Mass Convictions Maul Opposition, Hun Sen Sues Sam Rainsy, and Rough Waters in Ream
Good morning, Cambodia. It's Friday, June 17, and this is your Weekly Dispatch.
CPP MACHINE: If it wasn’t enough to win recent village elections 1,648 to 4, the ruling party is suing a rival leader for questioning the fairness of the polls. (The CPP, for the record, has never lost a case to the opposition.)
COVID CLAIMS: The government eased back on its claim of Cambodia being officially Covid-free, with health officials warning that unreported cases were still out there. The problem, it seems, is the country stopped counting.
STRONGMAN SUES: Remember Hok Lundy, the infamous police enforcer who died in a helicopter crash? Hun Sen has sued Sam Rainsy in France for comments linking the prime minister to the death. He’s seeking $1.
THE LEDE
Who’s Left?
A Phnom Penh court handed lengthy prison terms to dozens of opposition activists for their role in Sam Rainsy’s alleged plot to return from exile and lead mass protests against the government.
In trials widely decried as political, Sam Rainsy and Mu Sochua were sentenced in absentia to eight years. Theary Seng, a prominent Cambodia-American democracy activist, was sentenced to six.
The verdicts marked the latest stage in a longstanding clampdown on the opposition, and effectively eliminated dissenting voices from the Kingdom’s political landscape. Kem Sokha, whose treason trial moves at sloth speed, is the last significant opposition figure left in the field.
Zoo Land
The Anti-Corruption Unit said it will look into an environmental group’s complaint alleging the use of forged documents to secure private land deals in Phnom Tamao, home of the Kingdom’s beloved Phnom Tamao Zoo.
The group said government documents transferring protected forests to a private company were made without the company’s knowledge and suggested the land recipients misrepresented the deal to Prime Minister Hun Sen, who signed off on the transfers.
The government’s Anti-Corruption Unit rarely accepts complaints involving high-ranking officials. Observers are closely watching how it negotiates this sensitive case.
CNRP Split
The CPP denied any role in the increasingly bitter split between two of its long-time rivals after courtroom testimony of Kem Sokha denouncing Sam Rainsy was leaked on social media.
Courtrooms are patrolled for recording equipment, so the leak prompted questions of official involvement. Relations between the former CNRP leaders have deteriorated since 2015, when Sam Rainsy moved to France to avoid defamation charges.
The testimony, observers said, likely paved the way for a verdict in Kem Sokha’s treason trial and could presage his return to politics ahead of next year’s elections.
TALKING POINTS
Ream Ruckus
Cambodia is preparing for joint naval exercises with China just as the propaganda battle over Ream Naval Base hits a fever pitch. The Kingdom swears it would never allow a Chinese base on Cambodian soil — but, even if it did, the outpost would be of small benefit to China's military.
Sore Winners
The CPP is suing Son Chhay, vice president of the Candlelight Party, for $1 million over comments he made to The Cambodia Daily questioning the fairness of recent commune elections, which the CPP won 1,648–4. The ruling party said the comments insulted the CPP’s honor and spread malicious lies. The ruling party has never lost a court case to the opposition.
French Faceoff
Sam Rainsy will appear in French court in September to face defamation charges filed by Hun Sen. The civil complaint stems from Facebook comments Sam Rainsy made about the death of Hok Lundy, the former police chief who died in a helicopter crash. The opposition leader claimed Hun Sen was the “mastermind” behind the death. The Strongman is suing for $1 in damages.
Bullish CPP
A confident CPP, fresh from mauling the Candlelight Party in commune elections, predicted another landslide victory in next year’s national vote. The ruling party has largely handcuffed the opposition — often literally. Nearly every senior opposition leader is either in exile, prison or barred from politics.
Arts Scene
The Factory Phnom Penh celebrates Lakhon Khol, or Khmer masked theater, Sunday in an all-day cultural soiree. The program includes mask-making demonstrations, exhibits and Lakhon Khol performances. Across town, the National Museum is hosting “Blow Souffles,” a months-long exhibit featuring ancient Khmer ceramics and contemporary pottery from around the world. At Sofitel, painter Teang Borin is showing “Abstract Apsara,” a collection of acrylic-on-canvas paintings.
Covid Zero
The government finally came clean on its Covid-19 claims — just because officials declared the country “Covid free,” doesn’t mean it’s true. Unreported cases remain prevalent, health officials said, but numbers are impossible to estimate because no one is counting.
BACKPAGES: From The Cambodia Daily Vault
UN Blames Police, Courts for Mob Justice
June 11, 2002
The number of suspected thieves and robbers killed or injured by mobs has increased steadily over the past six months due to an absence of police intervention and a lack of faith in the judiciary, a report by the UN human rights office stated.
Sam Rainsy Stirs Up Assembly
June 11, 2002
Influential CPP lawmaker Chhuor Leang Huot was taken to a doctor following a heated exchange with opposition party leader Sam Rainsy in the National Assembly Monday. Chhuor Leang Huot suffered from a stroke last year that left him partially paralyzed. He continues to battle high blood pressure.
Witnesses Finger Police in Midday Slaying
June 11, 2002
As angry witnesses accused police of killing a Phnom Penh high school student over a minor traffic accident near Phsar Thmei, Governor Chea Sophara Wednesday defended his officers.
WEEKEND READING
Cambodia drops the gavel on activists
Outspoken attorney Theary Seng was among dozens of defendants to receive treason and incitement prison terms drawing widespread condemnation.
Pariah or Partner? Clarifying the U.S. Approach to Cambodia
U.S. policy toward Cambodia is conflicted, contradictory, and unsustainable. Is Cambodia an authoritarian pariah to be punished until it undergoes systemic political change? Or is it a necessary partner on the front lines of great-power competition?
Hun Sen Stands in the Way of His Own Succession Plan
Cambodia’s prime minister has outmaneuvered political opponents and groomed his oldest son for power, but does he know when to walk away?
Photos: Theary Seng, by Roland Neveu via Wikimedia. Pottery, courtesy National Museum of Cambodia.
