Kampot ferry construction delayed

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7uHYIRDyYowxBuMzdDnmC5s3euLg67UQLLIlU5sk8xOMFA-WH7T1kG8XXslFsF2FpZXE0sXu_uH8ofV3Y5YqdkUrOhrDhB4WQkwJpYuK38seYBkdTlaDtp1Z33NiVBz0Wzeg3LdMs3GM/s1600/kp-seaport.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="780" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7uHYIRDyYowxBuMzdDnmC5s3euLg67UQLLIlU5sk8xOMFA-WH7T1kG8XXslFsF2FpZXE0sXu_uH8ofV3Y5YqdkUrOhrDhB4WQkwJpYuK38seYBkdTlaDtp1Z33NiVBz0Wzeg3LdMs3GM/s640/kp-seaport.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> Construction on a new tourist ferry port located about 6 kilometres from the provincial capital in Kampot province has been delayed, although a Tourism Ministry spokesman promised that construction would begin before the end of this year.<br /> <br /> The $10 million port, funded by a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), is set to occupy 4 hectares in the province's Teuk Chhou district. Construction on the port will take about two-and-a-half years and, once completed, the new facility would be able to service cruise ships from neighbouring Vietnam and Thailand.<br /> <br /> "It is delayed because we need to prepare and finish procedures and documents," Tith Chantha, spokesman for the Tourism Ministry, said on Monday. "The construction will start soon, absolutely in this year."<br /> <br /> Soy Sinol, the director of the provincial Tourism Department in Kampot, said he had expected construction to begin earlier this year, but has not yet received details about the port's capacity or current status.<br /> <br /> "I have no idea why the plan was delayed," he said. ADB officials did not respond to a request for comment.<br /> <br /> About 162,000 foreign tourists visited Kampot province last year, according to the ministry.

Kampot ferry construction delayed

Construction on a new tourist ferry port located about 6 kilometres from the provincial capital in Kampot province has been delayed, although a Tourism Ministry spokesman promised that construction w…

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Uber sells Southeast Asia assets to rival Grab

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip6L7LAgDxoRUxYiqYHmgcKYgzERy5cblKTI5NHRuwSKVc9UGq88o6mq3x3HmHsT9ck1fRsVHn9K0xuJWc-2pa6Wne7yhPLVUZlNsynutiW8QdFnXWPuj4xd-A2NuMCM9uj6JnYgHJVlo/s1600/grab.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="780" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip6L7LAgDxoRUxYiqYHmgcKYgzERy5cblKTI5NHRuwSKVc9UGq88o6mq3x3HmHsT9ck1fRsVHn9K0xuJWc-2pa6Wne7yhPLVUZlNsynutiW8QdFnXWPuj4xd-A2NuMCM9uj6JnYgHJVlo/s640/grab.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> <b>Updated: 6:41am, Tuesday March 27, 2018</b><br /> <br /> Ride-hailing platform Grab announced on Monday that it had acquired the Southeast Asia operations of its US-based rival Uber, including the company's ride-hailing services in Cambodia, just three months after it officially launched in the Kingdom.<br /> <br /> In exchange, Uber will take a 27.5 percent stake in Grab and its CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi, will join Grab's board of directors as part of the deal, according to a press release from Singapore-based Grab.<br /> <br /> Wee Tang Yee, Grab's country head in Cambodia, said that Uber's services in the Kingdom will continue for a two-week transitional period as Grab seeks to transfer employees and drivers onto its own platform.<br /> <br /> "Grab and Uber are working together to promptly migrate Uber drivers and riders, merchant partners and delivery partners to the Grab platform," he said in an email. "The Uber app will continue to operate for two weeks to ensure stability for Uber drivers, who can find out how to sign-up to drive with Grab online."<br /> <br /> Founded in Malaysia in 2012, Grab now operates in eight Southeast Asian countries. It launched services in Phnom Penh in December, three months after Uber became the first international ride-hailing platform to begin operations in Cambodia.<br /> <br /> Grab's acquisition of Uber had been rumoured for several months, and its entry into Cambodia was largely viewed as more successful than Uber's, despite the US firm's three-month head start.<br /> <br /> Since its launch in December, Grab has added a motorbike taxi service and launched a preliminary tuk-tuk service in the capital, while also racking up several agreements with government and development agencies. Uber remained relatively static during the same period.<br /> <br /> Multiple Uber regional representatives – including Krittiyawadee Pongpanich, Uber's Thailand-based head of communications, and Chris Brummitt, Uber's Asia-Pacific head of corporate and product communications – declined to comment on Monday.<br /> <br /> Pascal Ly, who was hired as the general manager for Uber in Cambodia in January, said in an email on Monday that he was no longer able to speak on behalf of Uber or Grab, and would "prioritize my focus on the team to know what will be the next step for them".<br /> <br /> That next step could be working for their one-time rival.<br /> <br /> "All Uber employees, including ones in Cambodia, will receive offers to join Grab," Yee said on Monday. "As we onboard Uber passengers and drivers onto the Grab platform, there will be more passengers using Grab, which will mean more jobs, less waiting time, and ultimately more earnings for our driver-partners."<br /> <br /> Yee predicted that the acquisition of Uber's operations would gradually lower fares for riders, which could mean increased competition with local ride-hailing platforms.<br /> <br /> Homegrown ride-hailing startups, such as PassApp and ExNet, have so far been able to offer lower prices than Uber and Grab, but they could face increased pressure as Grab's prices fall.<br /> <br /> Food delivery, another industry that's currently dominated by local businesses, could also feel the squeeze from Grab in the near future. Grab's Monday announcement said the company plans to expand its food delivery services to all Southeast Asian countries, including Cambodia, in the next few months.<br /> <br /> "We will rapidly and efficiently expand GrabFood into all major SEA countries in the next quarter," Grab co-founder Tan Hooi Ling says in the release. "GrabFood will also be another great use case to drive the continued adoption of GrabPay mobile wallet and support our growing financial services platform."

