The Strongman Returns, Minorities Fight for Land, New Year Party Heats Up
Good morning, Cambodia. It's Friday, April 5, and this is your Weekly Dispatch.
TIGHT LIPS: It was easy to miss the two Chinese warships that docked at Ream Naval Base this week, mostly because the government and local media never reported it. The U.S. cannot be pleased.
DEAD LINE: When the Post spiked its print edition its bosses promised to keep posting news online. Instead, employees were laid off and nothing has been published. Is this finally the end of the story?
CHILD’S PLAY: If you want to spend more time with your kids, you’re soon to be out of luck as the Kingdom extends its gleefully short school days from four hours to six. et’s hope it’s reflected in test scores.
Site Bans
Does your internet provider block The Cambodia Daily website? Here are a few quick solutions:
Install Cloudflare Warp, a free app that replaces the connection between your device and the internet
Download the free VPN from Proton
THE LEDE
Power Trip
The Strongman is back on top — in a role fit for a king.
The new senate unanimously elected Hun Sen as president, making him the acting head of state when King Norodom Sihamoni goes abroad. For a nation steeped in tradition and ceremony, the symbolism is unmistakable.
The senate president is arguably as powerful as the prime minister — maybe more. The role serves as the supreme commander of the armed forces, holds the power to grant pardons and, when the monarch is away, may sign laws into effect.
Hun Sen won’t need to wait long. King Sihamoni left for Japan this morning.
India Irked
Cambodian officials slammed reports that cyber scam victims in India were losing $10 million a month to the Kingdom’s “pig-butchering” mills — where more than 5,000 Indians were reportedly trapped.
Authorities in Phnom Penh called the figures “unverified,” saying police found no evidence for the claims. The Indian Embassy confirmed it had rescued 250 citizens, including 75 this year, but could not verify the larger numbers.
Cambodian anti-trafficking officials continue to blame the media for sensationalizing the problem and damaging the country’s reputation, insisting that 90% of reported human trafficking cases are false.
Even so, India — like China, Indonesia, Kenya, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and others — warned its citizens about working in Cambodia.
Hot Times
The biggest national holiday of the year is almost here — and so are scorching temperatures. Officials say the heat will reach 42 degrees over the dayslong festival.
Although last year's massive, post-pandemic party will be tough to beat, the entire Kingdom will be in a festive, water-splashing frenzy from April 13 to 16.
Some highlights: In Phnom Penh, the biggest public gathering will be at Wat Phnom and the surrounding park. Siem Reap will hold celebrations at the Royal Palace Park, with food, concerts and traditional festivities on both sides of the river. Traditional ox-cart races will be held tomorrow in Kampong Speu, while Kampot will offer revelers a massive riverfront beach.
But don’t get too carried away: Unlike last year, there will be no partying inside temple grounds and police have been told to clamp down on the omnipresent outpourings of baby powder.
Editor’s Note: The Weekly Dispatch will not be published next week.
TALKING POINTS
Hushed Up
Two Chinese warships docked at Ream Naval Base for an unannounced port call, the second by China’s navy since December. Local media and the government have been silent about the visit, adding to suspicions over Beijing’s role at the base — which has been a persistent thorn in relations with Washington.
Open Roads
No-cost tourist visas would boost travel and make the Kingdom a more competitive holiday destination, say industry groups, which are pressing the government to waive the $30 fee. Travel associations point to post-pandemic rules in Thailand, where around 85% of last year’s nearly 30 million global tourists entered on free tourist visas.
Here First
Bunong activists in Mondulkiri are headed to the Supreme Court in a last ditch attempt to wrest control of community forests from powerful business interests. The land, group leaders say, is vital to Bunong identity — and without it, their way of life, which has existed for generations, will disappear.
Blast Report
Landmines casualties have plummeted to around 50 per year, down from an average of more than 100 over the last decade. More than half the Kingdom’s provinces have been declared mine free, with the rest on track to be cleared by next year.
Hard News
Is The Phnom Penh Post dead — or just taking a break? Reporters and photographers have been laid off and the paper hasn’t published a new story in a week. Management is calling it a “reorganization” — but without journalists, what’s left to organize?
Class Time
The Kingdom’s wonderfully short school days are coming to an end. Beginning next year, the Ministry of Education will expand study hours from four to six at 50 primary schools, with plans to expand the program across all grades and schools in the coming years.
Culture Club
Cambodia will submit Khmer New Year and a dozen other culturally significant sites and traditions to be considered for UNESCO’s prestigious World Heritage List. The new year festival, registered as “Sangkranta in Cambodia,” will be tendered first, with a decision expected in 2026.
BACKPAGES: From The Cambodia Daily Vault
CFF May Be Ready For Strip-Mall Revolution
April 5, 2004
With tax season behind him, Chhun Yasith, president of the Cambodian Freedom Fighters and a California-based accountant, reported Sunday that he may have earned enough to finance the overthrow of Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Market Shooting Leaves Vendors Incredulous
April 5, 2004
Following Friday’s shooting in one of the city’s most popular tourist markets, vendors on Sunday fretted over Phsar Tuol Tumpong’s reputation and what they called the first shooting in the market’s history.
Mystery Behind 1997 Grenade Attack Continues to Inspire Flurries of Controversy
April 3, 2004
Meters from where shrapnel ripped through a crowd of protesters and sowed fear into Cambodia’s budding democracy movement seven years ago, Jackson Cox stepped to a microphone Tuesday in front of the survivors of the March 30, 1997 grenade attack.
WEEKEND READING
Cambodian monkey exports to Canada for lab tests are surging, fueling health concerns
The pharma company importing macaques from Cambodia says it follows strict safety protocols, and its research has led to life-changing treatments
U.S. wildlife officials paid a Chinese national $224k to spy on Cambodia. Their top target was just acquitted.
Federal officials, relying on an animal activist group’s referral, ultimately helped a Chinese national immigrate to the U.S., get work, and housing after spying on Cambodian officials. His tactics contributed to an acquittal in a criminal case.
Mekong’s giant fish threatened by dams and wetland conversions
The large fish of the Mekong, some of which are revered in local cultures, face dire consequences without urgent action
Photo: Khmer New Year Siem Reap, Thomas Wanhoff, via Flick.
Send comments to editor@cambodiadaily.com