Sam Rainsy Wins in Court, China Dredges in Ream, NagaWorld Strike Continues
Good morning, Cambodia. It's Friday, January 28, and this is your Weekly Dispatch.
MURDER MYSTERY: It’s been 18 years since popular labor leader Chea Vichea was gunned down in broad daylight in Phnom Penh. Supporters marked the anniversary by reiterating calls for justice.
UNCLEAR COAST: Satellite images exposed the presence of Chinese sand dredgers at work on Ream Naval Base, reigniting a potent geopolitical firestorm. Washington was not amused.
GRAFT CHAMP: Cambodia again ranked dead last in Southeast Asia in Transparency International’s corruption perceptions index. In the Asia-Pacific region, only Afghanistan and North Korea scored lower.
THE LEDE
Legal Triumph
A French court finally handed Sam Rainsy a win.
The exiled opposition leader wrote this week that there was a “ray of hope” for justice after a Paris judge indicted two members of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s bodyguard unit for murders committed during a 1997 grenade attack on a pro-Rainsy rally that killed 16 and injured dozens.
The court charged two generals, Hing Bun Heang and Huy Piseth, for masterminding the attack — although it’s unlikely the men will ever face French justice. The court has sought their cooperation for years without success, and it seems even less likely the pair would travel to France and face arrest.
A conviction would badly embarrass the prime minister — as would a lengthy trial that puts the tragedy back in the headlines. No trial date has been set.
Problem Deepens
Sightings of Chinese sand dredgers on Cambodia’s coast prompted fresh calls from Washington for full transparency about recent developments at Ream Naval Base.
Phnom Penh confirmed the dredgers were deepening waters at Ream to allow for the passage of larger ships — but it denied the presence of any Chinese military personnel.
The U.S. says Cambodia has given China exclusive access to the base in exchange for infrastructure upgrades. Cambodia has repeatedly denied this.
In response to China’s growing influence, the U.S. imposed export restrictions and an arms embargo on the Kingdom in December.
Myanmar Reboot
Hun Sen embarked on a rescue mission to salvage his star-crossed rapprochement bid with Myanmar’s military rulers.
He dispatched a special envoy to New York for closed-door talks with the U.N. Security Council to shore up shaky international support — and rolled back his “cowboy diplomacy,” as some have called it, for a “five-point consensus” plan approved by fellow regional leaders in April.
The moves appear aimed at quieting critics of his go-it-alone approach — and passing the thorny Myanmar issue back to ASEAN.
TALKING POINTS
Shady Deal
Questions continued to cloud the treason trial of opposition leader Kem Sokha, who was charged in 2017 with trying to start a color revolution. His lawyers accused the court of deliberately stalling by replaying video evidence and convening only three to four hours per week. They blasted prosecutors for offering an unethical and possibly criminal quid pro quo: plead guilty in return for a quick verdict.
Snake Eyes
NagaWord blamed pandemic-induced financial woes after sacking more than 1,300 employees in April. Nearly 85% of the laid-off workers belonged to the union, prompting members to strike over accusations of union busting. Police have jailed several union leaders on incitement charges for leading marches, and the two sides remain deadlocked.
Justice Deferred
Family and supporters of Chea Vichea, the much-loved labor leader murdered in 2004, marked the 18th anniversary of his unsolved death with renewed calls for a full investigation. Police arrested two men in the days after the shooting, but they were later released for lack of evidence. Critics say the government was involved.
Vanishing Trees
Cambodia’s forests are vanishing at an unprecedented pace. Between 2001 and 2020, the Kingdom lost some 2.5 million hectares, with 80% of the loss occurring since 2017. Activists have long accused the government of complicity in illegal logging, charges the government has denied, despite overwhelming evidence.
Enduring Graft
Dead last. That’s where Cambodia ranked among ASEAN nations for perceived corruption — a position it has held for at least the past decade. The government fired back, calling the report “pathetic,” questioning its methodology and accusing its authors of overlooking many state achievements.
Wet Work
Rising waters in the Mekong River forced underwater deminers to halt efforts until later this year. Since 2015, mining teams have scoured shipwrecks and the river bottom in Kandal and Prey Veng provinces for ordnance left over from the civil war.
Covid Famous
An Irish tourist faced the wrath of Cambodia’s quarantine police when he shared photos of a squalid Covid-19 camp — plywood beds, no sheets or blankets — for the world of social media to see. Authorities demanded he delete the posts and apologize — or go to jail. The choice was obvious.
Omicron Watch
The Omicron variant accounted for all of Thursday’s 27 new Covid-19 cases. That said, Cambodia had fewer than 150 coronavirus patients in intensive care and had not recorded a Covid-19 death in more than three weeks.
BACKPAGES: From The Cambodia Daily Vault
Logging Inspectors Could Face Prison Term
January 29, 2001
After a discouraging day in court Friday, inspectors from the environmental watchdog Global Witness fear they could be sentenced to prison if convicted of trespassing on property belonging to a logging company, the group said Saturday.
Ex-KR Say CPP Intimidating Them To Join
January 25, 2001
Several former Khmer Rouge soldiers say they have been threatened by local authorities, who told them to join only the ruling CPP.
Hun Sen Takes Aim at UN For Failed Efforts, Hypocrisy
January 24, 2001
Prime Minister Hun Sen reiterated his criticisms of the UN during a speech Tuesday at a meeting of the Asian Association of Parliaments for Peace, blasting the world organization for failing to bring peace to Cambodia.
WEEKEND READS
A Tragedy of No Importance
Before Iraq, before Afghanistan and before Bosnia, the West set out to heal another ruined country.
Photos: March 1997 stupa, Cambodia Daily/Kevin Doyle. NagaWorld protesters, courtesy CENTRAL.