‘Low Season’ Renamed, Strongman Flexes over Foreign Affairs, Killer Oknha Gets 31 Years
Good morning, Cambodia. It's Friday, December 27, and this is your Weekly Dispatch.
MOVING UP: The Kingdom will be a middle-income country in five years, but the new status brings new problems. No more sweet trade deals or cheap loans, for one thing, and deep corruption and lax taxation must be sorted out.
INK STAIN: A number of companies tied to Ly Yong Phat have mysteriously vanished from the Kingdom's official business registry. Maybe it's a clerical error — or maybe it's those heavy U.S. sanctions hanging all over the CPP senator.
NAME GAME: Tourism Minister Hout Hak has outlawed “low season.” The stretch from May to October will now be called “green season,” notably when the scenery is beautiful and eco-tourism dollars are starting to bloom.
THE LEDE
Policy Hawk
The new guard failed the foreign policy test — so the Strongman stepped in.
After a year without a big move, Hun Sen stamped his authority on foreign affairs by inviting Japan to Ream Naval Base, with insiders suggesting visits by the U.S. and Australia could follow.
The invitation, combined with last week’s visit by the USS Savannah, appears to show a new willingness by Phnom Penh to engage with partners who for years have been eclipsed by China. The question is why — and why now?
For an answer, follow the money. With financial support from Beijing drying up, Phnom Penh needs new friends with deep pockets — and it needs them fast.
Price Point
Cambodia’s slow climb from the ranks of least developed nations is headed for a successful finish. The Kingdom, the U.N. announced this week, will graduate to the status of middle-income country on Dec 29, 2029.
The economic achievement brings enormous challenges, and the U.N. has extended the transition period to allow for extra preparation. After elevation, Cambodia will lose eligibility for preferential trade agreements, low-interest loans, foreign aid and more.
The government is racing to get ready. It will need a miracle to fix the hardest problems — informal businesses, a Byzantine tax system, endemic corruption — by graduation day.
Hog Wild
A full-grown hog deer stands about 28 inches at the shoulder, or some 70cm. The species gets its name from the way it runs through the woods, hunched down like a pig.
Getting first-hand knowledge is more difficult. The critically endangered hog deer is extinct in Laos and Vietnam, and for many years was believed to have vanished from Cambodia.
When small groups of hog deer were discovered — in Kratie in 2006 and Koh Kong in 2008 — the Kingdom became the frontline for a global campaign to protect the species.
The government and environmental NGOs have now backed an action plan to save the less than 100 hog deer that remain in Cambodia. Time is running out.
The Cambodia Daily needs your help.
It’s been five years since we launched The Cambodia Daily Khmer — an online platform dedicated to Khmer-language speakers.
The Daily requires an annual budget of $100,000 to pay reporters, photographers, editors and web hosting fees. Faced with a substantial annual shortfall, we are left with little choice but to ask you, our dedicated readers and supporters, for help.
Independent Cambodian voices are now more essential than ever. Please consider giving.
TALKING POINTS
Win Win
The government continued its yearslong unbeaten streak against critics with the conviction of NPP President Sun Chanthy, who was sentenced to two years in prison for incitement. Supporters called the verdict politically motivated and urged the government to restore democracy and human rights.
Vanishing Act
More than a dozen companies tied to Senator Ly Yong Phat, the ruling party heavyweight slapped with U.S. sanctions for his ties to cyber crime and human trafficking, have disappeared from the Kingdom’s official business registry. One crime expert said: “It’s hard to look at this as anything other than outright sanctions evasion.”
Word Play
Cambodia is working to beat the “low season” blues with a rebrand. From now on, the May-to-October stretch will be known as “Green Season,” when the jungles grow lush, the temple moats fill and the Angkorean stones come alive.
Sanctions Fail
Koh Kong authorities announced the construction of a massive 1.7km2 seaside market at Dara Sakor, headed by the Chinese-owned Coastal City Development Group. The company replaced Dara Sakor’s original developer, Union Development Group, after it was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2018 for human rights abuses.
Mainland Shift
Nearly 3,000 Chinese-owned companies registered with the Ministry of Commerce in 2024, a 20% increase over 2023. The rise represents a rare bright spot in an otherwise challenging year, with business registrations overall falling 17%, and business closures surging nearly 33%.
Quick Shot
The Ministry of Health launched a nationwide measles vaccination drive for children under 5. The campaign comes as health officials warned of a resurgence of the disease, with more than 350 active cases.
Just Verdict
Srey Sina, the former oknha who gunned down two neighbors over a seemingly minor disagreement, was given the maximum sentence for murder and ordered to pay $2 million in compensation. The minister of justice praised the decision.
BACKPAGES: From The Cambodia Daily Vault
Singer Who Was Attacked Seeks US Asylum
December 24, 2004
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Bangkok is considering a resettlement application for popular singer Touch Srey Nich, who was gunned down by unknown attackers on Oct 2, 2003, said UNHCR Protection Officer Stephanie Hecquet-Letoutre.
Union Leader Beaten by Unknown Assailants
December 23, 2004
A union leader heading a strike at Terratex Knitting and Garment Factory in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district was beaten by three unknown assailants Wednesday morning.
Logic, Tactics of Afesip Raid Questioned
December 22, 2004
Afesip called it a rescue, and though observers do not doubt the NGO’s good intentions, some are questioning the tactics and logic behind the mass removal of 83 women and girls from the Chai Hour II Hotel on Dec 7.
Ministry Bans Song About Monk’s Love Life
December 21, 2004
Minister of Information Khieu Kanharith on Monday ordered all electronic media to stop broadcasting a controversial song dealing with the love life of a Buddhist monk.
WEEKEND READING
Along the Mekong, fishers and farmers battle a plastics catastrophe
With global treaties long delayed, Mekong residents are trying to prevent plastic waste from destroying their environment.
Beyond borders, beyond loss: How regional cooperation can safeguard Asia’s biodiversity
The threats to migratory species is urgent and can only be tackled together.
Photos: War ship, Wikipedia. Angkor Wat, Ray Kuschert via Pexels.
Send comments to editor@cambodiadaily.com.