Chinese Military Influence, Rare Animals in Preah Vihear and 12,000 Cases of Beer for the CPP
Good morning, Cambodia. It's Friday, June 10, and this is your Weekly Dispatch.
LOCAL POLLS: The CPP won 1,648 villages to the Candlelight Party’s four — a 99.9 winning percentage — and the ruling party claimed nearly 75% of the popular vote. The opposition is left reeling, but still standing.
GLOBAL DOUBT: The United Nations criticized the commune elections, citing threats, intimidation and obstruction. Victorious Cambodian officials yawned, calling the remarks “fallacious, politicized and one-sided.”
EXOTIC FINDS: A survey of a Preah Vihear province wildlife sanctuary found more than 70 species, including banteng, Bengal slow loris, Indochinese silvered langur and green peafowl. Gaur, the native bison, was photographed in Kratie province for the first time.
THE LEDE
Maritime Mess
The U.S renewed accusations that China and Cambodia were involved in secret military ventures, just as officials were breaking ground on Chinese-funded upgrades to the Kingdom’s largest naval base.
Citing an anonymous Beijing official, U.S. media confirmed that Chinese soldiers and scientists would occupy a portion of Ream Naval Base, on Cambodia’s coast.
The allegations prompted a firestorm of pushback, with Phnom Penh and Beijing strenuously denying the claims. A foreign base would violate Cambodia’s constitution, and the issue could be combustible for Hun Sen as he prepares for national elections next year.
Victory Cheer
Nothing says winning like 12,000 cases of beer.
That was Deputy Prime Minister Sar Kheng’s gift to the Prey Veng branch of the CPP after the party steamrolled the opposition in Sunday’s local elections.
According to preliminary results, the CPP won 1,648 communes to the Candlelight Party’s four — a 99.98 winning percentage — and 9,338 of 11,622 council seats. The ruling party claimed nearly 75% of the popular vote, with the Candlelighters taking 23%. Official results are expected June 26.
The victory cements the CPP’s vice-like lock on local power and sets the table for further dominance in national elections.
Democracy Now
The Cambodian government proclaimed Sunday’s commune election a grand success — and a testament to the Kingdom’s flourishing democracy.
Western governments and opposition groups weren’t so sure.
The U.S. and European Union raised a host of concerns regarding threats, intimidation and legal harassment. Election watchdogs noted a laundry list of irregularities, while opposition parties united in calls for reform.
Even so, beyond a few cursory complaints from Western governments, it’s business as usual — the Kingdom’s democratic failings appear unlikely to derail the country’s growing economic importance in the global battle over Chinese influence.
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TALKING POINTS
Covid-19 Win
Cambodia pronounced itself free from Covid-19 after 30 days without new infections — a boast likely the result of reduced testing rather than reality: The Kingdom only counts tests performed in hospitals. Local media hardly questioned official statistics for fear of the country’s harsh disinformation laws.
Tedious Trial
Kem Sokha’s treason trial dragged into its 43rd hearing, with prosecutors attempting to link the former CNRP president to “rebel mastermind” Sam Rainsy. Kem Sokha was arrested in 2017 for conspiring with a foreign nation to overthrow the government. Prosecutors have so far failed to produce credible evidence of a conspiracy — or even name the country. Observers suggest the government’s case is floundering.
Report Blasted
Cambodia blasted a U.N. statement on Sunday’s commune election and slammed its author's integrity in a double-barrel attack. The U.N. statement raised a number of concerns, including the “pattern of threats, intimidation and obstruction targeting opposition candidates ahead of communal elections.” Cambodia called the remarks “fallacious, politicized and one-sided.”
Phnom Aural
A 53-year-old Cambodian runner set a new world’s best for fastest ascent of Phnom Aural, beating by 28 seconds the previous mark set in April by two Westerners. Kim Saroeun, known widely as Kim Kok, made the ascent in 2 hours 26 minutes and 8 seconds. He challenged all comers to aim for his record as a way to promote tourism and the mountain’s rugged, natural beauty.
Forest Monk
Prom Thomacheat, a reclusive monk living in the Phnom Oral Wildlife Sanctuary, had his hut burned to the ground by unknown arsonists. Tensions in the Metta forest have simmered for months between locals and soldiers who are clearing vast tracts for military use. About 30% of one protected area has been razed since January.
Art and More
“The Space In Between” opens Sunday at Borey Chankiri on National Road 2. The exhibit includes sculptures, paintings and photographs installed in public spaces around the neighborhood. At Java Café Tuol Tom Pong, the Phnom Penh Players will preform “Grave Affair Ft. Running on Empty & Casket for Two.” At the French Institute, renowned artist Pich Sopheap joins forces with French perfumer Violaine Collas to showcase the world of haute fragrances.
Wildlife Records
A survey of the Phnom Tnout-Phnom Pok Wildlife Sanctuary in Preah Vihear recorded more than 70 species, including a dozen animals listed as endangered. The find included banteng, Bengal slow loris, Indochinese silvered langur and green peafowl. In Kratie province, conservationists photographed guar for the first time.
BACKPAGES: From The Cambodia Daily Vault
Ex-KR Photographer Now Tourism Worker
June 8, 2002
A life as Pol Pot’s photographer in his past, Seng Lytheng takes his place among Siem Reap’s teeming moto crowd most mornings to ply his latest trade: tourism director.
Mong Reththy Drops Charges Against Paper
June 6, 2002
The Mong Reththy company Tuesday agreed to drop its charges against an opposition newspaper that is appealing an April conviction for defamation, a company representative said.
Man Shot, Captured by Police Unaccounted for 2 Weeks Later
June 5, 2002
The wife of a Kompong Thom province man who disappeared shortly after being wounded in a shootout with police appealed to police and human rights groups Tuesday to find her missing husband and punish those responsible for his attack.
WEEKEND READING
‘Ironclad brothers’: what China wants from its role in Cambodia’s biggest naval base
Analysis: reports the Chinese military will get exclusive use of part of Ream base have been denied, but experts say nature of the arrangement remains unclear
Cambodian families choose between land and fish
Unpredictable extreme weather and a population boom prompt some coastal residents to look for new hope away from the water
Photos: Map, obtained by The Washington Post. Guar, screenshot from WWF video.