Cambodian Prime Minister has encouraged Maybank to consider investing in building halal food ecosystems in Cambodia. Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet made the encouragement while receiving a courtesy call from President and CEO of Maybank Mr. Dato' Khairussaleh Ramli, in Kuala Lumpur this evening, during the former's day-long visit in Malaysia. The Premier explained that the bank is a key player in the financial sector that will facilitate clients and stakeholders in the system. In addition, he urged Maybank to cooperate with relevant institutions in Cambodia to promote the establishment of halal food industry as a potential industry to support a number of other key sectors as well as the export of halal products from Cambodia to international markets. Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet also called for continued cooperation between Maybank and the National Bank of Cambodia, especially on cross-bank payments to promote the financial and banking sector to become a more important driving force of the Cambodia n economic growth. For his part, Mr. Dato' Khairussaleh Ramli spoke highly of the keynote address of Samdech Thipadei at the Cambodia-Malaysia Business Forum 2024, and admired the Cambodian Prime Minister, who is full of intelligence and in-depth understanding of investment, finance and banking. Maybank started its investment in Cambodia in December 1993 with the opening of its first branch in Phnom Penh. Currently, the bank has 21 branches, 13 of which are located in Phnom Penh. Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse Some lawmakers of the main opposition Democratic Party (DP) on Tuesday voiced strong discontent over what they say are unfair nominations of candidates for the April 10 parliamentary elections based on party leader Lee Jae-myung's preferences. The outcry from the DP faction considered less close to Lee came during a general meeting of DP lawmakers, as the internal rift is deepening within the party over accusations of what some call a "massacre" of lawmakers not aligned with the party leader in the nominations for the upcoming general elections. They have argued that several non-Lee faction lawmakers were categorized among the lower 10 percent or 20 percent in terms of legislative activity, resulting in demerit points when competing with other contenders in party primaries. They have said such tilted rules are designed to exclude them from the candidate nominations. According to people who attended the general meeting, Rep. Hong Young-pyo, considered a key non-Lee faction lawmaker, accused Lee of "getting blood on his hands by only peeling off the skin of others while not peeling off any of his at all," referring to Lee's past remarks in which he likened the reform of nominations to pains of removing one's skin. Revealing that he was included in the lowest 20 percent category, Hong criticized the party's nomination committee for denying the nomination of Im Jong-seok, a former presidential chief of staff under the previous Moon Jae-in administration, in his stronghold constituency of Seoul's Jung-Seongdong district for the April votes. The committee, instead, has nominated Jeon Hyun-heui, a former chairperson of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, for the district. Some other non-Lee faction members at Tuesday's meeting raised the suspicion about the belated inclusion of a local pollster, apparently with ties to Lee, to conduct surveys for the party primaries. The general meeting lasted for two hours and 40 minutes, according to the party officials. Lee, who was present throughout the meeting , apparently made no remarks. Lee told reporters after the meeting that he will "take into account the various opinions of our fellow lawmakers." The committee earlier announced that it has not yet decided which constituency to nominate Im for, despite earlier rumored plans for Seoul's Songpa Ward, a traditional conservative stronghold where his chances of winning are slim. The decision came after Im Hyug-baeg, the committee's chief, has argued that party members who had served under the Moon government should take some responsibility for the launch of the Yoon Suk Yeol administration. Im Jong-seok, who had previously served two terms as a lawmaker representing the district, applied for nomination in the district, and the party's rejection of the request could fan allegations that the party is sidelining those outside the pro-Lee faction. Rep. Kim Young-joo, a four-term lawmaker and deputy National Assembly speaker widely perceived to be outside the pro-Lee faction, announced earlier that she was placed in the lower 20 percent category and declared her intention to leave the party. Other DP lawmakers, who were denied nominations or included in the list of underperformers, have also intensified criticism of the party leadership, with Rep. Noh Woong-rae launching a hunger strike and Rep. Lee Su-jin announcing her departure from the party. On Monday, Rep. Ko Min-jung, who is also considered outside the pro-Lee faction, also resigned as a member of the party's Supreme Council in protest of the way the party nominates candidates. She previously served as Moon's spokesperson. Rep. Sul Hoon, also considered a non-mainstream member, hinted that he too could leave the party. On Tuesday, Rep. Park Young-soon, who is also considered outside of the pro-Lee faction, announced his departure from the DP after he was placed in the bottom 10 percent. Park said he will join the new party led by Lee Nak-yon, a former prime minister, and continue his bid for reelection there. Both DP Chairman Lee and the party's nomination committee chief, Im Hyug-baeg, have rejected the accusations, arguing that the party is selecting candidates in a fair and reasonable manner. However, the party's nomination results reveal that a majority of 51 people who secured party nominations without undergoing primaries are considered close to Lee. Im Hyug-baeg has hinted that the party could nominate Im Jong-seok for Seoul's Songpa Ward, a traditional conservative stronghold where his chances of winning are slim. The outcome could potentially deepen the rift between those aligned with Moon and those in the pro-Lee faction. Source: Yonhap News Agency