Cambodia Reopens, TikTok Shocker, Autistic Teen To Be Released

Nov 05, 2021

HOME ALONE: Kem Sokha put his Phnom Penh villa on the market for $2.4 million, leading many to speculate on his next move. One question: Can a person on home arrest sell the house they're confined in?
WIRED UP: Regulators want criminal charges against a Malaysian-owned telecom for “illegally” laying fiber-optic cable. But insiders accuse the government of choking the Telecom industry with vague and unfair regulations.
LINES CROSSED: Buddhist officials were appalled at a TikTok video in which a man dressed like a monk gyrated with a young woman in a miniskirt. The pair have apologized, but religious leaders are pushing for police action.

THE LEDE

Taking Flight

Prime Minister Hun Sen proclaimed Cambodia officially reopen. The country’s focus now turns to ramping up airport capacity and wooing back investors and tourists.

But will they come? And how fast?

Cambodia and Lanmei Airlines said they would resume twice-per-week flights to Bangkok beginning Nov 13. Malaysia Airlines announced it would start Friday flights from Kuala Lumpur to Phnom Penh on Nov 19. Bangkok Airways said it will start flying again Dec 1, with service scheduled four times per week.

The reopening’s success will be measured first in arrival numbers — and it’s not all-clear yet. Inbound travellers are still required to quarantine, and the status of visas-on-arrival remains uncertain.

Risky Business

Kem Sokha, Cambodia’s foremost opposition leader, put his Phnom Penh home on the block for $2.4 million, leading many to speculate the former party president is plotting a political comeback.

Allies of Kem Sokha, a CNRP co-founder, said he only wanted to live a “simple life” in the countryside. Others suggested the sale signifies Sokha’s imminent return to politics, either by starting a new party or compromising with the CPP.

Sokha was jailed for treason in September 2017. He was released to home confinement and barred from political campaigning a year later. CPP officials were quick to note that partisan scheming would violate his terms of release and could land him back behind bars.

‘Shameful Nadir’

The teenage son of an opposition party member will exit the gates of Prey Sar on Tuesday after four months and 15 days inside the notoriously hellish prison.

The court Monday sentenced Kak Sovann Chhay, the 17-year-old son of a former CNRP official, to eight months for comments made in a private Telegram chat. Police arrested him in June, and the judge suspended half his sentence, allowing him to walk free next week.

The boy’s conviction sparked widespread outrage. A U.N. rights expert called it the “shameful nadir” in the country’s ongoing campaign of repression. More than 150 opposition members have been charged with crimes since 2017, when the supreme court outlawed the country’s main opposition party.

Up in Smoke

Cambodia promised to call it quits on new coal-fired power plants.

Politicians applauded the move, but the decision is unlikely to alter the Kingdom’s energy policies for at least a generation. The government intends to quadruple domestic production over the next decade, and despite promises to the contrary, fossil fuels are key to the plan.

Cambodia is currently building four coal-fired power stations. Those plants are expected to run 40 years or longer. Fossil fuels will provide roughly four times as much energy as renewables over the next decade. By 2030, only 12% of Cambodia’s power is projected to come from green sources.

TALKING POINTS

Smart Crime

Telecom regulators demanded criminal charges against the boss of a leading Malaysian-owned telephone operator. Officials said the CEO of Smart Axiata was personally responsible for the actions of his company, which regulators accuse of “illegally” installing several kilometers of fiber-optic cable. Telecom insiders said the government was choking the industry with vague, unevenly enforced regulations.

Australian Visit

Prime Minister Hun Sen chided Australia for failing to deliver on its promise of 2 million Covid-19 vaccines days ahead of the Australian foreign minister’s scheduled visit to Southeast Asia. Both countries have said the foreign minister will visit Cambodia, but no dates have been announced.

Covid-19 Pill

The Ministry of Heath will import and distribute Covid-19 antiviral pills that clinical tests show can reduce fatalities by up to half. Cambodia has one of the highest Covid-19 mortality rates in the region, and Hun Sen has called on doctors and officials to do more.

Party Foul

In a rare display of party disunity, police jailed a CPP working group member for incitement and defamation. He had accused Deputy Prime Minister Chea Sophara of corruption and sex crimes.

Off Limits

Police continue to deny watchdog groups access to the Preah Roka and Prey Lang protected forests. Satellite images reveal rampant illegal logging in the area. Environmentalists have long tied deforestation to officials at the very top of the government.

TikTok Shock

Religious officials and local Buddhists are aghast at the latest get-famous antics on TikTok, the ultra-popular video-sharing platform. In the offending video, a man in blackface dressed like a monk and shimmied with a young lady in a miniskirt. What happens next? Jail, by the sounds of it. The pair have apologized, but religious leaders are pushing police to take action.

Road Ruin

Distraught homeowners howled and cried as city officials demolished their houses to make way for a $2-billion expressway to Sihanoukville. Residents said the bulldozers arrived without warning.

The Weekly Dispatch

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