E.U. Talks Trade Sanctions, China Silent on Canal Funds, Krama Wins UNESCO Listing
Good morning, Cambodia. It's Friday, December 6, and this is your Weekly Dispatch.
PYRAMID SCHEME: The untouristed temples of Koh Kor have been named one of Asia’s top three destinations. Just 2.5 hours from Siem Reap, they won’t stay quiet for much longer.
TOKEN MOVE: Regulators are coming for casino ads and cryptocoin platforms to rein in the illegal gambling industry. Officials are bluffing, say critics, pointing to years of inaction and complicity in the sector.
WORD COUNT: A government-backed Telegram bot harnesses AI to translate the technical jargon used in the media and legal fields — the makers say it’s better than Google.
THE LEDE
Shifting Currents
The Strongman had money on his mind when he sat down this week with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Hun Sen pressed for greater financial support for the Kingdom, and little was said of the $1.7 billion Funan Techo Canal, which has stalled amid questions over financing. China made no mention of the project in official statements, adding to suspicions that Beijing has pulled support for the plan.
Cambodia appears to have painted itself into a corner, with little choice now but to fund the project alone — or abandon it.
Trade Craft
Citing a raft of rights abuses, the E.U. Parliament passed a resolution calling for targeted sanctions against violators and urging a review of the Kingdom’s duty-free access.
The bloc is Cambodia’s second-largest export partner after the U.S., and a suspension of preferential trade status would deal a substantial blow to the garment industry, which accounts for 70% of exports and shipped $3.5 billion to E.U. markets last year.
Cambodia dismissed the resolution. “It is their business,” a spokesperson said. “They can think what they want.”
Less Traveled
The tourist guide Fodor’s named the Koh Kor temple complex one of Asia’s top three destinations for 2025.
The magnificent site, about 2.5 hours from Angkor Wat, contains around 80 temples, yet none of the camera-wielding crowds — at least for now — and the remote location gives the place a real Indiana Jones feel.
The main attraction lies in the seven-tiered Prasat Thom, a pyramid-shaped monument that reaches 36 meters high. The adventurous can climb to the top for a heart-pounding view of Preah Vihear province.
The temple is unlikely to stay quiet forever, as the detour destination trend takes hold. Get there before the crowds.
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TALKING POINTS
Hard Fall
A Cambodian court sentenced 13 pregnant Filipina women to four years in prison for acting as surrogate mothers in what prosecutors called an international baby trafficking ring. The mothers are expected to serve two years after giving birth. The Philippine Embassy called the women victims, not criminals.
Ad Block
Authorities banned gambling-related advertising and blocked web access to several prominent cryptocoin platforms in a renewed effort to clean up the illegal gambling industry. The regulations are unlikely to have much impact, experts say, unless strictly enforced. Several sites and apps remained available days after the announcement.
Workplace Peril
The Phnom Penh Court upheld an 18-month sentence for incitement against Morm Rithy, president of Cambodian Tourism and Services Workers Federation. The union boss was arrested in May for social media posts criticizing the treatment of workers at the Jinbei casino, which is owned by Chen Zhi, chairman of the billion-dollar Prince Group and an adviser to Hun Sen.
Half Full
International arrivals are surging with the onset of the high season. Arrivals from China are up more than 50% over last year, while ticket sales to Angkor Wat are up nearly 30%. Even so, the figures lag far behind pre-Covid numbers.
Water Fight
A standoff is brewing between the ACU and two dozen residents accused of illegally occupying nearly 10,000 hectares of flooded forests around the Tonle Sap Lake. Officials have threatened legal action, but residents so far have refused to return the land. Negotiations are ongoing.
Khmer Words
Better than Google Translate. That’s the bold claim about TranslateKH, a new AI-powered translation service from the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications. The app makers say the vocabulary used is specific for legal, media and technical fields — words often mistranslated by general tools like Google Translate. There’s even a Telegram bot.
Fashion First
Cambodia’s distinctive checkered krama and the cultural practices linked to its making have been inscribed in the UNESCO List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. The scarf joins several significant Khmer icons, including Angkor Wat, the Chapei Dang Veng, and the traditional martial art of Kun Lbokator.
BACKPAGES: From The Cambodia Daily Vault
A Western Touch – Cambodian Musicians Master Classics From Europe
December 4, 2004
Talent has little to do with income, said Him Sophy, a Cambodian composer of Western music. While people from wealthier families might have better opportunities to study, great musicians may emerge from the poorest villages, given the opportunity to develop, he said.
Gov’t Declares Brothel Village Closed, Again
December 1, 2004
Svay Pak, the notorious brothel village on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, was declared completely shut down, again, by police officials Tuesday after a three-month law enforcement campaign.
NGO Founder Reported Source of Spy Scandal
November 30, 2004
The New Zealander who introduced a dubious NGO called Global-PAC to Cambodia this year has returned to the media spotlight in his home country for reportedly stirring up a spy controversy involving the indigenous Maori tribes.
WEEKEND READING
Partnership of convenience: Ream Naval Base and the Cambodia–China convergence
While China is pouring resources into Ream Naval Base, the West must continue to engage Phnom Penh to counter Beijing’s influence in the kingdom.
Location, location, location: Why Ream Naval Base is not the real estate China needed
Artificial islands in the South China Sea have more strategic value than a backwater base.
Photos: Koh Ker, Brian Hoffman via Flickr. Tonle Sap, World Fish via Flickr.
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