Uber sells Southeast Asia assets to rival Grab

Updated: 6:41am, Tuesday March 27, 2018 Ride-hailing platform Grab announced on Monday that it had acquired the Southeast Asia operations of its US-based rival Uber, including the company's ride-hail…

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Grab tests tuk-tuk market in capital

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVrxHn_O28stl4n4RkCpHXuwvBQvrb5WL0OpF8iUgxRMLa3Vm6MwljE_aAhMCYkh2eXlpZ3rbMIQoK5ZzPEKOHTiZjDWzsfqi7n9eRmU3qhty2OmOI9_amW0nRDPQ0jdFvIdxgGyF3PNI/s1600/grab-bike-drivers-line-up-in-bangkok-on-may-3.-the-nation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="780" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVrxHn_O28stl4n4RkCpHXuwvBQvrb5WL0OpF8iUgxRMLa3Vm6MwljE_aAhMCYkh2eXlpZ3rbMIQoK5ZzPEKOHTiZjDWzsfqi7n9eRmU3qhty2OmOI9_amW0nRDPQ0jdFvIdxgGyF3PNI/s640/grab-bike-drivers-line-up-in-bangkok-on-may-3.-the-nation.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> Grab has officially launched its motorbike taxi service and started beta testing a tuk-tuk and rickshaw service in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, according to a press release issued by the company on Friday.<br /> <br /> Grab Bike, which has been in beta testing for nearly two months in Phnom Penh's central districts, launched full services in the capital on Friday, making Grab the first major ride-hailing platform to offer motorbike taxi services in the Kingdom.<br /> <br /> Grab Bike prices have also lowered since the initial beta test. Originally set at a higher-than-typical base rate of 2,500 riel, or $0.63, Grab Bike is now available for a base fare of 1,000 riel, or $0.25, with an additional $0.25 charge for each kilometre.<br /> <br /> Grab also announced the launch of its beta test for "Grab Tuk Tuk" in Phnom Penh, a service that allows users to call auto-rickshaws, the ubiquitous three-wheeled Indian-style tuk-tuks commonly used by other ride-hailing applications.<br /> <br /> The base fare for this service is now set at a rate of 2,000 riel, or $0.50, with each kilometre costing an additional 1,200 riel, or $0.30. Those prices are slightly higher than current prices offered for auto-rickshaw rides on local ride-hailing apps PassApp and ExNet.<br /> <br /> Beta testing for a service entirely new for the international company, called "Grab Remorque", was announced as well, with those services available only in Siem Reap.<br /> <br /> Top Nimol, the founder of PassApp, previously told The Post that he has been able to compete with international ride-hailing apps Uber and Grab because their prices are much higher than his own. With Grab now beginning to offer motorbikes and auto-rickshaws for lower prices, Nimol is taking a wait-and-see approach.<br /> <br /> "I just don't know yet what this means for PassApp," he said. "Let's see in the future if [Grab] has a significant impact on us. All we can do is try our best."<br /> <br /> On Sunday, US-based Bloomberg News reported that Grab would be buying the Southeast Asia assets from its rival Uber, which launched in Cambodia in September. Bloomberg reported an agreement between the two companies was expected to be reached this week.

