Victims Flee Scam Center, Ugly Scene at Beauty Pageant, Tourists Numbers Ticking Up
Good morning, Cambodia. It's Friday, October 11, and this is your Weekly Dispatch.
ROLLING BACK: Tourists are coming back and cautious optimism is at hand. Angkor Wat tickets are up 30% and it's just weeks until the three-day Water Festival in Phnom Penh — which Hun Manet says will be the biggest ever.
BAD GRADES: More global criticism over human rights, more government yawns. A U.N. report was dismissed as officials insisted Cambodia was free, fair and democratic. More than 100 dissidents have been arrested this year.
TOP DOLLAR: An ex-advisor to Hun Sen was caught embezzling millions in the process of selling government jobs — yet no serious outcry ensued. Experts said most Cambodians accept corruption as a way of life.
THE LEDE
Turning Point
A red-hot mess. That’s the only way to describe Hun Manet’s masterplan to reform the Kingdom’s shady reputation, woo foreign investors and jumpstart the economy.
The arrest of Mech Dara has focused the world’s attention on Cambodia’s role in a multi-billion-dollar black market of human trafficking, cyber scams, and what appears to be a leading hub for global money laundering.
The accusations of illicit finance come at a bad time. The Kingdom is currently under scrutiny by the FATF, the global money laundering and terrorism financing watchdog, which will release its findings this month.
A return to the so-called “Grey List” would wreck efforts to attract overseas investment and deal another blow to the economy.
Falling Stars
ASICS, the Japanese footwear giant, is claiming victory after a Phnom Penh supplier allowed the leader of its workers’ union back on the job — following six months in prison over questionable theft charges.
Labor activists are calling foul. The case, they say, highlights the pervasive abuses faced by workers at the hands of factory owners and the government — behavior global fashion brands have publicly vowed to stop.
The situation for organized labor remains dire, activists say, and the fact that a union leader spent six months in prison on charges that were eventually thrown out is hardly worth celebrating.
Drama Queens
The Miss Grand International beauty pageant was meant to highlight the Kingdom’s deep cultural heritage and help revive tourism. The three-week gala was scheduled to start in Phnom Penh and end in Bangkok, but the Thai parent company abruptly ended the engagement after only three days.
Things quickly turned to tears. A savage social media beef deteriorated into a cross-border catfight with organizers in Cambodia and Thailand hurling accusations of cultural insensitivity and unprofessionalism.
The split looks permanent. The Minister of Tourism blasted Thai media for false accusations, the Cambodian contestant withdrew from the contest, and local organizers vowed never to work with the Thai company again.
TALKING POINTS
Under Fire
The government clapped back at the U.N. Human Rights Council, calling a recent review from the body incomplete and unbalanced. Cambodia, a spokesperson said, remains committed to multi-party democracy and free and open political spaces. Rights groups pointed to the arrests of more than 100 dissidents since January and urged the Council to hold the government accountable.
Up Side
A sense of optimism is flowing through the tourism industry. The number of Chinese visitors to Angkor Wat is up nearly 40% this year, overall ticket sales are up nearly one-third, and riverside vendors in Phnom Penh are looking forward to an influx of visitors over the three-day Water Festival, which kicks off Nov. 14.
Fast Getaway
Dramatic video footage shows dozens of people fleeing the massive Jin Wan complex in Kandal province. The site, reportedly linked to Chinese investors and the Prince Group, is home to several scam sites, CyberScamMonitor says, and widespread construction at the compound suggests more to come.
For Sale
The Kingdom responded to a $10 million bribery scandal involving a former Hun Sen advisor with a collective shrug. Ly Sameth is accused of pocketing millions from the illegal yet pervasive practice of selling government jobs. Corruption, say transparency groups, is a way of life for most Cambodians, who view the occasional arrest as score settling or performative. The Ministry of Justice and the Anti-Corruption Unit are investigating.
Slow Growth
The World Bank is having second thoughts about Cambodia’s economic recovery. It revised 2024 growth down to 5.3%, from 5.8%, citing slow credit growth and prolonged weakness in the real estate sector. The IMF has expressed similar concerns. Even so, the country’s economy is still the envy of the region.
Buried Past
In a groundbreaking archaeological find, wood fossils estimated to be at least 250 million years old were discovered in the country’s far northwest. They are the oldest fossils ever found in the Kingdom, and researchers, who are excavating a dozen sites in the Kang Va Mountains in Banteay Meanchey province, are hopeful the area has more secrets to reveal.
Big Bird
Wildlife groups are celebrating a record discovery of White-shouldered ibises. The WWF, following a survey of the Sambo Wildlife Sanctuary, found more than 300 birds, nearly 25% more than its last count in 2021. Even more encouraging, the group uncovered nearly 50 nests, the most ever seen.
BACKPAGES: From The Cambodia Daily Vault
Robbery Suspects Lynched in Police Custody
October 11, 2004
A mob killed two suspected robbers in Takeo province’s Bati district on Saturday as police attempted to escort the suspects to a weapons cache, police said.
UN Food Program Aid Falls Amid Scandal
October 8, 2004
A suspension of some World Food Program projects in the wake of a corruption scandal have slowed the agency’s distribution of food to a fraction of the relief aid provided in recent years, WFP’s country director said Thursday.
Man Dressed as Monk Accused of Killing 2
October 8, 2004
A man was sent to Siem Reap provincial court Thursday to face charges in a killing and robbery spree that left two motorbike taxi drivers dead and a third seriously injured — all while the attacker dressed in the guise of a monk’s saffron robes, officials said.
WEEKEND READING
Dammed in the Mekong: Averting an Environmental Catastrophe
Hydropower, sand mining and other development projects are threatening the ecological balance in the Mekong basin and the livelihoods of its residents. Policymakers would better serve the public by anticipating the problems of over-exploiting the river than by reacting to the consequences.
Photos: Miss Grand Cambodia, Facebook. White-shouldered ibis, Wikimedia.
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