Hun Sen Fires Back, Khmer Food Goes Big, and Kem Sokha Returns
Good morning, Cambodia. It's Friday, December 17, and this is your Weekly Dispatch.
COURT TURN: Prosecutors said the case against two Cambodia Daily reporters, Aun Pheap and Zsombor Peter, would be brought back to court, despite last year’s dismissal.
DOCTOR K: Police nabbed 1.5 tons of ketamine after a car chase and gunfight that left one dead.
HILL FRACAS: French rubber company bulldozes Bunong hilltribe’s communal farms, ending their centuries-old way of life.
THE LEDE
State of Face
Cambodia fired back at a U.S. arms embargo by ordering its military to destroy all American-made weapons — just as a top Washington diplomat landed in Phnom Penh.
The political theatre is all good: Washington has reportedly not sold a weapon to Phnom Penh since 1973. American diplomats in town this week pushed a decidedly pro-business message, saying “economics were first and foremost” in the region. Trade between the two countries hit record levels in 2021.
The Frenemies appear in balance: sharp political sparring underpinned by roaring trade.
Hilltribe Anger
The Bunong hilltribe ended a 14-year battle for compensation with a French rubber company.
The government in 2008 granted Socfin Cambodia a land concession that included Bunong communal farms, which the company raised and replanted with rubber trees.
The move ended the Bunong’s centuries-old way of life.
Myanmar and Me
The prime minister blasted critics of his Myanmar strategy, including his sit-down in Phnom Penh with junta leaders.
“Please do not bother me … You are not my teacher,” he proclaimed.
Hun Sen’s rapprochement with the junta has divided ASEAN and provoked fierce criticism from regional leaders.
K MEGA BUST
Police killed a smuggling suspect and seized more than two tonnes of narcotics in one of the largest ketamine busts in Cambodia’s history.
Two Chinese nationals crashed a police barricade and opened fire. Police killed one in a shootout, arrested the other and seized 1.5 tonnes of ketamine. The suspect led authorities to a manufacturing lab outside of Phnom Penh, where police found another half-tonne of drugs and 70 tonnes of precursor chemicals.
The lab shared land with two companies with close links to government officials. Both companies denied involvement. Police have so far arrested 13 suspects and continue to investigate.
TALKING POINTS
Plot Points
Cambodia’s chief opposition leader returns to court Jan. 19 to face treason charges. Kem Sokha, president of the CNRP, was arrested in 2017 and charged with a U.S.-backed government coup. The court suspended his trial in March 2020, citing the pandemic. Kem Sokha’s lawyer is seeking dismissal.
Water and Mangos
Cambodia is counting on mango exports to help power its post-pandemic economy — and farming advocates are sounding the alarm about a lack of water that threatens the existence of the entire industry.
Food Famous
Khmer food just might be the unsung star of Cambodia’s tourism comeback. National Geographic points to “buzz” around the Kingdom’s cuisine. Lonely Planet’s Nick Ray says Phnom Penh street food should be “just as famous” as the fare in Bangkok or Ho Chi Minh.
Police Bust
Authorities arrested two police officers and reclaimed more than 20,000 hectares of illegally cleared flooded forest in Kampong Chhnang. The prime minister two weeks ago lashed out at officials involved in clearings and said they belonged in prison.
Swiss Flights
A Cambodian activist briefly detained in Thailand on immigration charges landed safely in Switzerland. Bor Bet, a monk, was the fifth Cambodian dissident arrested by Thailand in recent weeks. Others had been quickly deported to Cambodia and jailed. Cambodian exiles in Thailand say they fear for their safety.
Cambodia Daily in Court
A provincial appeals court will hear the case of two Cambodia Daily reporters. Aun Pheap and Zsombor Peter were charged with incitement in 2017 for their election reporting. Their case was dropped last year, but prosecutors appealed the decision.
BACKPAGES: From The Cambodia Daily Vault
Shots Fired at Hun To, Hun Sen’s Nephew
December 18, 2001
Four pistol-wielding men stepped out of their Toyota Camry Sunday night and opened fire on Hun To, nephew of Prime Minister Hun Sen, and his wife as they were eating in a beer garden outside the Parkway Square shopping center, police said.
Pol Pot’s Nephew Recalls Filming KR Leaders
December 12, 2001
The last time Seng Lytheng saw his pictures was in Pol Pot’s jungle headquarters near Anlong Veng, some time in 1997. There—in black, white and color—was the photographic and video record of the Khmer Rouge’s rarely glimpsed top leadership.
Hun Sen Orders Investigation of Acleda Bank
December 10, 2001
Prime Minister Hun Sen has ordered an investigation into Acleda Bank after receiving a complaint that nearly 100 poor farmers, some unable to pay back loans as small as $20, had been thrown into jail.
WEEKEND READS
Cambodia’s Fish Catch Numbers Don’t Add Up for Fishers
When Puth Thavy was 20, the fisherman and his siblings used to come back to their village each day with three boatloads full of fish, or about 200 kilograms. Today they can barely fill a single boat.
Cambodia’s Mismatch of Solar Potential and Energy Harvesting
Solar power is transforming remote communities like Steung Chrov with affordable, renewable energy and the chance to live more productive lives. But hundreds of other villages remain off the grid, and energy experts say Cambodia should be doing more to harness the country’s immense amount of untapped sunlight.
Mango exports boom in Cambodia, but farmers face challenges
Fresh mango exports are booming following approval from China, but water issues and market instability are biting
Photos: Myanmar army, via Wikipedia. Cambodia Daily newsroom during its final days.