Police Chief Accused of Graft, Grab Nabs Nyam24, Tourists Flock to Phu Quoc Ferry
Good morning, Cambodia. It's Friday, January 3, 2025. Happy New Year!
DARK ROOM: The government has hit the mute button on official communication. Only relevant ministry spokespeople are now allowed to speak with the press.
COIN OP: The National Bank inched closer to embracing cryptocurrencies, partially lifting the ban on digital assets. Stablecoins are in, Bitcoin and Etherium are out.
HANG TIME: Phnom Penh’s famous colony of “flying foxes” is missing. Be it hornbills, honking cars or humans — the fruit bats are in the wind.
THE LEDE
Eye Witness
The Strongman loves a good Khmer Rouge story — especially one that makes him the hero.
In the latest example, Hun Sen revealed a previously unknown role in Pol Pot’s downfall, which began with the 1997 massacre of Son Sen and his family. Brother No. 1 had uncovered a series of secret letters suggesting his former defense minister was planning to defect, and in a rage of paranoia ordered his death.
But the missives were fake, Hun Sen explained, and he had written them himself to inflame divisions among the group’s splintering leadership. Pol Pot was soon arrested and replaced by Ta Mok, who was captured a year later by government forces on Dec 29, 1999 — now known as Peace Day.
Exit Strategy
If you can’t beat ‘em, buy ‘em. That’s apparently the best move for rivals at the top of Cambodia’s crowded food delivery sector — and a sign of the Kingdom’s growing clout in the regional startup scene.
Nasdaq-listed Grab Holdings this week announced the purchase of local food delivery underdog Nyam24, which launched in 2016 with only 20 drivers and rocketed to popularity during the pandemic. The two companies have competed for supremacy in the food courier business, and the buyout represents a notable victory by a local startup over a deep-pocketed foreign competitor.
The two brands will remain independent — for now.
Bat Signal
Phnom Penh's famous fruit bats are missing.
The longstanding colony of "flying foxes" appears to have abandoned its traditional riverside roosting sites across from Wat Phnom and Électricité du Cambodge. The trees they inhabit are empty.
The mayor was quick to dismiss any notion that city officials had driven them off. Instead, he blamed the capital's other winged celebrities — the flock of giant hornbills, which are known to displace bats.
Traffic, construction or habitat destruction could be other factors. Either way, Phnom Penh is at risk of losing its legacy as the only capital to shelter the giant bats— and an important pollinator that revitalizes the ecosystem.
At least six species of flying foxes have already gone extinct in the region.
TALKING POINTS
Oknha Fight
The National Police clapped back against explosive allegations of corruption made by a prominent real estate tycoon and reported by The Cambodia Daily Khmer. Heng Sithy, in a series of social media posts, accused several high-ranking officials of graft and involvement in cybercrimes. The list includes National Police Commissioner General Sar Thet, Interior Minister Sar Sokha, and Phnom Penh Municipal Police Chief Chuon Narin.
Coin Flip
The National Bank partially lifted a ban on cryptocurrencies, and for the first time will allow trade in digital assets. The new rules apply only to tokens backed by real-world assets, including so-called stable coins, with a value linked to real currencies. Unbacked tokens like Bitcoin and Etherium remain banned.
Price Bump
More than a million salaried workers will see a jump in pay starting Jan. 1, when the minimum wage rises and a new pay scale for government employees kicks in. Labor officials are pleading with landlords and retailers to refrain from hiking prices on newly flush workers.
Travel Costs
The government is lowering the price of eVisas in an attempt to boost tourism arrivals. The fee for tourists will decrease from $36 to $30, while the costs of the “ordinary” visa will fall from $42 to $35. Industry insiders say the decrease is too small to have much impact, and they are urging the government to waive fees entirely.
Fast Boat
Tourists are flocking to the international ferry connecting Kampot and Phu Quoc island in Vietnam — even before service officially starts. The 40-minute trip, now in a testing phase, will run twice daily when it launches on Jan. 15. “We already have thousands of people on our list,” a surprised port official said. “And more are coming every day.”
Silent Mode
The Ministry of Interior banned government officials from speaking to the media. The restrictions, press freedom groups say, are the latest in a long list of measures designed to muzzle the press. The government insists it’s committed to protecting the media.
Flame Out
An elaborate monument dedicated to King Norodom Sihamoni went up in flames just after midnight on New Year’s Eve as thousands of revellers partied outside the Royal Palace. Some are calling it an unfortunate accident, others a bad omen. Authorities are investigating.
BACKPAGES: From The Cambodia Daily Vault
City Has Big Plans for Island Near Naga Casino
January 3, 2005
Development plans for Koh Pich—the island across from the NagaCorp casino where residents are contesting an eviction order by City Hall—would turn the island into a miniature city dotted with high rises, according to blueprints drawn up by a company hired by the Phnom Penh Municipality.
Retired King Says Hindu God Saved Cambodia
January 3, 2005
Religious ceremonies organized to appease the Hindu god Indra helped spare Cambodia from the underwater quake and resulting tsunamis that devastated neighboring countries, retired King Norodom Sihanouk wrote in a message posted on his Web site Friday.
Nhim Sophea’s Lawyer ‘Proud’ of Acquittal
December 31, 2004
Amnesty International may have dubbed his latest court victory a travesty for Cambodian justice, but lawyer Yin Wengka says he is pleased with the result.
Photos: Son Sen, with glasses, DC-CAM. Monument, The Cambodia Daily.
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