Prince Ranariddh’s Farewell, Kem Sokha ditches Sam Rainsy, Monkey Problems in Phnom Penh
Good morning, Cambodia. It's Friday, December 3, and this is your Weekly Dispatch.
MACAQUES ATTACK: In the upper part of Phnom Penh, monkeys are invading homes and destroying everything in their path. A child has been injured.
DYNASTY DAWNS: Hun Sen endorsed Hun Manet, his eldest son, as his preferred candidate to stand in elections. Analysts said the move could be a path to reform.
FOREST FIGHT: Kampong Speu residents blocked military bulldozers from clearing a local forest. They say half the community forest is already gone.
THE LEDE
Royal Funeral
Cambodia bids adieu to Prince Norodom Ranariddh, the political scion and former prime minister who played a role in molding post-conflict Cambodia, for better and worse, during his 40-year political career.
In death, as in politics, the prince’s fate appears linked to the Kingdom’s iron-fisted prime minister. Allies expect an elaborate state funeral befitting his regal stature. Palace insiders say Hun Sen may only allow a subdued, family affair.
The prince’s body arrives from France on Sunday. He is expected to lie in state, followed by a traditional royal funeral. Norodom Ranariddh died Sunday in Paris at the age of 77. No cause of death was given. He had been in ill health since a traffic accident in 2018.
Kem Sokha Rift
Former CNRP president Kem Sokha announced a formal split with longtime party ally Sam Rainsy, prompting predictions for the opposition leader’s next moves.
Pundits have speculated Hun Sen may offer Kem Sokha amnesty from treason charges in return for leading a pliant opposition as Cambodia prepares for local and national elections. The United States and European Union have grown increasingly frustrated with the Kingdom for jailing dissidents and backsliding into a de facto one-party state.
Hun Sen may be gambling on a Kem Sokha-led opposition placating his Western critics. Will the opposition leader play along? Considering the alternative — prison — Kem Sokha may be unable to refuse.
Tonle Sap Sized Up
Authorities seized more than 2,000 hectares of illegally cleared flooded forest after a thunderous upbraiding from Hun Sen.
In a “hot” Sunday missive, the premier demanded action against illegal land grabbers, regardless of their position or standing. He pointed directly to a former provincial governor and said such people belonged in prison.
Siem Reap authorities have arrested 47 “ordinary citizens.” Other land-grabbers have voluntarily returned territory to the state. Even so, no arrests of consequence have been announced.
The rich and politically connected tycoons, including members of Hun Sen’s family, have long been implicated in the land grabbing and illegal logging operations that have plagued the Kingdom for decades.
TALKING POINTS
Regime Change
Hun Sen threw his support behind political dynasties, naming his eldest son, Hun Manet, as his preferred candidate to stand in future elections. Political analysts commended the move, saying it gave Cambodians hope that free-and-fair elections were in the country’s future. Such hopes might be premature.
Monkey Trouble
Wat Phnom and Psah Chas residents say the macaques are out of control. The monkeys are invading homes, stealing food, destroying property and frightening the locals. In one case, the animals sent a child to the hospital with scratches to the face.
Unsafe Harbors
Thai authorities detained a fifth Cambodian asylum seeker, and rights activists feared he would also be deported to face politically motivated charges at home. In recent weeks, Thailand has returned four Cambodian dissidents — all were jailed immediately on arrival in the Kingdom. Rights groups criticized both countries.
Bad Defense
Prince Norodom Ravichak defended himself against fraud claims alleged by Saint Etienne, the storied French football club. The team accused the prince of submitting forged bank documents during his attempt to buy the club earlier this year. Saint Etienne rejected the prince’s bid and promised to press charges. His interview with French media did little to help his cause.
Kampong Speu Turmoil
More than 600 residents gathered in support of community leaders in Kampong Speu, where locals have demanded the military stop clearing a community forest. Soldiers have razed more than half the forest’s 2,500 hectares in recent years. Fed-up residents blocked military bulldozers in October, prompting local police to call in community leaders for questioning.
Flight Paths
The Great Reopening is slowly gathering steam. Bangkok Airways announced daily flights from Phnom Penh to Bangkok starting mid-month. Philippine Airlines scheduled a second December flight to Manilla, with weekly service beginning in January. Since the Nov. 15 lifting of quarantines, more than 18,000 visitors have touched down in the Kingdom.
Omicron Arrives
Cambodia banned travellers from 10 African nations in response to the Omicron variant. It also said it would consider upgrading inbound travellers from rapid testing to PCR, which can detect the variant. The WHO said the country should prepare for a surge.
BACKPAGES: From The Cambodia Daily Vault
PM: Karaoke Girls Better Off Unemployed
November 29, 2001
Prime Minister Hun Sen Wednesday defended his order to shut down karaoke parlors and discos last week, insisting that it is necessary to fight crime and will be strictly enforced.
Fire Destroys Another Town Of Squatters
November 29, 2001
Amid the ash and flattened, smoking debris that used to be their homes, villagers stood watching as three women struggled to cover the burned corpse of an old man with a white sheet—so far the only victim of the second fire this week to devastate a Phnom Penh squatter village.
Death Toll Rises to Seven in Building Collapse
November 29, 2001
Seven bodies have now been pulled from the remains of a house that collapsed early Tuesday morning. Rescuers face the grim task of finding six people still missing.
Mob Kills Pair of Suspected Motorbike Thieves
November 28, 2001
A mob converged on two young men suspected of stealing a motorbike early Tuesday morning and beat them to death in an example of the street violence that has been roundly criticized by Cambodian leaders and UN human rights officials.
WEEKEND READS
Cambodia: The end of the Rainsy-Sokha affair?
Opposition leaders clash and a once powerful alternative to Hun Sen’s rule splinters into small groups
New dams on 3S rivers endanger survival of the Mekong
Plans to further dam the Sesan, Srepok and Sekong tributaries of the Mekong River risk food security and already endangered wildlife