Corruption Haunts Kingdom, Media Neglects Women, Electric Taxi Plan Unplugged
Good morning, Cambodia. It's Friday, December 15, and this is your Weekly Dispatch.
PARITY PUSH: A UNESCO study found Cambodian media outlets lacking in gender equality, with women quoted in only 12% of local news stories. The survey said the problem was “deeply rooted.”
NEW BOSS: The founder of NagaWorld passed away, making his son the new CEO of the casino juggernaut and next in line to address a simmering labor dispute. Workers hope it's a new start.
COURT APPEAL: Lawyer and activist Theary Seng was hospitalized during a 10-day hunger strike in prison, where she has languished since 2022. Officials gave no details about her condition.
THE LEDE
Shooting Star
Cambodia’s economy could be the hottest in Asia except for one thing — corruption.
The Kingdom heads into 2024 as the world’s top destination for foreign direct investment, and with its manufacturing and agro-business sectors poised for enormous growth.
There’s just that one problem. Government institutions, crippled by pervasive graft, have failed to grow in step with the economy. Without far-reaching reforms, the country will struggle to upscale its workforce, attract high-quality foreign investment and diversify the economy — all crucial steps in reaching the government’s ambitious income goals.
Without a lasting victory over corruption, Hun Manet’s legacy will be one of wasted potential.
Profit Warning
The U.K., U.S. and Canada leveled joint sanctions against five companies and two individuals for their roles in the Kingdom’s notorious cyber scam industry.
Reports of torture and human-trafficking at the compounds had been widely reported for years. Officials at the Ministry of Interior dismissed the sanctions as meaningless, saying Cambodia was not a British colony and the penalties carried no legal weight in the Kingdom.
Even so, authorities vowed to get tough on traffickers and pursue those named in the sanctions, while appealing to Western governments for further police training and financial aid.
Cop Out
Minister of Environment Eang Sophalleth praised the Kingdom’s fight against climate change at the COP28 Climate Summit. His remarks came as illicit logging and forest crimes run rampant in the nation’s protected areas.
The minister lauded the government’s commitment to plant 1 million trees annually to increase the country’s forest cover to 60% by 2050.
Deforestation in Cambodia is a master class in double-fisted grift. It allows government-backed networks to rake in massive illegal-logging profits while providing officials ample reason to solicit foreign aid in the name of environmental protection.
TALKING POINTS
Slim Chance
Theary Seng, the Cambodian-America lawyer and political activist, was hospitalized after complications from a 10-day hunger strike. She was scheduled to appear in court Dec. 13 to appeal a 2022 conviction for incitement. Authorities gave no details on her medical condition or future court appearances.
Training Days
Chinese warships remained docked at Ream Naval Base two weeks after they were uncovered by satellite images. Posts from the base’s Facebook page indicate the gunboats are part of training exercises, yet the government has offered no explanations for their appearance or details about the drills.
Family Fight
The death of NagaWorld founder Chen Lip Keong is unlikely to spark a breakthrough in a yearslong standoff between the casino and workers. NagaWorld named Chen Yiy Fon, the founder’s son, as the new CEO. The union urged him to return to the bargaining table. Chhim Sithar, the union’s president, remains imprisoned for incitement.
Language Barrier
The government, after a storm of online protests, quickly backtracked on plans for a Vietnamese company to launch 2,500 electric taxis, and officials insisted it was all just a misunderstanding. Vingroup had given Hun Manet a proposal, but it had yet to be reviewed — an explanation that flies in the face of numerous media reports and the government’s initial praise of the investment.
Fire Tale
Officials at Phnom Tamao Zoo blasted a Khmer-language VOD report claiming a new 20km road violated government protection orders. Zoo officials said the new dirt road was a firebreak, built to protect animals from forest blazes.
Gender Bias
Cambodian news ignores women. That’s the conclusion of a UNESCO media survey that found women are quoted in less than 12% of news reports, and only 1% of stories discuss gender-based violence. Activists said the findings represent “deeply rooted gender inequality,” and urged the press to challenge stereotypes and strive for equal representation.
Heavenly Bodies
Some of Cambodia’s best known painters were honored at the National Museum in “Tep Apsara Khmer Heritage,” an exhibit exploring the Kingdom’s divine dance. Works include the expressionistic dreamscapes of Chhan Dina and the joyful canvases of Stéphane Delaprée, better known as Happy Stef. The exhibit runs through January.
BACKPAGES: From The Cambodia Daily Vault
An Illicit Industry Thrives in Cardamom Mountains
December 13, 2003
In late March, foresters and military police working with Conservation International apprehended 11 men and one woman from northern Vietnam for forest crimes in Pursat province’s portion of the Samkos Wildlife Sanctuary.
Angkor Thom Construction Ordered to End
December 9, 2003
The Apsara Authority has demanded an end to a construction project in Angkor Thom, officials said Monday, fueling what has become a long-running feud between Apsara and the project’s benefactor, Phnom Penh Deputy Municipal Police Chief Heng Pov.
Robbers Snatch Payroll, Kill Factory Owner
December 9, 2003
Robbers armed with AK-47 rifles ambushed and killed Cambodian-American shoe factory manager Doseth Huang, 50, on busy Russian Boulevard Monday morning in what appeared to be a payroll heist, police said.
WEEKEND READING
Cambodia’s ‘passionate’ women tuk-tuk drivers fight prejudice, one ride at a time
In Siem Reap, a small group of women is finding economic independence by operating traditional rickshaws. Many were verbally abused and told to ‘stay at home’ when they first started out, but the naysayers have been won over due to their perseverance.
The intractable problem of land grabbing in Cambodia
Located in the middle of a plain, the sugar processing plant rusts under the light rain at the end of a monsoon. “The lorries used to come and go non-stop. But since 2019 everything has come to a standstill,” says Tip Teum, a 68-year-old farmer from the Kuy ethnic group.
Photos: Development, aseiff, via Flickr.
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