Chinese Criminal Gangs, Mekong Dolphin Baby, NagaWorld Strike

Mar 11, 2022

MOB MOVE: Under pressure from Beijing and the public, the government promised to crack down on Chinese criminal gangs ahead of June 5 elections.
FUR FLIES: Authorities took another stab at eradicating the dog meat trade, warning increasingly stiff fines for anyone slaughtering or trafficking canines for food.
ADDING ON: The Covid-19 pandemic has all but erased multiple-country travel, leaving Cambodia to compete head-to-head with regional giants Thailand and Vietnam.

THE LEDE

The CPP’s $30 million headquarters in Phnom Penh.

Poll Position

The ruling CPP called it democracy in action: More than 82,000 candidates from 17 parties registered to stand in the June 5 commune elections. More than 25,000 — nearly one-third — were women.

Not everyone was celebrating. Several parties complained of intimidation, pointing to candidates who dropped out because of safety fears. One party said it would boycott the vote.

Only the CPP fielded candidates for all 1,652 districts, with the Candlelight Party — the former Sam Rainsy Party — naming candidates for all but a few. The Candlelight Party is expected to make a strong showing, but no one believes it can crack the CPP’s decades-long stranglehold on power.

Labor Clash

The crisis ensnaring NagaWorld’s labor union and government authorities deepened as the appeal court denied bail to eight union members and a high-profile meeting with the deputy prime minister proved fruitless.

The union began striking in December over allegations of unfair dismissals and other labor abuses. Officials have repeatedly sided with the Phnom Penh casino. On several occasions, city officials forcefully detained striking workers for presumably breaking health safety restrictions.

The union has vowed to keep striking until its jailed members are released and its demands are met.

Gang Crackdown

The Chinese crime problem is so bad, Beijing wants to elbow aside local authorities and lead its own independent clampdown.

Alarmed by widespread reports of Chinese gangs operating across the Kingdom, Beijing asked Phnom Penh to give its police the autonomy to track and deport law-breaking nationals. Cambodia rejected the idea, but in a nod to increasing local unease — and local politics — it committed to sweeping away Chinese criminals by election day.

It’s a big promise. Reports of kidnapping and forced labor are nothing new. Growing Chinese dismay — and rocketing alarm from rights groups and regional allies — may finally force a change.

The real question is: What took so long?

TALKING POINTS

New Fish

An international team of experts released more than 1,000 endangered fish into the Tonle Sap as part of a multiyear effort to replenish the Great Lake’s dwindling stocks. The release included two Mekong giant catfish, the world’s largest freshwater fish. All the fish were tagged and their movements, growth and survival will be monitored.

Face Off

Siem Reap’s fancy $150-million facelift — new roads, street lights, foot paths and bike lanes — might not be enough for the city to thrive in the post-pandemic era, travel experts said. The coronavirus killed multi-country travel, and Cambodia, long an add-on destination, must now compete head-to-head with regional titans like Thailand and Vietnam.

Poll Trolls

Sam Rainsy, the former CNRP leader, predicted the U.S. would persuade Hun Sen to reinstate the Kingdom’s banned opposition party during the prime minister’s visit to Washington this month. The CPP scoffed at the idea, saying Sam Rainsy was just trolling for the media spotlight.

Right Stuff

To mark International Women’s Day, political activists called for improved protection of the country’s outspoken lady campaigners. Many of the Kingdom’s leading female champions face years behind bars for their advocacy work.

Culture Clash

Cambodia renewed a push to eradicate its bustling dog meat trade, warning stiff fines for anyone caught trafficking or slaughtering man’s favorite four-legged friend. Two to three million dogs are reportedly killed in the industry every year.

Irrawaddy Babe

Researchers celebrated the discovery of a newborn Mekong dolphin, the critically endangered freshwater mammal. Less than 100 are believed to live in Cambodia’s upper Mekong River, and every new calf is critical for the survival of the species.

Slow Justice

Court authorities postponed Kem Sokha’s treason trial yet again after a lead prosecutor tested positive for the coronavirus. The former CNRP president was arrested in 2017. The defense team has repeatedly called for faster proceedings.

BACKPAGES: From The Cambodia Daily Vault

Tuol Sleng’s Skull Map to Come Down, be Replaced by Stupa

March 9, 2002
Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum’s infamous skull-and-bones map of Cambodia, built with the remains of Pol Pot’s victims after the fall of the Khmer Rouge regime in 1979, is scheduled to be taken down Sunday as museum officials move ahead with a scheduled renovation.

Detention of Ta Mok Criticized

March 7, 2002
Concerned over the implications of the extension of the pre-trial detention of Ta Mok, a human rights activist and criminal defense attorney Wednesday criticized the government’s decision to add new charges against the former Khmer Rouge leader.

Vietnamese Troops Spook Kandal Villagers

March 6, 2002
Some of the villagers were sure they were seeing ghosts, watching the four wooden boats filled with soldiers motor up the Bassac river in Saturday’s pre-dawn darkness.

The Weekly Dispatch

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