Kingdom Strikes Gold, Election Body Douses Candlelighters, Matt Dillon to Shine at Film Fest
Good morning, Cambodia. It's Friday, May 19, and this is your Weekly Dispatch.
BLUE SKIES: The World Bank upgraded its 2023 growth forecast, pointing to a rebound in tourism and a robust service industry as powering a strong post-Covid recovery.
CITY VIEWS: Phnom Penh families earn significantly more income than provincial households — nearly 70%, according to new research — and the gap is growing.
STREET FEAST: The Kingdom’s largest food fest plates up at Olympic Stadium this weekend. More than 200 vendors selling food from around the world are expected.
THE LEDE
Poll Position
The government clapped back at criticism of an NEC ruling to disqualify the Candlelight Party from July’s national elections, calling the international condemnation “misleading and politicized.”
The Strongman threatened an “iron fist” against opposition officials if any protests erupted. Opposition leaders said they would appeal to the Constitutional Council, which is allowed 10 days to issue a finding.
The country’s leading opposition party has been engulfed in nightmarish bureaucracy that threatens to bar it from national elections for a second consecutive vote. Its exclusion would cement the Kingdom’s status as an illiberal, one-party state.
Starting Gun
Cambodia’s long-awaited turn as host nation of the Southeast Asian Games was a runaway success.
The Kingdom made history with the introduction of two native martial arts, kun khmer and bokotor, and an indigenous game of chess called ouk chaktrang. The home team medaled in all 19 kun khmer categories, with the men’s team winning gold in every weight class. It also topped the medals table in bokotor and scored unprecedented victories in track and field, basketball, billiards, cricket, jet-skiing and wrestling.
Athletes now turn their ambitions toward the Asian Games in September and the Summer Olympics in July 2024.
Born to Rewild
The Kingdom is going big on wildlife conservation, as it looks to green tourism to rebuild its pandemic-smacked travel industry.
The Koh Kong Reptile Conservation Center announced the successful breeding of 122 southern river terrapin. The Royal Turtle, as the critically endangered terrapin is known, is the world's largest freshwater turtle and Cambodia’s national reptile.
Wildlife officials released 100 endangered fish — 30 Mekong giant barbs and 70 striped catfish — into the Mekong River.
Authorities banned access to the Bengal floricans’s habitat during mating season.
Conservationists will release nearly 150 captive-bred Siamese crocodiles into protected areas of the Cardamom Mountains.
TALKING POINTS
Upside Growth
The World Bank raised its 2023 growth forecast to 5.5%, up from an earlier projection of 5.2%. The Bank cited pent-up consumer demand, the return of foreign tourists and a surging services sector for the upgrade. The IMF offered a similar outlook.
Color Code
The Kingdom launched a five-year plan to green-up the economy. The program, backed by the U.N. and several governments, aims to hit environmental targets set by the Paris Climate Accords, including a substantial reduction of carbon emissions.
Fashion Sign
Union supporters protested outside an Adidas store in downtown Phnom Penh, demanding the German footwear giant address alleged abuses committed by local suppliers. Labor leaders have accused factories of wage theft, unfair dismissals and union busting.
Great Divide
Phnom Penh households earn nearly 70% more than families in the provinces, according to private research data — and the split is growing. Monthly incomes outside the capital averaged $385 during the first three months of the year, down 1.8% from the previous quarter. In the capital, incomes rose to $648, a 1.2% increase.
Happy Returns
Overseas workers send home a staggering $2.7 billion per year, according to the Ministry of Labor. About 1.3 million Cambodians work abroad, most in agriculture, construction and the service industries in Thailand, Malaysia and South Korea.
Flick Fabulous
Matt Dillion, the Hollywood movie star, has been named patron of the Cambodia International Film Festival, which opens May 30 in Phnom Phnom. The six-day festival includes more than 180 movies from 23 countries. Dillon will host a private screening of “City of Ghosts,” the 2002 Cambodia-set crime thriller.
Eat Feat
More than 200 food stalls will this weekend turn Olympic Stadium into the capital’s most diverse al fresco dining spot. The Slaprea food festival, which runs through Sunday, will showcase cuisines from around the globe. A trash fashion show will highlight a focus on sustainability in the food-and-beverage industry.
BACKPAGES: From The Cambodia Daily Vault
Cambodia Criticized for Torture, Rights Record
May 14, 2003
A UN committee trounced Cambodia over its lackluster human rights record and numerous allegations of police torture in a report issued Monday during the 13th session of the UN Committee Against Torture in Geneva.
Report: Gov’t Rejects US Riot Criticism Riots
May 14, 2003
The US State Department has accused the Cambodian government of stoking “anti-Thai sentiment” during the Jan 29 riots and said the government “bears major responsibility” for failing to stop the violence, Agence France-Presse reported from Washington on Monday.
Pagoda Boys Call for Investigation of Letter
May 13, 2003
The Pagoda Children, Intelligentsia and Students’ Association — better know as the pro-Hun Sen Pagoda Boys — on Monday called for authorities to apprehend the author of a letter critical of the monarchy that was falsely distributed on their behalf to news organizations last week.
Photos: Monk, ©Wildlife Conservation Society. Movie poster, via CIFF.
Send comments to editor@cambodiadaily.com