Good morning, Cambodia. It's Friday, September 17, and this is your Weekly Dispatch.
FIRE BOMBS: Landowners set fires and threw Molotov cocktails at police who stood guard as crews bulldozed their farms to build the new Phnom Penh airport.
HARD RAIN: Flash floods and pounding precipitation are wreaking havoc across the Kingdom. Even so, the water level in the Tonle Sap is so low livelihoods are in danger.
BAT SIGNALS: More than 30% of the bats in Battambang’s famed Phnom Sampov cave colonies have been killed by extreme heat and blood-sucking pests.
THE LEDE
Zooming In
Prime Minister Hun Sen, after days of official denials, came clean on Zoom-hacking a video meeting between members of the outlawed opposition party, the CNRP: He did it.
The prime minister surreptitiously logged into the private group, then shocked participants when he turned on his video and took over the conversation. He insulted party co-founder Sam Rainsy, warned of having spies everywhere and repeated his promise to never again work with CNRP “traitors.”
Recordings of the exchange exploded across social media.
The CPP initially said the recordings were deepfakes — computer-generated forgeries indistinguishable from the real thing — and dismissed the episode as an elaborate hoax planned by the opposition.
The ruling party walked back those claims after the prime minister’s confession.
Rielpolitik
China's foreign minister met top officials and promised unwavering support for Cambodia, Beijing’s staunchest ally in Southeast Asia.
The visiting dignitary delivered 3 million Covid-19 vaccines and pledged $270 million in aid during a two-day visit. He also attended a handover ceremony for a new $160-million sports stadium built with Chinese grants.
Cambodia will assume the ASEAN chairmanship next year, and China wants Cambodia’s help to get its way in the strategic South China Sea, where it has competing territorial claims with Vietnam and the Philippines.
Critics say China’s support has paved the way for Cambodia’s harsh clampdown on free speech and rights activists.
Landing Rights
A long-simmering land dispute between local families and a construction company at the site of the new Phnom Penh airport turned violent.
Land owners set fires and threw Molotov cocktails at police, who stood guard as construction crews began bulldozing their farms. In return, police fired tear gas and water cannons and beat protesters.
Farm owners are demanding a better price for their land, which the state has claimed for the $1.5-billion airport project. The construction company has not budged from its offer of $8 per square meter. Market price ranges from $60 to $80.
TALKING POINTS
Venice Prizes
Cambodian Chhun Piseth won the Orizzonti Award for best actor at the Venice Film Festival. In the film “White Building,” he plays Samnang, a 20-year-old hip-hop dancer whose life is upended when the tenement building where he lives — and dreams — gets scheduled for destruction.
Back to School
Students began returning to the classroom after months of pandemic closures. With Covid-19 cases again on the rise, some parents wondered if the children were going back too soon.
Rights Stuff
Civil society groups refused to stop campaigning for imprisoned human rights defenders despite warnings from the government. A group of 20 organizations launched a social-media blitz in August for the release of jailed activists. The government called their campaign illegal, but has not taken action.
Hard Bargains
Garment factory owners proposed a 4.5% pay cut for workers in 2022. Workers had asked for a $22.50 raise. Minimum wage is currently $192 per month. Negotiations are ongoing.
Undecided Arbiters
The Arbitration Council declined to rule on a case submitted by NagaWorld employees who argued they were illegally fired. The workers said NagaWorld used the pandemic as an excuse to bust their union. The case now heads to the Ministry of Labor.
Water Woes
Erratic weather and fluctuating water levels are causing mayhem across the Kingdom. In recent weeks, Banteay Meanchey, Sihanoukville, Koh Kong and several other provinces have been hit by flash flooding. In Siem Reap, lives are under threat from historically low water levels in the Tonle Sap.
Bat Caves
Experts said extreme heat and blood-sucking pests have killed more than one-third of Phnom Sampov’s famous bat colonies. The decline resulted in a similar drop in guano harvesting, and local communities are feeling the pinch.
Covid-19 Watch
GOOD: Nearly 88% of adults are fully vaccinated, and 98% have received a first dose. More than 1.7 million children over age 12 have received a first dose, and more than half that are fully vaccinated. Fatalities remain low.
BAD: Daily infections on the rise and provinces have stopped reporting case numbers.
BACKPAGES: From The Cambodia Daily Vault
US Victims Remembered at Holiday Ceremony
September 16, 2001
Cambodians expanded a Pchum Ben ceremony Saturday to include a heartfelt memorial to the victims of the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
The Men the Khmer Rouge Left Behind
September 15, 2001
It was near the end of the battle and, as he and his fellow Khmer Rouge soldiers ran from government forces, Ping Dus felt a bullet slam into his abdomen, worm its way through his body and exit near his spine. He fell to the ground looking at the fighter who shot him, a government soldier perched in a tree 50 meters away. A cadre dragged Ping Dus to safety, and into a lifetime of dark memories.
The Cambodian Freedom Fighters, One Year After the Attack
September 15, 2001
One year ago today, Chhun Yasith’s plans to overthrow the government were failing. His group of 50 or more Cambodian Freedom Fighters had attacked two locations in Phnom Penh with B-40 rockets, grenades and AK-47 assault rifles, but were arrested after a one-sided 90-minute shootout. At least four people were dead and 14 wounded.
WEEKEND READING
Reclaimed Land, Lost Sea
Between official documents, residents’ accounts and visible evidence of filling, reporters have found five seafilling projects on the Kampot coast — some of them spanning hundreds of hectares. Affected fishers have been told there could be twice as many in all."
Dam Battles Converge on Cambodia’s 3S Rivers
The rivers are an ecological bounty in the Mekong watershed. But technical reviews pay little attention to environmental costs of dam building.
Chinese scammers enslave jobless teachers and tourists in Cambodia
Cambodia shut its borders when COVID-19 struck, giving rise to new wave of trafficking, with stranded foreign workers and tourists lured into working for fraudulent investment schemes.
The future of Phnom Penh’s public transport can learn from past mistakes
The promise of a modern light rail network could offer a better way to improve Phnom Penh’s underused public transport. But first the city needs to change its approach to public transit.
Photo Credits: Hun Sen, from the prime minister’s official Facebook page. Kampong Phluk, Brian Hoffman via Flickr.
Hun Sen Crashes a Party, China Hands Over a Stadium, Airport Fight Gets Nasty
The Cambodian Daily is the only English speaking newspaper presenting the truth about Cambodia. It did so for many years in printed additions and continues with its Internet additions.
Good work and keep it up!