Trump Unleashes Trade Fears, Canal Project Adrift, Photo Festival Returns
Good morning, Cambodia. It's Friday, November 22, and this is your Weekly Dispatch.
SUNK COST: Updates on the Funan Techo Canal have gone from bad to worse. Insiders say Chinese funding has dried up, leaving Hun Manet with a $1.7 billion boondoggle on his hands — and a colossal loss of face.
EXPAT UPTICK: Economic doldrums appear to be over and 2024 is bursting with optimism. A survey of foreign-owned operations found 70% expected higher profits and more than 60% were increasing investment.
KING KERNEL: Malys Angkor, a fragrant Cambodian variety, was named the World’s Best Rice, beating out rivals from Thailand and Vietnam. It’s a record seventh time Cambodia has won the award.
THE LEDE
Maga Man
Donald Trump’s return means deep concerns in Cambodia, where the export-driven economy is both tied to the dollar and reliant on China. It's time to buckle up.
A more muscular foreign policy means close ties with Beijing could put the Kingdom in the crossfires. Cuts to American aid will stagger civil society — and reduce pressure for rights and democracy.
Expanded tariffs could slash the $8 billion in goods sent to the U.S. this year, and the supply chain will suffer if Trump targets Chinese materials that go into garments, shoes and luggage.
Two factors to watch: the choice of Marco Rubio, a strident critic of the CPP government, as secretary of state — and Cambodia’s time-tested skill at manipulating superpowers. Interesting times are on the way.
Rule Change
A string of graft-related arrests have the Kingdom’s political elites on edge.
The biggest to fall so far is Ly Sameth, an ex-advisor to the Strongman, who is in jail for abusing his role to sell government jobs, apparently amassing millions in the process. The revelations have led to charges against at least six others.
In similar cases, Takeo authorities jailed three provincial officials for abuse of power while in Kampot, the court seized the land and bank accounts of a disgraced oknha.
The whirlwind has sparked a sense that the rules of the political game have changed, if not for those at the highest table, at least for everyone else.
Culture Trip
Photo Phnom Penh is back — and bigger than ever. The tri-city soirée opens this weekend at nearly two dozen venues in Phnom Penh and, for the first time, in Siem Reap and Battambang.
Organized by Sovan Philong, a heavyweight in local photography circles, the month-long festival showcases the work of 110 photographers, including several up-and-coming Cambodian shooters. The event includes film screenings, photo walks and talks, performance art and more than two dozen public photography exhibitions — free and open to the public.
For the fully immersive experience, check out the French Cultural Center, which this weekend is offering 3-hour tuk-tuk crawls to the festival’s top exhibits for $2.
The Cambodia Daily needs your help.
It’s been five years since we launched The Cambodia Daily Khmer — an online platform dedicated to Khmer-language speakers.
The Daily requires an annual budget of $100,000 to pay reporters, photographers, editors and web hosting fees. Faced with a substantial annual shortfall, we are left with little choice but to ask you, our dedicated readers and supporters, for help.
Independent Cambodian voices are now more essential than ever. Please consider giving.
TALKING POINTS
Deep End
Hun Manet’s flagship project, the $1.7 billion Funan Techo Canal, appears on the verge of collapse. According to insiders, China has pulled out of the deal, with some suggesting the iron-clad ally may have never been fully on board. The U-turn raises questions over Beijing’s commitment to Cambodia’s ambitious infrastructure goals.
Political Redux
Out with the new, in with the old. The National Assembly dumped Foreign Minister Sok Chenda Sophea after just 15 months, replacing him with Prak Sokhonn, the ruling party stalwart who held the job from 2016 to 2023, when the Strongman handed control of the government to his son.
Type Cast
Keep your opinions off Facebook. That’s the message to government critics from the country’s notoriously pliable courts, which jailed yet another dissident for a social media post. Ny Nak was sentenced to two years for mocking the Ministry of Commerce.
White Gold
The global rice industry has crowned a new king. Malys Angkor, a local fragrant variety, was named “World’s Best Rice” at this year’s World Rice Conference, while Sen Kra’op beat out 61 competitors to win gold at a separate rice conference in China. The Ministry of Agriculture is urging farmers to plant more local varieties, as prices rise along with their reputation.
Sunny Side
Foreign-owned businesses are forecasting a bright future. More than 70% of companies surveyed by the American Chamber of Commerce predicted higher profits this year, compared to 2023, and more than 60% are planning to increase investment over the next 12 months.
Gecko Tales
Two previously unknown species of gecko were discovered in the Kingdom’s mountainous southwest. “The new species highlight the incredible biodiversity hidden within the Cardamom Mountains,” said an expert. “And a clear need for ongoing research and conservation.”
Big Top
The weeklong Tini Tinou Circus Festival kicks off today in Battambang, where at least 14 international troupes will join dozens of local performers in a citywide display of circus magic. Organizers promise a record-breaking event, including a high-wire act over the Sangke River and a closing concert by Vannda, the Kingdom’s hip-hop impresario. Most performances are free and open to the public.
BACKPAGES: From The Cambodia Daily Vault
Illegal Timber: Seeing the Forest for the Thieves
November 22, 2004
Government officials responsible for cracking down on illegal logging are actually organizing and profiting by the lucrative black-market timber trade in a web of corruption that reaches the highest levels of government, according to a report released Friday by forestry watchdog Global Witness.
Man Batters English Woman at Nightclub
November 11, 2004
A 25-year-old Cambodian student was arrested after reportedly beating an English aid worker over the head with a beer bottle at the popular nightclub Heart of Darkness early Wednesday, police said.
News of KR Tribunal Little Noticed in Pailin
November 10, 2004
To some former officials of the Khmer Rouge regime, this week was one like any other. In his brand new cement house, former Khmer Rouge head of state Khieu Samphan worried about paying his children’s school fees. And across town, Nuon Chea, or “Brother No 2,” lay on his sick bed while his family did the daily chores.
WEEKEND READING
This ‘Ghost’ Fish Seemed Extinct, Until It Turned Up in Unexpected Places
No one saw a Mekong giant salmon carp for 15 years, but then the species was spotted in areas of Cambodia that suggest it may be found in more locations.
Is China Building a New Military Base in Cambodia? Maybe. Probably.
Chinese contractors have been renovating the Ream Naval Base in Cambodia for the past two years, leading to widespread suspicion that the upgraded facility could eventually serve as a future outpost for the PLA Navy in Southeast Asia.
Photos: Donald Trump, Gage Skidmore, WikiMedia. Gecko, Wild Earth Allies/Neang Thy.
Send comments to editor@cambodiadaily.com
.jpg){kind=link}