Myanmar Diplomacy, NagaWorld Arrests, Omicron Cases
Good morning, Cambodia. It's Friday, January 7, and this is your Weekly Dispatch.
LABOR LEADER: Chhim Sithar, the 34-year-old chief of the NagaWorld worker’s union, was arrested this week along with dozens of supporters — as the increasingly bitter casino strike gathers unwanted global attention.
RIEL FINTECH: Cambodia’s “unbanked” population finally gets access to services like mobile payments and money transfers. Meet Bakong, the Kingdom’s newly award-winning, blockchain-backed digital currency.
OMICRON TOLL: Health authorities found nearly 20 cases of the highly contagious variant in airport arrivals, pushing the total number over 100. Cambodia remains open to foreign travel to boost tourism.
THE LEDE
Damage Control
Prime Minister Hun Sen arrives in Myanmar today in a bid to bring the country’s ill-reputed military junta in from the cold.
The ruling generals, who seized power in a coup last February, agreed in April to abide by a five-point peace plan outlined by leaders in ASEAN, the regional bloc.
Since then, the junta has been anything but peaceful — killing more than 1,400 protesters, burning villages and being credibly accused of genocide.
Cambodia’s foreign minister this week said Myanmar was on the brink of civil war, and no amount of cajoling from ASEAN or brokering from Hun Sen seemed likely to halt its slide into violence.
Labor Pains
Riot police arrested NagaWorld union president Chhim Sithar and two dozen fellow protesters in a heavy-handed show of force outside the casino in downtown Phnom Penh.
Tensions between NagaWorld and its workers have intensified since last year, when the casino cut more than 1,300 jobs — including every senior union position — citing a pandemic-era downturn in business.
Workers accused the casino of union-busting and took their case to the Arbitration Council, which refused to issue a ruling. The Ministry of Labor also declined to deliver a verdict.
In the absence of talks, union members began picketing last month and have promised to keep protesting until a deal is struck with management.
Diploma Tussle
The U.S. Embassy in Phnom Penh said if Hun Sen had questions about his son’s West Point diploma, he should ask the military academy — not the embassy.
The statement came in response to Hun Sen’s demand that Washington “certify” Hun Manet’s degree, which opposition leader Sam Rainsy recently called “second-class.”
The prime minister suggested Sam Rainsy’s comments insulted West Point’s honor and the academy needed to defend its reputation.
The academy released a statement two years ago — when the opposition leader made similar comments — but made no mention of the accusation.
TALKING POINTS
Court Theatrics
Activist Theary Seng proceeded to make a spectacle of her every court appearance. Police briefly detained her this week near Hun Sen’s mansion as she live-streamed her journey to the court to face incitement charges. She was barefoot and wore an orange prisoner’s jumpsuit with Khmer Rouge ankle shackles.
Power Lines
Kampong Seila, once a notorious Khmer Rouge outpost, will finally get state electricity after more than 30 years. Local authorities installed electricity poles five years ago, but never any cables. In 1994, local guerillas kidnapped three popular expats travelling to Sihanoukville and murdered them.
Tribunal Finale
Judges at the Khmer Rouge Tribunal dismissed the court’s final case against Yim Tith, who faced genocide and other crimes against humanity. The decision ends the court’s controversial run of prosecutions. Only an appeal from Khieu Samphan, the Khmer Rouge’s former head of state, remains on the docket.
Hunting Poachers
The fight against poachers in the Srey Pok Wildlife Sanctuary has a new weapon: artificial intelligence. Researchers at Harvard developed software that predicts poaching hotspots based on past snare locations and geographic data. The result allows forest rangers to focus on high-risk areas.
Daily Appeal
An appeals court upheld a decision to drop incitement charges against two former Cambodia Daily reporters. The decision ends the lower court’s role but prosecutors in Tbong Khmum could appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court. The charges stem from election reporting in Ratanakiri province in 2017.
Omicron > 100
The Ministry of Health on Wednesday detected 18 Omicron cases among inbound flight passengers, pushing the new variant’s case total past 100. Hun Sen banned home treatment for those infected with the variant in an effort to slow community transmission, which experts believe is inevitable.
Khmer Crypto
Cambodia’s central bank was given an Award of Excellence for its blockchain-based digital currency, Bakong. The fintech platform allows the unbanked — as in almost 80% of Cambodians — access to bill payments, money transfers and other services.
BACKPAGES: From The Cambodia Daily Vault
PM’s Nephews Released in Time for Wedding
January 3, 2002
Two nephews of Prime Minister Hun Sen, detained in connection with a recent shootout, were released Wednesday in time to attend their cousin’s wedding.
Villagers Beat 2 Teenage Suspects to Death
January 2, 2002
Two teen-agers were brutally beaten to death in Khmounh commune, Russei Keo district, by an angry mob Monday after they were accused of stealing a motorbike, local police officials said.
Draft Law Mandates Helmets, Seatbelt Use, Less Honking
January 1, 2002
There’s a new law in the works that, if enforced, will change Cambodia’s chaotic traffic beyond recognition.
Photos: Chhim Sithar, citizen photographer via RFA. Wildlife patrol, Wikipedia.
