Chinese Drugs, Mondulkiri Gold, CPP Clampdown

Jun 18, 2021

FOND FAREWELL: Em Theay, an icon of Khmer classical dance, passed away.
RECORD HAUL: Authorities seized more meth last year than ever before, blaming drug gangs from China and Taiwan.
GOLD DIGGERS: Mondulkiri miners start Kingdom's first gold extraction plant.
AIRPORT ANGER: Kandal province will get a $1.5 billion new airport, but local people are seeing red.

THE LEDE

Illegal logging in Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary.

Epic Fail in Ream

Attempts to smooth ties with the U.S. hit the rocks Friday when American officials abruptly ended a visit to Ream Navy Base, casting doubt on efforts to rekindle diplomacy and expand trade ties worth billions.

The U.S. is deeply suspicions of Chinese activity on the coast, specifically in Ream. The Wall Street Journal reported in 2019 that Cambodia had secretly agreed to allow the Chinese military to use the base, a claim Cambodia has repeatedly denied. The tour of Ream last week was meant to soothe concerns in Washington.

It didn’t go well. U.S. officials complained of limited access and walked out. Cambodia accused the Americans of manufacturing a crisis.

The standoff looks likely to cement the status quo. The U.S. will continue to push its agenda of democracy and human rights, and Cambodia will continue to ignore it. Meanwhile, the U.S. will try and chip away at Chinese influence through trade, where the U.S. holds a clear advantage: Cambodia exported goods worth $6.6 billion to the U.S. in 2020, and only $1.8 billion to China.

The Silencing of Civic Space

Any reopening of civic space ahead of elections next year appears to be going nowhere.

Authorities on Wednesday arrested four more environmental activist just as U.S. and local officials were discussing the government’s poor record in Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary.

Earlier in the week, the Siem Reap court upheld a sentence against Kea Sokun, the 23-year-old rapper jailed in September on charges of incitement. Last week, a Phnom Penh court denied bail to Rong Chhun, the union activist imprisoned since August 2020, also on charges of incitement. That’s to say nothing of jailed opposition party members.

With commune elections next year and national elections in 2023, the message from the government is unmissable: Defy the ruling party at your own peril.

Floating Villages Adrift

With little warning, authorities last week ordered families in a floating village on the Tonle Sap to dismantle their homes and move on. Where they went, apparently didn’t matter.

A few kilometers down river, a Cham Muslim community living on the waters behind the Sokha hotel faced the same situation. In some cases, three generations of families wondered where they might move on such short notice, with little money and no state support. How would they survive?

Most of those displaced were ethnic Vietnamese or Cham. Many were subsistence fishers. All were poor.

The suddenness of the evictions seemed cruel. Many asked, sometimes loudly, why authorities couldn’t allow them more time. That officials offered no good reason for the move only magnified the villagers' belief in the government’s indifference to their plight.

TALKING POINTS

Drug Problems

Chinese and Taiwanese drug gangs have brought large-scale drug production to Cambodia, according to a new U.N. report. In the past year, local police seized a record 863kg of methamphetamine, busted five commercial-grade drug labs, and confiscated four tons of precursor chemicals.

More Activists Arrested

Police on Wednesday arrested another four environmental activists, but details of the arrests were unclear. Police said the four had been detained on conspiracy charges, which carry a sentence of five to 10 years.

U.S. Pulls Out of Prey Lang

After pouring millions of conservation dollars into the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary, with little to show, the U.S. on Thursday stopped working with government agencies in the forest area. Rarely has the U.S. meted out such a clear, punitive rebuke of government shortcomings.

Dance Legend Passes Away

Em Theay, the beloved doyenne of Khmer classical dance, was raised in the Royal Court and helped rebuild the Royal University of Fine Arts after the Khmer Rouge. She passed away early Tuesday.

The Opposition Plots

Opposition politicians are eyeing their prospects ahead of commune elections next year and national elections in 2023. Some are forming new parties. One has returned from exile to join the ruling CPP.

Kandal Airport Protests

Authorities and land owners in Kandal province are fighting over land prices at the site of the future $1.5 billion international airport. Officials refuse to budge from their offer of $8 per square meter. Many have accepted, but about 30 people are holding out for a better payday.

Irrawaddy Dolphin Deaths

Stung Treng officials are investigating the death on Monday of a female Irrawaddy dolphin, the second death of the critically endangered mammal in as many months.

U.S. Returns Looted Art

The U.S. on Friday returned 27 Cambodian antiquities pilfered during the country’s civil war. U.S. officials recovered the artifacts during investigations of two well-known New York art dealers, Subhash Kapoor and Nancy Wiener.

Gold Digging in Mondulkiri

After 14 years of exploration, Renaissance Minerals will begin commercial gold extraction in Mondulkiri next week. Residents are concerned about pollution.

Public Markets Reopen

Market vendors across the capital opened their stalls Tuesday after months of mandatory closures over Covid-19 restrictions.

Milestone: 40,000 cases

Cambodia reached a grim benchmark Wednesday as Covid-19 infections passed 40,000 cases. Health authorities on Thursday reported 625 new cases and 12 deaths.

The Weekly Dispatch

Discussion about this post