Cyber Fraud Meets Ponzi Schemes, Monkey Business Continues, National Games Kick Off

Good morning, Cambodia. It's Friday, November 25, and this is your Weekly Dispatch.

• CAPITAL GRAINS: Cambodia jasmine rice won World’s Best title at a prestigious rice summit in Thailand. That did little for dead-broke local farmers, who said high costs and price cuts made the honor bittersweet.

• SUMMIT CIRCUIT: The Strongman welcomed top global military officials to Siem Reap. Washington and Beijing brass met face to face — and Hun Sen took credit for things not going awful.

• STARTING LINE: Nearly 5,000 athletes will compete in the 23rd National Games, a mini-olympiad underway in Phnom Penh and other cities. Officials called it a dress rehearsal for next year’s 2023 Southeast Asian Games.

THE LEDE

Monkey Laundering

The Ministry of Agriculture defended two top officials and a research company  charged in the U.S. with illegally selling wild monkeys as captive-bred — a move it may soon regret.

Employees at Vanny Bio Research and nearby residents called the illicit trade an open secret. Workers spoke of wild macaques arriving regularly at the facility, often hundreds at a time. Locals said monkey trapping offered good money, with prices doubling in recent years.

Masphal Kry, deputy director of the Department of Wildlife and Biodiversity, was arrested in New York last week for his role in the ring. The government is working on his release.

Top Crop

Cambodia’s Phka Rumduol jasmine rice was crowned the world’s best at the 2022 World Rice Conference, beating out Thailand’s Hom Mali, the reigning champion.

The award gave little comfort to the Kingdom’s cash-strapped rice farmers, who are struggling against massive oversupply and low prices. Mounting frustration prompted the government to enforce a minimum purchase price of about 25 cents per kilogram. It offered the industry a five-year tax holiday and earmarked $10 million to buy stock directly from growers.

Authorities warned unhappy farmers to keep complaints off social media, or face arrest.

Prime Time

The Kingdom’s big top went big time, earning a Guinness World Record for “Longest Circus Show” with a 24-hour performance. 

Phare Ponleu Selpak, the non-profit troupe from Battambang, pulled the March 2021 feat together as a “last ditch” attempt to raise money and survive the pandemic. The marathon production included 90 paid performers, a 1,000-strong audience and, proudly, no animals. It raised $150,000 and ensured the show will go on.

Phare is performing at The Factory Phnom Penh through November. It will hold a special online event Dec. 11 to celebrate the new record.

TALKING POINTS

Crossed Wires

The Strongman pushed back on media reports that President Biden pressed for democratic reforms and the release of political prisoners. The U.S. leader spoke only of free and fair elections, Hun Sen said, and the status of Theary Seng, the imprisoned Cambodian-American activist, never came up.

Elephant Dance

Defense chiefs from the U.S and China discussed Taiwan and other regional security issues at a sit-down in Siem Reap on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting. Hun Sen praised the talks, calling “the land of Angkor” a place for “constructive dialogue.”

Tense Ties

“Difficult” — that’s how Cambodia termed its relationship with the U.S. military after a meeting of top brass. Washington’s chief complaint remained Chinese-backed construction at Ream Naval Base. Phnom Penh called for understanding.

Riel Time

The National Bank’s years-long push for dedollarization has resulted in a modest shift away from the U.S. greenback, with Cambodian riel bank deposits rising to around 9% in 2021, up from around 6% in 2018. Nearly 90% of loans are still in dollars.

Strike Force

The government used Covid-19 as an excuse to jail union leaders and strip workers of their rights, a new report from Human Rights Watch said. The harassment, condoned at the highest level, presented an existential crisis for organized labor. The government called the report’s accusations “unfounded.”

Fast Buck

Securities regulators were investigating a raft of Ponzi schemes following weeks of outcry. Front companies like the French OL group, Payeer and others had claimed partnerships with well-known banks and were offering high-interest accounts and crypto-currency investments and other shady deals. Some investors lost everything.

Good Sport

Cambodia kicked off the 23rd National Games with nearly 5,000 athletes competing in 38 sports in Kampot, Kep, Phnom Penh, Preah Sihanouk and Siem Reap. Officials called it a test run for the Southeast Asian Games in May.

BACKPAGES: From The Cambodia Daily Vault

Fewer Boatmen Visited Brothels This Festival

November 25, 2002
Brothel shutdowns and an HIV/AIDS awareness campaign helped keep large numbers of boatmen away from prostitutes during last week’s Water Festival, officials said Sunday.

Union Leaders Fear Arrest, Refuse Invitation to Inquest

November 25, 2002
Three union leaders invited to municipal police headquarters for a “personal inquest” today are re­fusing to go, fearing arrest.

Water Festival Proves Lucrative for Police

November 20, 2002
Most of the approximately 1.5 million people who have poured into Phnom Penh for this year’s Water Festival are here for fun. But for vendors, taxi drivers, and even police, this is the best time of year to make money.

Photos: Circus, Amaury Laporte, Flickr. Phnom Penh Court, The Cambodia Daily.

Send comments to editor@cambodiadaily.com