Day: April 1, 2023

Sixteen (19) Cambodian international boxing sport delegates including 11 male, 5 female boxers and 3 coaches have departed for a month-long training (Mar. 30 to April 30) in Kazakhstan.

Addressing the get-together with the Cambodian boxing sport delegation before their departure here in Phnom Penh recently, Mr. Casey Barnett, Vice President of International Boxing Federation of Cambodia, encouraged them to work hard to sharpen their capacity.

The training will help further improve the capacity of Cambodian athletes for the international events including the forthcoming SEA Games 2023 in Cambodia.

Cambodian SEA Games Organising Committee (CAMSOC) encourages training for athletes both in the country and overseas to build up their experience and technical skill.

Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse (AKP)

Seven giant objects have been prepared for display at “My Village” during Angkor Sankranta 2023 from April 14 to 16 in Siem Reap province.

The seven giant objects include Chapei Dang Veng (long-necked guitar), Prahok (Khmer fermented fish) basket, palm leaf hat, eggs and nest, Hanuman mask, Angrut (fish trap), and palm juice containers.

The showcase of the objects aims to cheer the 10th anniversary of the celebration of Angkor Sankranta and to attract tourists during the Angkor Sankranta 2023 celebration.

Themed “My Village, Peace Village”, the “My Village” programme will feature Khmer traditional houses for visitors to flash back the peaceful life of Cambodian people from ancient to the present time.

Besides the “My Village”, the three-day Angkor Sankrata will include other programmes such as “This Is Not a Dream”, “Mony Harotey Park”, and “SEA Games-ASEAN Para Games 2023 Village”.

Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse (AKP)

Cambodia’s financial sector has the second-highest capital adequacy and the best returns on assets among major developing countries in East Asia, according to the World Bank.

In its April update on East Asia and the Pacific, the bank meanwhile said that asset quality in Cambodia was around average for the region but that the country’s financial sector was the least solvent.

CAPITAL ADEQUACY HIGHEST IN INDONESIA AND CAMBODIA

Among nine countries for which figures were available, the latest quarterly data showed that regulatory capital amounted to 22 percent of the sector’s risk-weighted assets in Cambodia — second only to Indonesia at 24 percent.

Thailand’s capital adequacy ratio ranked third (19 percent) followed by Laos and Malaysia (18 percent), China and the Philippines (15 percent), Myanmar (13 percent) and Vietnam (11 percent).

Non-performing loans ranged from 2-3 percent in eight countries excluding Myanmar — at the higher end for Cambodia, the Philippines and Thailand, and at the lower end for the rest.

NON-PERFORMING LOANS ‘STABLE’ IN MOST COUNTRIES

The update — released in Washington Thursday — said non-performing loans had been “stable” in most countries in East Asia and the Pacific.

“Financial sector health is so far sound,” it said.

But average numbers showing adequate capital and low non-performing loans for most countries may “mask idiosyncratic vulnerabilities.”

“There is a risk of overestimated asset quality and understatement of the vulnerabilities accumulating in some of East Asia’s bank-dominated financial systems.

“A correction on this front will constrain the banking sector’s balance sheet headroom and impact credit growth,” the bank warned.

HIGHEST RETURNS ON ASSETS IN CAMBODIA AND INDONESIA …

Among ten economies including Mongolia, the bank said the financial sectors in Cambodia and Indonesia were the most profitable with both enjoying returns on assets of 2.4 percent.

The next most profitable was the Philippines with returns of 1.6 percent followed by Malaysia and Vietnam (1.5 percent), Laos (1.4 percent), Thailand (1.2 percent), China (0.4 percent) and Myanmar (0.3 percent). Returns were negative in Mongolia, with losses of 0.2 percent of assets.

… BUT LOWEST DEPOSIT-TO-LOAN RATIOS IN CAMBODIA, THAILAND AND VIETNAM

In terms of deposit-to-loan ratios, however, Cambodia had the lowest of nine countries at 79 percent.

Other countries with relatively low solvency rankings were Thailand (92 percent) and Vietnam (97 percent) along with Indonesia (106 percent), China (110 percent) and Malaysia (119 percent).

Myanmar had the highest ratio of deposits to loans (195 percent) followed by the Philippines (133 percent) and Mongolia (130 percent).

Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse (AKP)

Cambodia has made noticeable progress in promoting child rights, according to an analysis on the situation of Cambodian children and their rights unveiled by UNICEF.

The United Nations Children’s Fund launched the result of the analysis recently in an event in Phnom Penh.

Representatives from concerned government bodies, civil society organisations, development partners, and the private sector attended launch event.

The analysis underlined the progress in children’s foundation rights, including the right to participate in decision-making and to health, nutrition, water sanitation, and hygiene.

The improvement of children’s rights to education, protection from harm, and adequate standard of living was also highlighted.

UNICEF Representative to Cambodia Mr. Will Parks congratulated Cambodia on the progress, stressing that the country has proven it is capable of envisioning a future where all children have access to the healthcare, nutrition, protection and education they need, deserve and are entitled to.

The findings from the analysis will also shape UNICEF Cambodia’s country programme and the broader UN Cooperation Framework for the next five years (2024-2028).

It will also help to further align UNICEF’s strategic approach with the Royal Government of Cambodia’s vision to reach upper middle-income status by 2030 and become high income country by 2050.

Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse (AKP)