Sport Hunters Take Aim at Nature Parks, Maternity Clinics Face Scrutiny, Sar Kheng Stands Up to Drunk Drivers
Good morning, Cambodia. It's Friday, December 9, and this is your Weekly Dispatch.
HELPING HANDS: More cash subsidies are coming for households facing floods and a 13-year high of 7.8% inflation. The government has spent $800 million on pro-poor payouts since 2020 — and that’s saying something.
MOTHER’S HELPER: The Ministry of Health ordered a nationwide investigation of private maternity clinics and midwife services after a botched miscarriage procedure left a young women near death.
UNDER FIRE: The Ministry of Environment proposed legalizing hunting in protected nature areas. One flabbergasted conservationist said: “The whole point of a national park is that it excludes that sort of activity.”
THE LEDE
Up and Down
Cambodia’s economy is purring again, the World Bank said, with the worst of the Covid-19 downturn firmly in the rear-view mirror. Exports are surging, tax revenues are back to 2019 levels and consumer confidence is high.
Don’t get too excited: Despite the robust uptick, the Kingdom’s full economic rebound still faces substantial challenges — namely potential downturns in the U.S., E.U. and China.
At home, inflation is still way up, Angkor Wat ticket sales in 2022 have registered only 7% of 2019 levels, and household debt now stands at a whopping 34% of GDP, with much of the collateral in real estate.
But it’s global instability, the bank warned, that is the biggest threat to Cambodia’s recovery.
All Aboard
Cambodia opened the world’s first Responsible Business Hub, a campaign by governments, labor activists and factory owners to bring ethical manufacturing to the garment industry.
Germany will soon require companies to take responsibility for labor abuses committed by overseas suppliers. The E.U. is preparing similar laws.
The hub will serve as Europe’s eyes and ears, removing ignorance as a defense to rights violations. The move reflects a shift in global trade aimed at “responsible” business, and garment manufacturers will either get on board or give up billions in European exports.
Behind Bars
Outrage is intensifying over the repeated detention of Chhim Sithar, the NagaWorld union boss who was just denied bail by a Phnom Penh Court.
Dozens of her supporters protested outside the billion-dollar Phnom Penh casino wearing orange prison jumpsuits. Human Rights Watch recently quoted her as saying “ I cannot give up because of the threat of prison. I have to stand up for workers' rights."
The labor leader was arrested in January for endangering public security and released on bail two months later. Police jailed her late last month for traveling abroad, a bail condition she and her lawyers said was never explained.
Chhim Sithar and at least 18 others face a raft of criminal charges. No court date has been announced.
TALKING POINTS
Taped Up
Things look bad for Kry Masphal, the Department of Wildlife and Biodiversity director jailed in New York, where U.S. prosecutors said they have video evidence of him delivering illegally captured primates to a breeding farm accused of selling wild-caught monkeys as captive-bred. He was charged with smuggling endangered animals and faces 145 years in prison.
Open Season?
Sport hunting should be allowed in the Kingdom’s wildlife sanctuaries and protected forests, according to the Ministry of Environment, which has proposed legalizing hunting in formerly off-limits areas. Conservationists called the idea “unwise,” pointing out that most Cambodian game is endangered — or extinct.
Safety Net
The government is preparing a third round of cash subsidies for households at risk of flooding or economic hardship. Families will receive $20–$25, while individuals will collect $5–$7. Inflation hit a 13-year high of 7.8% in June, and could push more than 650,000 Cambodians below the poverty line. The government has spent more than $800 million on social security payments since 2020.
Wrong Way
Pursat authorities blocked some 40 people from celebrating Human Rights Day, saying organizers failed to seek permission from district officials or invite local leaders to attend. Rights groups said Cambodians who express critical opinions routinely face intimidation, judicial harassment and even physical attacks.
Straight Justice
The impunity of drunk drivers who buy their way out of horrific accidents could be coming to an end. Deputy Prime Minister Sar Kheng said he would personally intervene in such cases. His warning followed the latest drunk-driving outrage: a 19-year-old nearly killed a family of three, including a 2-month-old, and paid $2,500 to make the problem go away.
Bad Medicine
The Ministry of Health ordered a nationwide review of private hospitals and maternity clinics after a botched miscarriage procedure left a women with life-threatening injuries. Authorities shut the clinic and promised legal action against the midwife who performed the operation and the center’s owner.
What’s On
The Sea Festival returns to Sihanoukville this weekend with music, entertainment, sports and tons of food. The French Institute is hosting days of dancing — Khmer classical, Bassac, French contemporary, Bokotor — this weekend and next. “Close Your Eyes and See,” a multi-sensory exhibit allowing sighted people to experience an unsighted world, runs through Dec. 10 at AiR Gallery.
BACKPAGES: From The Cambodia Daily Vault
Dubious HIV/AIDS Medicine Draws a Crowd
December 9, 2002
Nearly 500 people came to Tok Dara’s house in Phnom Penh last Thursday. They arrived from Banteay Meanchey province, Sihanoukville, Koh Kong and Kompong Cham, and they left carrying an herbal medicine they hoped would save their lives.
Tenor Carreras Fills Angkor Wat With Music
December 9, 2002
In the darkness of the jungle, the towers of Angkor Wat slowly appeared, shaded green and gray. Then the voice of a man, cradled in music, rose into the night. For the following hour, Spanish tenor Jose Carreras and the ancient monument displayed the kind of beauty that humans are capable of.
Cambodian Vessels: A Black Mark on European Seas
December 7, 2002
The growing storm around unseaworthy Cambodian ships plying the highseas blew a bit harder last week with the blacklisting of nine Cambodian-flagged vessels from European ports as the European Union moved to reduce the possibility of more disastrous oil spills in it waters.
Nuon Chea Says Ideals of KR Better Than Today’s Reality
December 3, 2002
Blaming gambling and other social ills for a widening gulf between Cambodia’s rich and poor, former Khmer Rouge second-in-command Nuon Chea said that during the ultra-leftist regime top cadre at least tried to feed everyone.
Photos: Construction, Siv Channa/The Cambodia Daily. Dance, WikiMedia.
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