Casino Workers Riot, Banks Loans Lose Steam, Snuff Films Spark Fury
Good morning, Cambodia. It's Friday, May 24, and this is your Weekly Dispatch.
BIG CHARGE: The Strongman was back at the bully pulpit, calling for a law banning denials of a Khmer Rouge genocide. With a softer touch, his prime minister son proposed a national institute for genocide studies.
RED LINE: Cambodia’s loan sector lost $415 million last year, a 45% drop blamed on slumps in housing and construction, and rising interest rates. Non-performing personal loans increased to more than 5%.
TAKE DOWN: The new Minister of Information called on Cambodia's social media fanatics to stop posting videos of violence against women, including a horrific murder by machete that recently led to online outrage.
THE LEDE
Bad Bets
No comment. That’s all officials had to say about a bizarre worker uprising at the notorious Jin Bei 4 Casino in Sihanoukville.
Here’s what we know: Armed police arrived Monday night to subdue around 300 Indian nationals who began rioting over workplace conditions. Police left with two truckloads of employees, and the Indian Embassy reported that 60 citizens had been rescued, calling them victims of employment fraud. The Sihanoukville police chief called it a labor dispute, no arrests of casino managers or owners have been reported, and the Jin Bei continues to operate as if nothing happened.
Cambodian officials insist they are working overtime to shut down the Kingdom’s cyber scam industry. Episodes like the Jin Bei 4 revolt is why few believe them.
Fine Line
The Strongman wants names.
Hun Sen demanded authorities investigate dozens of nasty comments left on his TikTok account, as social media became the newest front in a diplomatic tussle with Vietnam over the Funan Techo Canal.
The Vietnamese ambassador was summoned and urged to hand over identities. Vietnam operates a battalion of online opinion shapers, and whether commenters acted alone, or at the direction of the government, was not clear.
Cambodia has vowed to move forward with the $1.7 billion waterway, calling it key to its sovereignty and economic development.
Rising Tide
How many Chinese warships does it take to form a strike force? An armada? A fleet? Watch Cambodia's coast to find out.
There have never been more Chinese naval vessels in the Kingdom, according to military analysts, and that "unprecedented" number — now at five — seems almost certain to increase. But how many will arrive and at what cost to geopolitical relations?
For context: China's only official naval base abroad is on the Horn of Africa. Yet with ever more ships and longer stays, how long will it be until Ream becomes the second?
The caveat: Cambodia may be a long way from admitting the truth — no matter the facts on the sea.
TALKING POINTS
Genocide Law
The Strongman urged legislators to outlaw speech denying the Cambodian holocaust. Rejecting Khmer Rouge atrocities, he said, citing unnamed politicians, was the same as inciting a color revolution — and must be punished.
History Lesson
The government is readying plans for a national institute of genocide studies, announced Hun Manet, who offered few details on the funding or timeline of the project. Critics are skeptical. The government has never shown much interest in such a center, and the bulk of Khmer Rouge research is housed at the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum and the Documentation Center of Cambodia, which has long dreamed of a formal institute.
Mourning Day
The Kingdom designated June 3 as the second day of mourning for Supreme Patriarch Tep Vong, who passed away on Feb. 26 at 93. Officials directed flags to be flown at half-mast and all forms of televised entertainment to be postponed. No word yet if bars and restaurants will be affected.
Premium Plan
Cambodia expects to double the number of citizens covered by the national healthcare system over the next decade. Around 7 million people, or 40% of the population, receive coverage today. Officials want 80% of the country covered by 2035, in line with the goal of becoming a high-income country by 2050.
Union Boss
In a major breakthrough for the Kingdom’s labor relations, a number of high-profile fashion brands and garment manufacturers have agreed to support collective bargaining. The bilateral agreements were coordinated by the IndustriALL Global Union, which called the deal the “first-ever brand-supported collective bargaining agreement” in the garment and footwear sector.
Money Curve
Bank lending tumbled to 20-year lows in 2023, with weak rebounds in the housing and construction sectors combining with rising interest rates to stall growth. Of the Kingdom’s 58 commercial banks, 18 reported losses, as industry profits plunged 45% and the sector lost more than $415 million.
Blood Clicks
A spate of stomach-churning videos showing violence against women prompted renewed pleas from the information minister for users to stop sharing such content. The images, he said, dishonor the victims and can affect the mental health of young people.
BACKPAGES: From The Cambodia Daily Vault
NGO: Illegal Logging in Northeast
May 24, 2004
Forestry watchdog Global Witness reported a major illegal logging operation in Kratie and Mondolkiri provinces on Friday, orchestrated by a timber dealer who used permits signed by high-ranking forestry officials to gain passage for loads of illegal timber.
Man Sentenced for Insult Against Chea Vichea
May 24, 2004
Phnom Penh Municipal Court convicted a man on Friday for possessing an illegal weapon and insulting slain union leader and Sam Rainsy Party activist Chea Vichea by telephone text message.
US Report Criticizes Gov’t for Political Killings
May 21, 2004
Allegations of politically motivated killings and a lack of prosecution for perpetrators continues to tarnish Cambodia’s human rights records, the US State Department reported this week
Police Offer Cash for Leads in Union Shooting
May 19, 2004
Following the disappearance of a key witness to the fatal shooting of a Free Trade Union factory representative, Phnom Penh Penal Police Chief Reach Sokhon on Tuesday offered a $300 reward for information that will lead to the killers’ arrests.
WEEKEND READING
The Disease Detectives Trying to Keep the World Safe From Bird Flu
When a child in a small Cambodian town fell sick recently, his rapid decline set off a global disease surveillance system.
Banks backing Mekong hydropower failing on due diligence, report reveals
A new report shows that major banks operating in Southeast Asia are failing to address the environmental and human rights consequences of their investments in large-scale hydropower dams along the Mekong River.
Photos: Casino, WikiMedia. Hospital, WikiMedia.
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