upper-middle income status – the Kingdom’s GNI per capita must reach $3,896, which is more than three times the current amount.

While long-term outlooks remain positive, World Bank Country Manager for Cambodia Inguna Dobraja said on Wednesday that Cambodia needs to develop its physical and human capital to attain higher income status in the long term.

“To achieve its upper middle-income country aspirations, Cambodia needs to increase its investment in human capital and infrastructure and adopt reforms that enable sustained and inclusive growth,” she said.

“Mobilising significant domestic savings to boost investment is critical to attaining what high-performing Asian economies have achieved.”

The World Bank report also calls for further bridging of the infrastructure deficit to absorb rising foreign direct investments in manufacturing and agro-processing, as well as continued improvements to the business environment.

The Japanese government has provided nearly $4 million in aid to the Cambodian Mine Action Center (CMAC) for demining operations in the Kingdom.

CMAC director-general Heng Ratana told The Post on Sunday that Japan has offered $3,536,680 for mine clearance throughout the Kingdom and another $300,000 for CMAC operations in Battambang province, which also involves supporting mine victims for 12 months starting from January 1 to December 31.

With the new donation, more than 450 mine experts will have enough capacity to clear over 2,750ha of mines.

Since 1992, CMAC has cleared over three million mines and unexploded ordnance (UXO), amounting to around 72 per cent of mines left over from decades of war.

Ny Nhar, Victim Assistance Department deputy director at the Cambodian Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA), told The Post that since 1979 there have been 64,771 mine victims. Of that number, nearly 20,000 were killed and over 40,000 disabled.

“We will provide training and opportunities for them to start a business,” he said.

Cambodia notched up their first win of the 2018 AFF Suzuki Cup yesterday evening – a 3-1 win at the Olympic Stadium here handing them all three points against their out of depth Laotian rivals.

Chan Vathanaka was on target midway through the first half, scoring his second goal of the group stage. In the 36th minute, Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng midfielder Prak Mony Udom stepped up to convert the spot-kick and help ensure the Kouprey’s went into half-time with a commanding two-goal cushion.

In a tense- second period, Somxay Keohanam put the visitors back in the tie with a fine effort in the 76th but Keo Sokpheng was on hand to restore Cambodia’s leads just moments later.

The Angkor Warriors play one more fixture on Saturday against neighbours and perennial rivals Vietnam before wrapping up a disappointing first tournament campaign for management duo Keisuke Honda and Felix Dalmas.

In other evening action in Group A, there were no goals as Myanmar and Vietnam played out a first goalless draw of the competition.

Sorry, this entry is only available in JP.

City hall is requesting the Japanese government for help in constructing an additional water treatment facility in Phnom Penh, an official said yesterday.

Deputy Governor Nuon Pharoth said during a press conference yesterday that he led a delegation to Japan last week to discuss the matter with the Japanese International Cooperation Agency.

“We requested for Japan to support our important project in Phnom Penh,” Mr Pharoth said. “We need to set up a water treatment plant south of the city. We’re still studying this prospect, but we will wrap up the study at the end of April.”

He added that after the study is completed, City Hall needs Japan to assist in the plant’s construction. He noted that without Japan’s help, the environment could be threatened.

Mr Pharoth noted that Japan has not yet responded to the request.

He said that during his visit to Japan, a contract was signed between him and Katsuhisa Kimura, TOA Corporation general manager, to improve Phnom Penh’s sewage system as part of a separate project.

Mr Pharoth said the sewage system aid is worth about $30 million in grants from the Japanese government through JICA. The project is expected to commence at the end of next month, he said.

In February, Sam Piseth, director of the Phnom Penh public works department, said a water treatment facility will be built in Dangkor district with $27 million in aid from the Japanese government. It is separate from the one under study now.

An Airbus A320-232, operated by charter firm Small Planet Airlines Poland, is seen in Burgas airport, November 19, 2015. REUTERS/Bulphoto Agency
Low-cost carrier Small Planet Airlines is planning a direct flight between Siem Reap and Tokyo, with the maiden flight likely to take off early next year, an official at the Ministry of Tourism said.