Grab tests tuk-tuk market in capital

Grab has officially launched its motorbike taxi service and started beta testing a tuk-tuk and rickshaw service in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, according to a press release issued by the company on Frid…

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Cambodian duo's Eco-Plastic takes second in Bhutan startup challenge

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsNoW6mjTijRUFicFeslsYul5w7OZZiS7FuuqHkaxkh5loErtvH9hG0gkQZt7ceozuvMlydt5dp_ajao16Idz0VLJhuc65DQ0HvedquE5FS92Jd3TxjKDOh1zxjZjGgPmOrGueky_gImE/s1600/teammates-sokhana-ly-centre-left-and-bunhourng-tan-centre-right-standing-between-their-mentors-celebrate-their-second-place-win-at-the-mekong-business-challenge-in-bhutan-on-saturday.-supplied.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="780" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsNoW6mjTijRUFicFeslsYul5w7OZZiS7FuuqHkaxkh5loErtvH9hG0gkQZt7ceozuvMlydt5dp_ajao16Idz0VLJhuc65DQ0HvedquE5FS92Jd3TxjKDOh1zxjZjGgPmOrGueky_gImE/s640/teammates-sokhana-ly-centre-left-and-bunhourng-tan-centre-right-standing-between-their-mentors-celebrate-their-second-place-win-at-the-mekong-business-challenge-in-bhutan-on-saturday.-supplied.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> A pair of female Cambodian entrepreneurs placed second in a regional business competition on Saturday, beating out university teams from six countries with their startup idea – called Eco-Plastic – that could utilise Cambodia's plastic waste to pave cheaper, more durable roads.<br /> <br /> The Mekong Business Challenge (MBC), an annual competition that launched in Phnom Penh 12 years ago, welcomed 11 entrepreneurial teams from six nations at their contest held in Bhutan last week. The grand prize for the first-place team was a spot in the International Business Model Challenge competition in the US in May.<br /> <br /> Stephen Paterson, co-founder and organiser of the MBC, said the contest's judges – which included representatives from international companies including McKinsey & Company, Google and ManuLife – were impressed by the initiative taken by the Cambodian team in pursuing expansion options for their startup.<br /> <br /> "Eco-Plastic came in second in the Cambodian competition [last month], but since [then] they have made so much progress," Paterson said. "We want to emphasise methodology in our judging, and our criteria takes a look at the failures these teams have had to overcome to make their business models more realistic."<br /> <br /> Since taking home the silver medal, the Eco-Plastic team – female duo Bunhourng Tan and Sokanha Ly – have received funding from a US investor, travelled to China to tour plastic recycling facilities and met with the Ministry of Public Works and Transport to discuss implementing their idea.<br /> <br /> "We had a great honour to meet the [Transport] Minister, His Excellency Sun Chanthol, who was very supportive of our idea," said Sokhana. "We got permission to use the ministry's laboratory to build and test our samples there, before we went to the MBC."<br /> <br /> "Plastic waste is a curse to the environment, to health and to the economy . . . and people face a high risk driving on roads in Cambodia, which are often poorly constructed and damaged by high traffic," Sokhana said. "By establishing Eco-Plastic, we can use plastic waste to improve our roads, transforming landfill waste into a roadfill product."<br /> <br /> Teammate Tan said that the pair had learned a lot since first coming up with their idea at the end of 2016, having entered several different local startup competitions and coming away with different lessons each time.<br /> <br /> "During the last year, we've been to many startup competitions . . . and throughout the programs, our team gained more hands-on experience," she said. "It's been quite a journey, of going up and down, of failing and of learning from mistakes, of listening and then adjusting to incorporate the feedback."<br /> <br /> Though a Bhutanese team took first place for their startup called Shogjur – which has already turned a profit from sales of recycled paper jewellery and souvenirs – the runner-up Cambodian team won a pair of laptops and has been encouraged to bring the Eco-Plastic business model to the US competition in May via another application process.<br /> <br /> "The Eco-Plastic team will be applying for the open spot" in the US competition, Paterson said, adding he had "a very strong feeling they'll get it".<br /> <br /> Cambodia's win in a regional competition was a sign of the growing entrepreneurial scene in the Kingdom, according to Paterson, and was likely due in-part to the many local programs and competitions that cater to university students. The next step for the Kingdom's startups would be to think bigger.<br /> <br /> "There are businesses attracting small- to medium-size returns, but there's still a lack of investable ideas," he said. "There is still a lack of projects that can be scaled up to a larger level."

