Protests Jolt Landmine Meeting, Cyber Crooks Sent Home, Beer Market Locked Down
Good morning, Cambodia. It's Friday, November 29, and this is your Weekly Dispatch.
LONG HAUL: China clapped back at reports it was pulling funding for the Funan Techo Canal. Beijing is fully on board, the Chinese ambassador said, and construction of the $1.7 billion waterway is right on schedule.
CUFFED UP: Police freed six environmental activists detained for trespassing while investigating illegal logging in a protected national park. Outraged forest defenders called it a “kidnapping.”
LIFE SUPPORT: Workers at an unlicensed medical clinic are facing murder charges after bungled treatments caused a patient’s death, raising new alarms on the Kingdom’s woefully underregulated health industry.
THE LEDE
Fast Track
China sent its “wolf warrior” ambassador to set the record straight on reports it had pulled funding for the Funan Techo Canal.
The Kingdom’s iron-clad ally offered unwavering support for the $1.7 billion waterway and Ambassador Wang Wenbin committed to a range of economic and trade initiatives aimed at boosting the Cambodian economy.
Construction on the canal broke ground in August, yet diggers have been silent ever since. Hun Manet rejected the idea of a funding crisis and said the project was proceeding as planned.
“We cannot completely construct such a mega project in just three months,” he said.
Sign Talk
The CPP-led campaign against dissent caught a rare break as more than 100 delegates at a landmine conference in Siem Reap protested the U.S. decision to give antipersonnel mines to Ukraine.
The leniency appears unlikely to extend beyond the government’s adversaries. In Phnom Penh, the Ministry of Information criticized a damning report on press freedom and a ruling party spokesperson suggested the government was preparing legislation to designate opposition groups as terrorists.
The Strongman has raised the idea of such a law at least twice in recent days. “Once the CPP president raises an idea,” the spokesperson said, “it often comes to fruition.”
Growth Factor
The ADB is all in on Hun Manet’s “Open For Business” campaign.
The Manilla-based bank is lending the Kingdom $50 million to implement a raft of investment-friendly measures aimed at easing trade barriers, spurring job creation and fostering sustainable economic growth. The loan comes as part of a larger initiative to improve the country’s competitiveness, with a focus on boosting small- and medium-sized businesses.
Cambodia desperately needs foreign investment and the prime minister has campaigned extensively to attract overseas financiers. China by far remains the Kingdom’s largest source, accounting for nearly 50% of investments in recents years.
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TALKING POINTS
No Escape
The U.N. blasted Thailand for deporting six CNRP activists to Phnom Penh, where they were charged with treason for criticizing a government development plan for the northeast. Advocates called the deportations a flagrant disregard of international laws protecting refugees.
Safe Space
Stung Treng police freed six environmental activists who were detained while investigating illegal logging in the Veun Sai-Siem Pang National Park. The group, who authorities accused of trespassing, included Ouch Leng, a Goldman Environmental Prize winner. They were released after agreeing to keep away from prohibited areas.
Busted Abroad
China on Thursday repatriated 240 gambling and fraud suspects, and at least 500 more are scheduled to be deported in the coming days. The arrests come as part of broader Chinese efforts to clamp down on Cambodia’s industrial-scale cyber fraud industry.
Fenced In
The prime minister earmarked $100 million to finalize the nationwide registration of private property, vowing to end the country’s epidemic of land disputes. Authorities have certified around 1 million plots, with around 1 million to go, the prime minister said, and officials have resolved some 15,000 disputes.
Code Red
Murder charges are waiting for two unlicensed medical workers who dumped the body of a deceased patient and her 3-year-old niece under a tree after botched treatments. Health clinics are handled by provincial authorities, meaning governors across the Kingdom scrambled to investigate hundreds of lightly regulated facilities.
Drinking Games
Cambodia is slamming the door on new brewers to the Kingdom’s $1 billion domestic beer market. Officials cited national health concerns, but critics said the move will do little to slow the country’s rampant alcohol consumption and accused the government of slow-rolling laws to regulate the industry.
Cop Out
The police beating of two Siem Reap journalists ended amicably after officers agreed to pay the victims’ hospital bills. The reporters were investigating a break-in at a local museum when a local officer allegedly beat them up.
BACKPAGES: From The Cambodia Daily Vault
US Baby Broker Blames Social Affairs Ministry
November 25, 2004
The legal defense team of Lauryn Galindo last week sought to redirect her culpability in crimes to the Ministry of Social Affairs as well as individuals who competed with or assisted in her baby adoption business, according to a US court document.
Gov’t Won’t Reveal Cost Of CNN Ad
November 24, 2004
The Minister of Tourism has decided to keep secret the cost of broadcasting a 30-second commercial promoting the Water Festival on the US television news network CNN.
Ministry Orders Halt to Tuol Sleng Renovations
November 23, 2004
Renovations to the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum were halted Friday by order of the Ministry of Arts and Culture, the museum’s director, Sopheara Chey said Monday.
WEEKEND READING
It’s Complicated? Cambodia-Vietnam Relations Examined
Fulcrum editor Julia Lau discusses the complex issue of Cambodia-Vietnam relations in light of their new leadership. One issue examined is Cambodia's recent withdrawal from the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle Area and what it means for the region.
Photos: Canal site, Facebook. Illegal logging in Stung Treng, courtesy Ouch Leng via Mongabay. Presidential Palace, Hanoi, Richard Mortel, Flickr.
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