Top Sopheak, spokesman at the ministry, said that Small Planet Airlines will launch a direct flight between Siem Reap International Airport and Tokyo’s Narita International Airport in the beginning of 2019.

“Small Planet Airlines has announced recently in Japan that they will start flying from Narita to Siem Reap in an attempt to increase the number of visitors from Japan to Cambodia and vice versa,” Mr Sopheak said.

Small Planet Airlines will be the second carrier to connect the countries with a direct flight. In 2016, All Nippon Airways (ANA) launched its Phnom Penh-Narita route.

Sin Chansereyvutha, spokesman at the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation, said he has not been informed by the company of its plans, but that the airline has every right to operate the route.

“We gave them the Air Operator Certificate last year, so if they want to start flying to a new destination, they just need to inform us so that we can contact the destination and facilitate the process,” Mr Sinsereyvutha said.

Ho Vandy, secretary-general of Cambodia National Tourism Alliance, welcomed the prospect of a new flight between Cambodia and Japan.

“With ANA’s direct flight from Tokyo to Phnom Penh, the number of Japanese visitors rose dramatically, as well as the number of Cambodians travelling to Japan. This new flight will further boost those numbers,” Mr Vandy said.

Sorry, this entry is only available in JP.

A Lion Air airplane is seen parked at the tarmac of Soekarno-Hatta airport in Jakarta February 20, 2015. REUTERS/Beawiharta
Local tour operators and tourism associations are exploring potential tourism markets in Indonesia and urged both the Indonesian and Cambodian governments to facilitate direct flights between the two countries.

Speaking at the ‘Sales Mission 10 Indonesia Branding Destination’ in Cambodia on Friday, Chhay Sivlin, president of Cambodia Association of Travel Agents (CATA), said Indonesia is the top five tourism destinations for Cambodian tourists.

Ms Sivlin said outbound Cambodian tourists to Indonesia and from Indonesia to Cambodia has increased recently compared to the past few years. She said this was due to the fact that Indonesia has promoted their tourism destinations in Cambodia as they found that Cambodians showed interest in visiting foreign countries, especially the neighboring nations.

“Indonesia is a new destination for Cambodian tourists. We saw the number of both countries’ tourist arrivals increasing,” Ms Sivlin said, adding that, “Indonesia is a big market for Cambodia. We want to grab this market, and push for more direct connectivity. Currently, we rely on Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore for air transits,” she said.

The event was organized by the Ministry of Tourism of Indonesia in collaboration with Cambodia’s Tourism Ministry, CATA and Embassy of Indonesia in Cambodia.

Veng Sam Ol, managing director of Khmer World Connection Tours, a tour company sending tourists to Indonesia told Khmer Times the outbound traffic from Cambodia to Indonesia has immense potential with its attractive places to lure Cambodians.

Mr Sam Ol said his company’s tour packages are mostly designed for wedding, honeymoon, family and others. A week visit to Indonesia would cost $1,000 with demand increasing for this destination.

However, he said the poor connectivity and absence of direct flights are the main issues.

“We encountered the challenges with flights as we have to transit in Malaysia or Singapore Therefore, It is difficult to attract both tourist from Cambodia to Indonesia and Indonesia to Cambodia.

“More Cambodians will travel to Indonesia if there are direct flights. This is the main complaint that we get from potential travellers,” Mr Samol said.

CATA president Sivlin echoed Mr Samol’s views on the absence of direct flights. She said it is a challenge for Cambodia, which is missing out on Indonesia’s vast marketplace. She said though there are flights connecting to Indonesia via Singapore or Malaysia, they are not good enough. “We have to wait hours or sometimes a day long to reach Indonesia.”

Indonesian Tourism Ministry`s deputy assistant for marketing development region I, Ibu Masruroh, said the total number of Cambodians traveling to Indonesia increased from 5,000 in 2016 to 6,000 in 2017, while there were 49,000 Indonesians visiting Cambodia in 2017.