Cambodian duo's Eco-Plastic takes second in Bhutan startup challenge

A pair of female Cambodian entrepreneurs placed second in a regional business competition on Saturday, beating out university teams from six countries with their startup idea – called Eco-Plastic – t…

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Post's bill from tax authority business as usual, says CEO

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh68ceLulUDQi16Xay3eXQQ1ZwGhd6Rgqg1tTp_0augbmveMfd1QmtisP-ku1GQIixd_DTSZQ4e6LIR-Rw_8k09B5OCtzBtn87v1p1e9d9prUYsPhgyjMTbLgsXzAtYwy68j5lXm8wj2eA/s1600/traffic-passes-in-front-of-the-general-department-of-taxation-office-in-phnom-penh.-pha-lina.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="780" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh68ceLulUDQi16Xay3eXQQ1ZwGhd6Rgqg1tTp_0augbmveMfd1QmtisP-ku1GQIixd_DTSZQ4e6LIR-Rw_8k09B5OCtzBtn87v1p1e9d9prUYsPhgyjMTbLgsXzAtYwy68j5lXm8wj2eA/s640/traffic-passes-in-front-of-the-general-department-of-taxation-office-in-phnom-penh.-pha-lina.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> The Phnom Penh Post is currently negotiating a tax bill with Cambodia's General Department of Taxation (GDT), the newspaper's CEO said on Tuesday, denying media reports that The Post was on the verge of shutting down, and characterising the negotiations as "routine".<br /> <br /> Marcus Holmes, who has been CEO since late 2017, said on Tuesday that the negotiations with the GDT began in December.<br /> <br /> "It's so routine," he said, referring to the negotiations. "We fully expect we are going to explain this, [the GDT] is going to accept that and everyone is going to be happy."<br /> <br /> News articles published by online outlet AEC News and Catholic newswire UCAN had asserted that the negotiations were exceptional and threatened the newspaper with closure, claims that Holmes disputed. The pieces relied on anonymous sources claiming to be either "hackers" or close to Phnom Penh Post Publisher Bill Clough.<br /> <br /> Holmes rejected various claims that The Post was threatened with closure in the next 60 days; that the company was being penalised for failing to disclose a $2.5 million transfer from Australia; or that a deadline to pay back a $200,000 loan from a local bank was "very soon".<br /> <br /> He did acknowledge that the government had sent a letter alleging that the paper failed to follow proper reporting requirements regarding a $2.5 million money transfer from Australia, where Clough resides.<br /> <br /> "There's some very complicated tax legislation to do with injecting capital into Cambodia from outside," Holmes said, explaining that it was a routine part of The Post's operation to receive funds from Australia.<br /> <br /> He said that the issue was now subject to negotiations, and that the talks are confidential. The GDT's policy is to not comment on specific negotiations.<br /> <br /> The issues of tax compliance and press freedom intersected last September when English-language newspaper the Cambodia Daily, often critical of the government, was shuttered over a disputed $6.3 million tax bill. Observers connected the paper's shutdown to a larger crackdown on independent media and the political opposition that was occurring at the time, though that claim was fiercely rejected by the GDT.<br /> <br /> But throughout Tuesday's interview, Holmes characterised The Post's negotiations as routine for any business, and said that The Post's status as the last independent newspaper in Cambodia had not affected the negotiations with the GDT.<br /> <br /> Holmes said on Tuesday that the negotiations were ongoing and had no specific deadline, adding the newspaper was likely to file its latest reply to the Tax Department this week or early next week.<br /> <br /> Other matters raised in the articles included a loan owed to a local bank, which Holmes said was normal, adding that the company had plans to pay it off within the next year.<br /> <br /> The articles also referred to a payment ordered by the courts in a wrongful dismissal suit brought by former CEO Chris Dawe, who was dismissed for cause in 2015. The Post will be appealing the ruling to the Supreme Court soon, Holmes said.<br /> <br /> "None of this is new, or interesting, or surprising," he said.<br /> <br /> "It's all painted in these apocalyptic terms because we're the last independent newspaper in Cambodia. If we weren't . . . it would be very boring, and no business editor would be vaguely interested in publishing anything about it."

