Hun Manet Steps Up, Meas Muth Gets a Pass, Flights to Siem Reap Resume
Good morning, Cambodia. It's Friday, December 24, and this is your Weekly Dispatch.
LONG ODDS: The NagaWorld casino workers' strike spilled into public view, where authorities blocked roads and hundreds of angry workers faced off with police.
DIAMOND DOG: The ringleader of a million-dollar jewelry heist was revealed to be the founder of the Khmer Rise Party, an obscure opposition group. Police said he confessed to the armed robbery of a make-up magnate’s diamond necklaces.
KRT REPRIEVE: Meas Muth, a former Khmer Rouge naval chief, had long been accused of abducting foreign sailors — including from Australia, New Zealand and the United States — but Cambodian prosecutors said he was outside their jurisdiction.
THE LEDE
Covid Zero
Prime Minister Hun Sen declared an end to this year’s worst coronavirus outbreak — known as the February 20 Incident and other names — that led to more than 3,000 reported deaths.
The Kingdom on Monday recorded zero Covid-19 deaths for the first time since the outbreak erupted 10 months ago. The prime minister last month said the country needed to move past lockdowns and quarantines, ordering a dramatic reduction in Covid-19 testing that led to an equally dramatic drop in cases.
Cambodia has since started reopening to international travel, and tourists are once again seen around the capital. On the flipside, the Omicron variant has also been identified in the Kingdom.
Naga Strike
The NagaWorld casino workers’ union said its members would continue striking until their demands are met.
Hundreds of workers have protested outside the casino in recent days, closing roads and scuffling with police. Workers want casino management to reinstate union leaders who were let go earlier this year, among other demands.
NagaWorld laid off more than 1,300 workers in April, citing a pandemic downturn in business. Every senior union leader was dismissed, and workers accused the casino of union busting.
The government declared the strike illegal and initially tried to paint protesters as insurrectionists trying to spark a color revolution. Negotiations between the union and casino management are ongoing.
Upscale Invasion
Police named the founder of a little-known political party as the mastermind behind a million-dollar jewelry heist.
Authorities said Sok Sovann Vathana Sabung, the founder and president of the Khmer Rise Party, confessed to the crime. The KRP leader, known as William Guang, and several armed companions forced their way into the home of a popular cosmetics magnate and forced her to open a safe full of diamond necklaces.
Police have so far arrested Guang and 13 others. It was unclear if the necklaces were recovered.
TALKING POINTS
Family Affair
The CPP Central Committee will select the prime minister’s eldest son, Hun Manet, as the party’s candidate for prime minister in 2028. Hun Sen has angled for this moment since at least 2015, when party rival Chea Sim passed away. Analysts said a smooth transition was expected, but not guaranteed.
Arrival Time
Siem Reap celebrated its first international flight in nearly two years. Cambodia stopped accepting tourists early last year as the pandemic intensified. The return of inbound flights gave hope to many long-suffering tourist businesses.
Digital Riel
Cambodia is aiming its digital currency, Bakong, at the estimated 70% of the population that has never used a bank. (By contrast, mobile phone penetration is enormous.) Cambodia sees Bakong, which is built on blockchain technology, as a way to quickly move people onto modern banking platforms. Spurred by the pandemic, adoption has been faster than expected.
Missing Oil
Cambodia has failed to recover 300,000 barrels of oil from the MT Strovolos, which in June sailed off with the Kingdom’s national reserves. The drilling company responsible for extracting the oil went bankrupt the same month and the ship’s crew fled with the oil soon after.
KRT Pass
Meas Muth, a notorious former Khmer Rouge naval commander, will escape judgement on accusations of genocide and other grave crimes. Domestic prosecutors at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal said his alleged atrocities fell outside the court’s jurisdiction.
BACKPAGES: From The Cambodia Daily Vault
Nightly Khmer Dance Back in Phnom Penh After 25 Years
December 25, 2001
The little girl with the golden fish tail attached to her back strikes a pose as the boy in the monkey mask capers around her.
One Month After Ban, Karaoke Parlors Remain Silenced
December 20, 2001
The government order that eliminated karaoke from Cambodian nightlife appears to be holding strong nearly one month after it was announced by Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Police: Shootout Was Likely Over a Woman
December 19, 2001
Finger-pointing and contradicting stories have stalled a police investigation into Sunday night’s shootout between bodyguards of Hun To, a nephew of Prime Minister Hun Sen, and four assailants.
CPP Congress To Start Today
December 18, 2001
The ruling CPP will hold its biannual two-day congress starting today. Party officials say the session will focus on strategies for victory in the Feb 3 commune council elections.
WEEKEND READS
The legacy of Cambodia’s ‘Golden Voice’ takes on a new form
A team of artists has revived the story of one of the Kingdom’s most beloved musicians in a graphic novel.
Silence, Confidentiality Mark Facebook’s Engagement With Local Groups
The fake news story started small on Saturday, with a supposedly first-person account from a NagaWorld worker anonymously posted on a Facebook group with just more than 100 followers.
Mother Nature activists still face imprisonment for environmental advocacy
A pair of Cambodian women jailed on charges stemming from their fight for a more sustainable Cambodia described the experience and their future plans.
Photos: NagaWorld protesters, Central Cambodia. Hun Manet, Wikipedia.
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