Newspaper cuttings from The Phnom Penh Post cover issues of poverty and development between March 27 and 29.

Japan signs the agreements for $220m deal

Cambodia and Japan are set to sign aid and loan agreements next week worth roughly $220 million covering upgrades to the Kingdom’s roads and heath sector, and to Phnom Penh’s electricity grid. (Kingdom, Japan to ink $220m deal)

Construction booms boost wages

Cambodia’s booming construction industry is putting more money into labourers’ pockets, despite the lack of union involvement. However, safety standards remain a big issue. (As Phnom Penh’s skyline rises, so do wages)

Indigenous rights are recognised but yet implemented

Despite Cambodia’s indigenous peoples being legally recognised and protected under the country’s Forestry and Land Laws, limited implementation combined with a lack of coordination have resulted in many indigenous communities being denied their land and legal rights, according to a report released this month by the Heinrich Böll Foundation. (Indigenous rights ‘denied’)