Post's bill from tax authority business as usual, says CEO

The Phnom Penh Post is currently negotiating a tax bill with Cambodia's General Department of Taxation (GDT), the newspaper's CEO said on Tuesday, denying media reports that The Post was on the verge…

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NBC officials optimistic about growing riel usage

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUNNAsQyOghV3dSXHceGSSMOYZspy8tL6aCWJOUIi-kNoWBH8MSsSsLGTE8hTpOZ-e9D0Ccn-hDScU4WXZ7KhvWpBlIQaQcZMPyQ4UewOfyNGjGztDklWzu-vhcK4Phua3OMpH6WxL9uQ/s1600/people-sort-riel-banknotes-in-phnom-penh-in-2015.-vireak-mai.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="780" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUNNAsQyOghV3dSXHceGSSMOYZspy8tL6aCWJOUIi-kNoWBH8MSsSsLGTE8hTpOZ-e9D0Ccn-hDScU4WXZ7KhvWpBlIQaQcZMPyQ4UewOfyNGjGztDklWzu-vhcK4Phua3OMpH6WxL9uQ/s640/people-sort-riel-banknotes-in-phnom-penh-in-2015.-vireak-mai.jpg" width="640" /></a></div> <br /> The Cambodian riel accounted for about 17 percent of total currency circulation last year, a number similar to previous years, but central bank officials said they remained optimistic that use of the local currency will grow in the future.<br /> <br /> Speaking to reporters yesterday at an event in Phnom Penh celebrating the 38th anniversary of the re-introduction of riel as the national currency, National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) Director General Chea Serey said that despite the US dollar dominating Cambodia's currency market, the results of an internal consumer survey pointed to shifting attitudes toward the use of riel.<br /> <br /> "I am optimistic that the circulation of Khmer riel will be better thanks to the change of consumer attitude," she said. "We have observed that our Cambodian people have increased their willingness to use the national currency."<br /> <br /> Serey said that a study conducted by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency in 2014 found that Cambodian youths preferred to use Khmer riel rather than US dollars, and that preference strengthened in a more recently conducted study. Serey attributed that growing preference to the youths' "national pride".<br /> <br /> "The priority now is that we need to transform the change of consumers' attitude to the real practice for better results," she said.<br /> <br /> The central bank has also passed regulations to promote riel usage, including requiring all commercial banks and microfinance institutions to hold at least 10 percent of their loan portfolios in riel by the end of next year.<br /> <br /> <blockquote class="tr_bq"> A previous version of this article misstated the author of a survey on the use of Khmer riel and US dollars in Cambodia. It was conducted by the Japan International Cooperation Agency. The article also misstated the results of the survey, which found the majority of Cambodian youths preferred to use Khmer riel rather than US dollars. The Post apologises for any confusion caused.</blockquote>

NBC officials optimistic about growing riel usage

The Cambodian riel accounted for about 17 percent of total currency circulation last year, a number similar to previous years, but central bank officials said they remained optimistic that use of the…

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