The Mirror, Vol. 14, No. 647
“The tax department announced that in 2009, the tax income amounted to about US$595 million, approx. US$49 million per month, and in 2010 the incoming tax is expected to be about US$52 million per month.
“On 11 January 2010, the tax department held a meeting to give a comprehensive report on its work in December 2009, chaired by Dr. Pen Simon, the Director-General of Cambodian Customs, appointed by the Royal Government, with participation by other customs officers from all provinces. Dr. Pen Simon said that in December 2009, the tax income was Riel 219,000,000,000 or US$52 million, which increased by about Riel 23,000,000,000 [approx. US$5.75 million], compared to December 2008. He said that in 2009, customs officers collected about Riel 2,491,000,000,000 or approx. US$595 million in total. On average, that is about Riel 208,000,000,000 [approx. US$52 million] per month, exceeding the plan by more than 3%.
The Mirror, Vol. 14, No. 646
“Mondolkiri: The Mondolkiri provincial authorities had decided to cancel the concessions of 50 companies that had planned to invest in agriculture in Mondolkiri, because those companies do not operate.
“According to different sources of information, some companies received economic concession land in Mondolkiri, but they do not develop anything following their contracts, and some cut trees and sold them, affecting the lives of the citizen. Therefore, the authorities decided to cancel the concession contracts of those companies.
The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 644
“The government of the People’s Republic of China had decided to provide aid and loans of US$1.2 billion to Cambodia to foster economic and social development.
“The decision to provide aid and loans was made public in the evening of 21 December 2009, during a meeting between officials of the Royal Government of Cambodia led by Samdech Akkak Moha Senapadei Dekchor Hun Sen and the Chinese Vice President, Mr. Xi Jinping [习近平], during his three day visit to Cambodia.
The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 642
“Phnom Penh: About 50% of all vegetables eaten in Cambodia are imported from Vietnam. This is seen from the vegetables at the Deumkor Market in Phnom Penh, the biggest vegetable distribution market.
“The head of the Deumkor Market, Mr. Thong Heng, said that companies licensed by the Ministry of Agriculture mostly import vegetables from the Trapeang Phlong border crossing in Kompong Cham every day with three trucks, carrying 30 tonnes of vegetables each. Another border crossing for imports from Vietnam, that is near and easier, is the Koh Thom district crossing in Kandal. Also, there are special companies, importing vegetables both on land and on water ways.
The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 641, *Editorial*
From 7 to 18 December 2009 the 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference – COP 15 – will convene in Copenhagen, the capital city of Denmark. It will be the most intensively prepared and biggest of these conferences, and the large number of highest level government leaders who have announced that they will participate is an indication that there is a widely shared awareness that the world is facing a real crisis.
"Phnom Penh: Cambodian families lose between US$35 and US$40 million because of the global economic crisis, resulting in unemployment for 20% to 30% of the workers in the garment and construction sectors, and in tourism. As it is mainly the poor who are facing the impact, the United Nations released a report offering suggestions that can help reduce those impacts.
"In the statement, the UN said that what Cambodia can do to reduce the impacts of the global economic downturn becomes more an emergency topic, as the basis of fast economic growth in the past in the garment industry and in tourism is suffering from the recession of the global economy. 20% to 30% of the workers in the garment and construction sectors and in the tourism industry lost their jobs since late 2008, making them lose between US$35 and US$40 million to be sent to their homes. Impoverished people, mostly women in the garment sector, suffer from the declining economy.
The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 634 - Monday, 12.10.2009
“Trade between Cambodia and Vietnam will increase dramatically in 2010, if the Cambodian economy recovers again from the global economic crisis.
“According to a report by a Vietnamese radio station on 9 October 2009, commerce between both countries will rise to as much as US$2 billion in 2010. In 2008, commerce between Vietnam and Cambodia surpassed the commerce between Cambodia and Thailand.
“According to the Ministry of Commerce of Vietnam and an industry report, the commerce between both countries declined by 29.2% to only US$858 million within the nine months in 2009 (by September). Vietnamese exports to Cambodia amounted to more than US$726 million. Vietnam is the fourth biggest importer of agricultural products from Cambodia, like rubber and wood and wood products.
The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 632 - Thursday, 1.10.2009
"The secretary of state of the State Secretariat for Civil Aviation [Mr. Mao Havannal] made an announcement that previous information about the suspension of flights of Bangkok Airways for the Phnom Penh-Siem Reap and Siem Reap-Phnom Penh sectors was not based on a clear source. Mr. Mao Havannal said that the information led to confusion. Therefore, the State Secretariat for Civil Aviation makes an announcement to clarify.
The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 632 - Tuesday, 29.9.2009
"Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen dismissed yesterday, Monday, forecasts by major banks of the world which had said that the Cambodian economy has contracted different from their former forecast, saying, 'We do not care about those forecasts; what is important is that our Khmer people have enough food to eat.'
"A Report of the International Monetary Fund had predicted that the Cambodian economy will decline in 2009 by up to 2.75% - but different from that prediction it now predicted that it will drop by only 0.50%. Also, the Asia Development Bank and the World Bank had predicted a lower decline.
The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 631 – Wednesday, 23.9.2009
"Phnom Penh: The Asian Development Bank has predicted that, due to the global economic crisis, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Cambodia in 2009 will achieve little growth, but next year, it will be a bit better, because when the world economy will start to recover, and Cambodia will resume good growth.
"According to the Asian Development Bank Outlook 2009 Update [Broadening Openness for a Resilient Asia], released on 22 September 2009, the downturn in garment exports, construction activities, and the decline in the number of foreign tourists have led to a forecast that the GDP of Cambodia in 2009 will contract by about 1.5% compared to 2008.