Hun Sen’s Global Curtain Call, Cambodia’s #MeToo Moment, Mekong Flooding Forecast
Good morning, Cambodia. It's Friday, September 30, and this is your Weekly Dispatch.
IN RECOVERY: World Bank went bullish on Kingdom’s pandemic comeback, upgrading next year’s economic growth forecast to 4.8%, thanks to strong exports to the U.S. and a rebound in domestic spending.
LONE STAR: Hun Sen is the star of his own movie: “Life of a Pagoda Boy.” The saccharine, soft-focus look at Strongman’s formative years is rich with supernatural symbolism — and heavy on the hagiography.
SPEAKING UP: More women in the workforce and online has led to more bullying from men. The Ministry of Women’s Affairs has had enough, calling sexual harassment a “serious” problem in Cambodia.
THE LEDE
Last Call
Hundreds of Cambodians protested Hun Sen’s arrival in the U.S., with the Strongman blaming a crammed diplomatic schedule for not addressing the crowds — and dodging any potential shoe throwers.
It was only the first stop on a three-city, diplomatic speed round. Hun Sen spoke at the U.N. in New York, visited Raul Castro in Havana and attended Shinzo Abe’s funeral in Tokyo.
The trip could be among his last as a global statesman. Cambodia will soon relinquish the rotating ASEAN chair, a position that gave Hun Sen — long viewed as too brutish for the Legitimate World Leaders Club — a measure of acceptance that is likely to fade once the term ends.
Shipwreck Saga
Vietnamese authorities discovered the bodies of eight missing Chinese migrants who plunged into the Gulf of Thailand last week when their aging wooden trawler capsized in rough waters.
The discovery ended search-and-rescue efforts and increased the death toll to 11. Dramatic video footage showed the 41-passenger boat keeling over as men on a nearby vessel tried to save them by tossing life jackets.
Passengers told police they had traveled by speedboat from Guangzhou, China. Local officials said they were probably in the grip of human traffickers, and on their way to work in the Kingdom’s notorious scam compounds.
Police are still questioning the boat’s crew and passengers.
Deep Water
Heavy rains and flash floods caused by Typhoon Noru damaged crops, closed roads, shut schools and killed at least 16 people. Thousands of homes were inundated across the Kingdom.
The situation could get worse. Officials said typhoon downpours were predicted through at least Sunday, and would cause the Mekong to surge two meters or more. Flooding was expected at several places along the river and authorities warned citizens to prepare.
Residents on the Prek Tnaut River, which runs from the Oral Mountains through Phnom Penh, were on high alert, as was much of the country’s north and northwest.
TALKING POINTS
Art Heist
A Cambodian delegation arrived in the U.K. to challenge the provenance of statues in two major British museums. Cambodia believes the British Museum, the U.K.’s largest, could hold dozens of stolen Khmer artifacts. The Victoria & Albert Museum is thought to hold about 50 Cambodian relics.
Healthy Returns
The World Bank predicted Cambodia’s post-pandemic recovery would increase momentum in 2023 and beyond. The bank raised its 2022 economic forecast to 4.8%, powered by a resurging domestic economy and strong exports to the U.S. It estimated 5.3% growth for 2023, and 6.3% for 2024.
Credit Bubble
The IMF warned that skyrocketing private debt could imperil the Kingdom’s post-pandemic recovery. Private-sector debt registered 170% of GDP in 2021, among the highest in the region. Restructured loans hit 13% in June, and bad loans jumped to a concerning 4.5%.
Leading Man
Before Hun Sen, there was Hun Bunal, a quiet and unassuming village kid from Kampong Cham. His story is told in “Life of a Pagoda Boy,” a short film chronicling the formative years of the Strongman. It’s a case study in dramatized nonfiction, rich with supernatural symbolism, and moody, soft-focus lighting.
Boiling Point
The Ministry of Women’s Affairs said sexual harassment is a “serious” problem, and it was drafting laws to punish inappropriate behavior. The ministry said the growing number of women in the workplace and online had led to a spike in bullying and violence from men.
Ghost Fish
A Mekong fish merchant discovered in her catch one of the rarest species in the world — a Mekong giant salmon carp. Cambodians call it the “ghost fish,” and it hadn’t been spotted since 2004. Scientists say the fish can reach 30kg.
BACKPAGES: From The Cambodia Daily Vault
Succession Fears Draw Abdication Threat
September 28, 2002
King Norodom Sihanouk has reportedly threatened to abdicate amid growing concern that succession legislation is being stalled by CPP-led factions in the government and the royalists have grown too weak to defend the monarchy.
Olympic Stadium Developers Jeopardize Original Design
September 28, 2002
Vann Molyvann looks out on the crisp new fence going up around the Olympic Stadium sports complex he created nearly four decades ago. “That’s awful! Awful!” he blurts out.
Smelly Plastic Waste Shipped Back to China
September 28, 2002
The 64 tons of smelly plastic waste confiscated earlier this month at Phnom Penh’s So Nguon dry dock were transported back to China Thursday morning, officials said.
Memory Failing Former Khmer Rouge Leader
September 23, 2002
Former top Khmer Rouge leader Ieng Sary, 72, said he is having trouble completing the writing of his autobiography, which he plans to have published posthumously.
WEEKEND READING
Traditional markets a pillar for Cambodia’s social cohesion
Traditional markets are a vibrant business hub and an important part of the Phnom Penh's identity. But rapid modernization and changes in retail habits in the Kingdom's capital are putting them at risk.
Photos: Hun Sen, Hun Sen’s Facebook page. Khmer antiquities, Embassy of Cambodia.
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