Pandora Papers, Restarting Tourism, Looted Khmer Antiquities
Good morning, Cambodia. It's Friday, October 29, and this is your Weekly Dispatch.
TREASURE THEFT: Cambodia wants its art back. An ex-Khmer Rouge cadre known as “Lion” has helped locate numerous priceless relics pilfered during decades of war.
BOXED IN: The leaked Pandora Papers contained nine offshore banking interests linked to Cambodia. Remember CamboSix?
FINDING RELIGION: A Catholic church built in 1910 was found in 2004 swallowed by jungle and used as a stable. Authorities hope to protect more lost heritage sites.
THE LEDE
Numbers Game
Did Cambodia’s strongman leader wrestle the pandemic into submission? It sure looks that way, at least for now.
A month ago, Covid-19 infection rates were on track to zoom past 1,000 per day. Then, Prime Minister Hun Sen demanded a halt to nearly all testing. He made health officials quit counting asymptomatic cases and told crematoriums to stop testing the dead for the virus. Daily infections plunged 85% almost overnight.
The government is now abolishing lockdowns, lifting quarantines, and trying to coax tourists and foreign investors back by promising Covid-19 is safely under control. It’s a brassy gambit. But will it backfire?
The Great Reboot
Against a backdrop of low Covid-19 cases and high vaccination rates, the government has made a flurry of moves to reopen borders and restart tourism.
Raised the large-gathering limit to 50 people.
Promised to never again force businesses to close (even as it extended restrictions on bars and nightclubs).
Started issuing tourist e-visas, although visas-on-arrival remain unavailable.
Lifted flight bans on three countries — Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines —although none of the countries had plans to resume flights.
Removed quarantine restrictions for passengers on flights from Thailand.
Announced “sandbox” quarantines for four coastal locations beginning Nov 30.
(Sandbox quarantines work like this: Vaccinated travelers are tested on their first and fifth days, and they can roam the city, but not beyond, while waiting for their test results.)
Stolen Statues
Cambodia suspects hundreds of Khmer antiquities displayed around the world were stolen during the country’s civil war, and the government is determined to get them back.
First up is the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Cambodia believes the Met possesses dozens, if not hundreds, of looted artifacts, many linked to Douglas Latchford, the disgraced art dealer.
Citing new evidence, including the Pandora Papers and the confessions of a former Khmer Rouge soldier known as “Lion,” Cambodia has identified 45 “highly significant” pieces in the Met’s collection. It is working with the museum and the U.S. Attorney’s Office to determine how they got there.
The Denver Art Museum earlier this month said it would return four Khmer statues after reports linked the pieces to Latchford.
TALKING POINTS
Fresh Paper
Cambodia said it will issue government-backed bonds next year, a first for the country. The Kingdom plans to raise $300 million to fund infrastructure projects. The move has the support of the country’s millionaire class.
Final Word
The National Assembly approved a constitutional amendment banning dual passport holders from running for high office. The change followed accusations from Sam Rainsy, the exiled opposition leader, that Hun Sen held Cypriot nationality.
Money Secrets
Cambodia did not escape mention in the recent 3-terabyte trove of offshore banking secrets known as the Pandora Papers. The investigation named nine interests with Cambodian ties, including the well-known riverfront watering hole, The FCC.
Protestors Jailed
The court sentenced 14 activists to prison terms ranging from 20 months to two years for demanding the release of jailed union leader Rong Chhun. The 10 youth activists and four CNRP members were charged with incitement last year for protesting outside the Phnom Penh court. A former Australian politician was acquitted.
Silky Smooth
Sin Setsochhata, the granddaughter of a Golden Era music icon, is emerging from the shadows with her own voice, sound and style. Her journey has not been easy.
Artistic Value
Cultural authorities began identifying buildings and pagodas with artistic and historical value, the first move toward preservation. Authorities in 2004 discovered an abandoned church built in 1910, and officials believe more finds are out there.
In Deep
Rising Phnom Penh flood waters forced nearly 1,000 families from their homes. Officials said a local flood gate collapsed, inundating the area with chest-high water. Residents said capital authorities have done little to help.
Trade Deals
Cambodia and South Korea agreed to a raft of measures aimed at easing trade. The deal removes duties on more than 10,000 Cambodian-made products, and experts predict it will help lure investment and boost economic recovery.
BACKPAGES: From The Cambodia Daily Vault
Hun Sen Credits Cambodians for 1991 Peace
October 23, 2001
Prime Minister Hun Sen was briefly “detained” in 1993 “by a group of people who did not recognize the result of the [1993] elections,” the Prime Minister said Monday. The revelation was one of two “secrets” Hun Sen told an audience of about 300 during closing comments at a conference in Phnom Penh marking the 10th anniversary of the Paris Peace Accords.
Leaders Reflect on Anniversary of Accords
October 22, 2001
Tempered optimism and fond reflection were the themes Sunday morning at a Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace sponsored conference celebrating the 10-year anniversary of the signing of the landmark Paris Peace Accords.
Cannibalism Cases Resolved
October 24, 2001
Kompong Thom provincial police met Tuesday for their annual review, disturbed but relieved at clearing up two separate incidents of cannibalism this year.
Former Guard Holds Fond Memories of Pol Pot
October 23, 2001
Nothing in Tit Sit’s early life suggested he would end up as a bodyguard for Pol Pot. A farmer from Preah Vihear, just a teen-ager when the country began its slide into chaos in the early 1970s, he joined the resistance at 17 after hearing a radio address from the King that encouraged his people to fight Lon Nol.
WEEKEND READING
Her Name Is Untac: UN Peacekeepers’ Forgotten Children in Cambodia – New Naratif
Thirty years ago, a peace treaty officially ended the war in Cambodia and brought thousands of United Nations peacekeepers to the country. The now adult children they fathered and abandoned still face poverty, discrimination and family strains.
Peace, Prosperity, Progress? The Paris Peace Agreements
This year is the 30th anniversary of the Paris Peace Agreements (PPA). Signed on October 23rd 1991 by representatives of the four Cambodian conflict factions, the UN and 18 other nations these agreements were originally celebrated as the first diplomatic victory of the post-Cold War era and a symbol of the global political change to come.
Cambodia Says the Met Museum Has Dozens of Its Looted Antiquities
The country’s culture minister cites new evidence, including the account of a reformed looter, to assert that numerous artifacts at the Metropolitan Museum of Art were stolen from ancient sites.
Cambodian healthcare system facing a ‘dual practice’ dilemma
Faced with low pay, public healthcare workers often moonlight in private practice. Critics allege corruption, but experts say dual practice plays an important role
PHOTO CREDIT: National Museum of Cambodia, Daniel Mennerich via Flickr.