Strongman Retreats on Regional Pact, Mu Sochua Slams China, New Tourism Chief Named

Sep 27, 2024

HOT ZONE: Hun Manet is still trying everything to reboot the Kingdom’s tourist sector. He just abruptly replaced the minister of tourism, in the latest sign the pandemic-battered industry remains a top political priority.
LAST LOOK: The U.S. is giving $7 million to the local press corps to boost what’s left of the Kingdom’s credible news outlets. All that cash is cool, but it’s unlikely to thwart the relentless CPP-led crackdown on the free press.
HIT JOB: A B-40 rocket attack in 1998 missed Hun Sen by a mile. After 26 years, the Strongman is still hyping the assassination attempt — and crediting the supernatural for his survival — with a new book on the subject.

THE LEDE

Plot Twist

In a remarkable retreat, the Strongman bowed to political pressure and withdrew the Kingdom from the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam development project.

The U-turn offers government critics a rare victory, although it is unlikely to signal a shift in official attitudes on dissent. At least nine people are still in jail for publicly slamming the project, and authorities have given no sign the charges will be dropped.

The unexpected reversal is sure to fuel further tensions with Vietnam, which is already frustrated with the Kingdom over China’s involvement at Ream Naval Base and the environmental impacts of the Funan Techo Canal.

Hun Manet vowed to continue developing areas along the border, despite the withdrawal.

Voices Carry

Mu Sochua, the self-exiled opposition leader, sounded off in a strident, wide-ranging interview taking straight aim at the Kingdom's reliance on China and the alleged fallout from that relationship.

Her assessment was blunt: Cambodia can expect heavy debt, exploitative jobs, massive transnational crime and an increasingly ravaged environment — unless more balanced relations with Beijing can be achieved. Some critics agree with her.

Sochua has been in the U.S. since the Cambodian National Rescue Party, the only opposition rival to the CPP, was banned in 2017. Her recent evaluations, notably about Chinese military influence, unfair infrastructure loans and human trafficking by China-based mafia — might be dismissed as an outside view from a distant land.

Rainy Daze

Monsoon-driven flooding continues to swamp rural areas, with state agencies preparing rescue and emergency measures to mitigate evacuations, displacements and damaged crops. Bad news: More rain is coming.

The government's figures were staggering: nearly 14,000 households have been affected across nine provinces, more than 330 families evacuated and almost 10,000 hectares of rice fields damaged. Hardest hit was Kratie province, which had more than 3,000 homes flooded and 10,000 families under stress.

Also in Kratie, residents blamed rising waters for the deaths of three cassava farmers whose boat capsized. The capital's Norea Island recreation area was also severely flooded, closing businesses along the popular promenade.

Meteorologists said heavy rain would persist through Friday.

TALKING POINTS

Ticket Punch

Hun Manet, in a rare cabinet shakeup, switched leaders at the Tourism and Inspection ministries. The tourist sector has yet to fully recover from the pandemic, and the abrupt change is viewed as an effort to inject fresh ideas.

Past Lives

A rocket attack on the Strongman’s motorcade 26 years ago is the subject of a new book, aptly titled “Attempted Assassination of Samdech Techo Hun Sen.” The 180-page book recounts the events surrounding the strike and the “great sacrifices” the former prime minister made for the country. (He personally credited the supernatural for his survival.)

Usual Suspect

More bad news for Rong Chhun, the former political firebrand and long-time government bête noire, who was banned this week from traveling abroad, meeting with opposition figures or taking part in any public protests. Violations of this verdict, according to Phnom Penh Court, will lead to his arrest — again.

Adding Up

More than 32,000 Cambodian students are set to benefit from $80 million in funding from the World Bank, which is meant to boost education in science, technology, math and engineering. The six-year project is intended to include at least 13,000 female students.

Hot Wheels

Hun Manet slammed the brakes on the controversy surrounding the Gumball 3000, a luxury motorcade seen as an affront to some Cambodians for posing fancy cars in front of cultural touchstones, specifically Angkor Wat. "No one is disrespecting our ancestors," the premier said. The event raised more than $300,000 for Angkor Hospital for Children.

Press Run

Washington has earmarked $7 million for local media, intended to strengthen and expand the diversity of trustworthy news. The funds will benefit Cambodia’s few remaining independent newsrooms, but it’s unlikely to revive the once-rollicking free press. The government’s yearslong pressure campaign against the free press has taken its toll.

Soft Shell

It was a big win for conservationists with the successful hatch of more than 150 elongated tortoises. The turtles, listed as critically endangered, are a top prize for wildlife traffickers. The hatchlings will be raised in a controlled environment until they are ready for release in the wild. Experts called it “the most successful breeding season yet.”

BACKPAGES: From The Cambodia Daily Vault

WEEKEND READING

Cambodia’s Funan Techo canal exposes cracks in Vietnam ties

China could reap long-term gain from ’Pride of Khmer people’ project

Will Cambodia’s Funan Techo canal be a success?

Questions raised about the viability of the China-backed project, hailed as strongman Hun Sen’s great legacy.

Photos: Hun Sen, Facebook. Gumball 3000, courtesy.
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