Kem Sokha Un-Friends Sam Rainsy, Tycoons Stash Cash in Singapore, NagaWorld Strikers Soldier On
Good morning, Cambodia. It's Friday, May 27, and this is your Weekly Dispatch.
BREAK UP: It’s Splitsville for the dream team of the Cambodian opposition, with the political divorce between Kem Sokha and Sam Rainsy casting dark shadows over the possibility of any serious, unified challenge to the ruling CPP.
GATE CRASH: Hundreds of NagaWorld workers slipped past security and protested at the front door of the mammoth casino. Smart money was on the police, though, who threw the activists in busses and drove them out of town.
BIG TOP: Tini Tinou Circus, the beloved Cambodian carnival that has thrilled audiences for years, is reopening this weekend for the first time since 2018. More than 150 performers will gather at the circus’ home grounds in Battambang.
THE LEDE
Dubious Detente
Hun Sen’s first visit to the White House brought fawning coverage from local press and praise from CPP officials, with Cambodia now predicting a “full reconciliation” with Washington.
The lofty claim was fueled by a series of surprising U.S. overtures: Hun Sen was introduced to a heavy-hitting roster of U.S. corporate titans, and the Biden administration even called for a sit-down with regional defense officials and Hun Manet, the Kingdom’s defense czar and his father’s heir apparent.
It’s a surprising uptick in relations that had turned from tense to hostile in 2017, when the government dissolved the main opposition party. The sticking point has always been Washington’s deep disapproval of Cambodia’s dismal human-rights record.
Opposition Upheaval
Kem Sokha’s partnership with Sam Rainy is toast.
The split — long foreseen by observers — puts an end to any supposedly unified opposition and casts shadows over both coming elections and the future of multi-party democracy. The Candlelight Party has surged to political relevance as a haven for CNRP refugees, but the group now faces fractures at the top that may slow its momentum just as it’s poised to claw back a share of power.
Busting up the opposition, observers say, was Hun Sen’s game all along.
Watchdog Warns
The National Election Committee threatened to crack down on politicians who campaign illegally for upcoming commune polls, warning that electoral violations could blow back on their political parties.
The message was a clear warning to those who have supported the Candlelight Party on social media, including Sam Rainsy. The Candlelighters have complained for weeks about harassment, intimidation and assaults. Opposition activists said the NEC’s new warning was simply more political repression.
Critics point to problems surrounding the vote. The E.U. and several leading NGOs will not observe the June 5 poll, a move analysts called a clear sign the elections were not expected to meet international standards.
TALKING POINTS
Precious Medals
Cambodian athletes brought home a record haul from the Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, winning nine gold, 13 silver and 41 bronze medals. The golds came in kickboxing, petanque, vovinam, wrestling, taekwondo and Kun Khmer. The gymnastic team made history with three silvers and one bronze, and men’s volleyball scored a huge upset over Thailand.
Hollow Threats
Hun Sen dismissed E.U. threats to fully rescind trade preferences, arguing that rising exports and surging demand in the garment industry would offset any losses. The E.U. removed tariff exemptions on 20% of Cambodia’s exports in 2020, citing human rights abuses and democratic backsliding. The bloc earlier this month threatened to impose duties on the remaining 80%, saying the Kingdom had done little to improve its rights record.
Sneak Attack
NagaWorld union protesters made it to the casino’s front doors for the first time since they began striking six months ago. More the 200 workers gathered in small groups and approached the building from several directions, slipping past police blockades. They rallied for 20 minutes before police arrived, shoved them into city buses and drove them to the outskirts of town.
Bike Stunts
Environmental activists urged the government to stop filling in Boeng Tamok during a pedal-powered protest around the capital’s largest lake. Authorities remain tight-lipped about their plans. Official maps indicate more than half the lake’s 3,200 hectares will be filled and parceled off. Unofficial maps used by developers reveal a lake smaller than 200 hectares. Authorities jailed three activists in 2020 for organizing similar demonstrations.
Stash Kings
Kith Meng, the family of senator Lau Meng Khin and a dozen other politically connected Cambodians hold assets worth at least $250 million in Singapore. Experts say the number is likely far higher. Singapore, known as the Switzerland of the East, makes it easy to own assets anonymously.
Publisher Walks
A Phnom Penh court acquitted controversial Khmer Times chief T. Mohan on sexual harassment charges. Neither Mohan nor his lawyer appeared for trial. The case was brought by a former KT reporter, who accused the publisher of pressuring her for a sex-for-money relationship.
Circus Returns
Cambodia’s famous Tini Tinou Circus will reopen its big-top tent on Sunday for the first time since 2018. The show includes 150 Cambodian and international performers and runs through June 3 at the circus’ home grounds in Battambang.
Art Scenes
The Silapak Trotchaek Pneik art gallery is showing “My Self, My Body, My World,” a series of 12 self-portraits by noted Phnom Penh artist and painter Heng Ravuth. The exhibit has been called “brave” for depictions of nudity. Across town, the Factory Phnom Penh has permanent displays of installation art by Lauren Iida and Gregory Gosselin.
BACKPAGES: From The Cambodia Daily Vault
Police Arrest Sam Bith in Battambang
May 23, 2002
Former Khmer Rouge military commander Sam Bith was arrested at his Battambang province home early Wednesday morning and flown to Phnom Penh by helicopter for questioning about his role in a 1994 train ambush that killed some 16 people, including three western backpackers who were taken hostage and later executed, officials said.
Newsman Returns to Highlight Angkor Wat Instead of War
May 23, 2002
For television cameraman Peter Chhun, leaving Phnom Penh in March 1975 was easy. That’s because he didn’t know at the time that it would be 11 years before he would return to his native Cambodia.
6 Felons in US To Return in Landmark Deal
May 22, 2002
The government agreed Tuesday to take six convicted felons from the US in a landmark deal that begins the eventual return of some 1,400 Cambodians, officials said.
WEEKEND READING
Three Seafarers Contend with the Trauma of a Five-Year Kidnapping in Somalia
A fellow former hostage visits Cambodia to talk about the struggle to recover from a harrowing shared experience.
Singapore a magnet for cash from politically connected Cambodians
RFA has identified Singaporean assets controlled by politically connected Cambodians worth in excess of $230 million. Among the owners of those assets are relatives of Prime Minister Hun Sen, an individual subject to U.S. sanctions, a former cabinet minister, as well as the wives, children and siblings of generals, senators, and secretaries of state.
A Friend’s Journey Attempting Rescue From Alleged Slave Compound
The plea came as so many others have — a Facebook post to a live-stream address by Prime Minister Hun Sen. “Hello Prime Minister Hun Sen, I am a Chinese. I was tricked into a scam park in Baima City, Kampot Province, forcing me to work in fraud.”
Photos: Sam Rainsy and Kem Sokha, 2013, via Wikimedia. Tini Tinou Circus, via Phare Facebook page.
