Washington Worries, Oil Riches Evaporate, Political Prisoners Seethe
Good morning, Cambodia. It's Friday, June 11, and this is your Weekly Dispatch.
Rough waters: Chinese construction on the coast means trouble for hawks on Capitol Hill
Going bust: Cambodia’s dreams of petro prosperity appear to have finally run dry
Justice deferred: Political prisoners like Rong Chhun wait, wonder and hope
THE LEDE
Koh Kong, Ream and the Chinese Military
Cambodia will allow the United States to inspect Ream Naval Base, Defense Minister Tea Banh told local media, although when and how the contentious facility will be examined was not disclosed.
The U.S. has long been suspicious of China’s presence on the coast, which includes a mega-development in Koh Kong with a long runway and deep-water port that could serve military needs. Chinese-funded construction at Ream Naval Base, in Sihanoukville province, has only deepened concerns.
China operates only one military outpost, in Djibouti, where development followed a pattern similar to what’s unfolding in Ream: massive infrastructure projects – roads, ports, air strips – were built under the guise of development aid, then the Chinese military moved in.
The U.S. worries the same thing is happening in Cambodia.
The Big Oil Bust
Has the petro-dollar dream run dry? The company leading Cambodia’s offshore oil exploration, KrisEnergy, filed for bankruptcy last week in perhaps the clearest signal yet that the Kingdom’s oil riches were a nautical non-starter.
The Singapore-listed conglomerate has had trouble for years. The Singapore Exchange suspended trading of its shares in August 2019, and by September 2020, the company’s main shareholder, Kepinvest Singapore, had loaned the company more than $150 million just to keep the driller afloat.
KrisEnergy pumped its first barrel of Cambodian oil in December, a year behind schedule, but promised a “peak flow” of 7,500 barrels per day. Nearly six months later, the five operational wells produced less than half that, leaving the company broke.
Hun Sen once called KrisEnergy’s belated oil production a “blessing.” But all the public has ever seen is the “trophy drop'' – the symbolic first drop of oil that sits encased in glass atop a golden trophy – on display at the prime minister’s Win-Win Monument.
Rong Chhun: Prisoner of Conscience
The Phnom Penh Municipal Court on Tuesday denied bail to Rong Chhun, the union leader and long-time government gadfly, who has been held in pretrial detention since August 2020.
Authorities arrested Rong Chhun for suggesting Cambodia had secretly ceded land to Vietnam, an ultra-sensitive topic for the government. He is among dozens of imprisoned activists who human rights groups have labelled prisoners of conscience.
Rong Chhun’s supporters had reason for hope after the visiting U.S. Deputy Secretary of State called on the government to dismiss politically motivated cases. And recent calls for judicial reform by the Minister of Justice added to the optimism.
It hardly looks likely. If Rong Chhun being denied bail is the beginning of judicial reform, things are off to a poor start.
TALKING POINTS
Casino Union Hits Back at Layoffs
NagaWorld union leaders and civil society groups filed a complaint Tuesday with the Ministry of Labor after the casino began laying off hundreds of employees, including top union leaders. The layoffs represent a clear attempt to bust the union, labor leaders said.
Hero Rat Retires
Magawa, the award-winning, bomb-detecting African giant pouch rat, is retiring after years working in Cambodia's mine-fields. Local de-miners credit the Tanzanian-born rodent with discovering more than 100 explosives during his five-year career.
Rice Wine Kills in Pursat
Eleven people died and more than 100 were hospitalized in Pursat after drinking toxic rice wine, the third such incident in recent weeks. Across Pursat, Kampot and Kandal provinces, homemade rice wine has killed at least 35 and hospitalized more than 150 over the last month.
#JusticeForYubi
The court dropped all charges against Mean Pich Rita, the model and television news starlet known as Yubi, who was charged with aggravated theft after a highly publicized altercation with Oknha Heng Sear. The court offered no details on what, if any, charges Heng Sear may face. Mean Pich Rita has accused him of aggravated sexual assault.
Delta Variant Discovered
Health authorities detected the Covid-19 Delta variant in three migrant workers returning from Thailand, raising fears the highly contagious variant, also known as B.1.617.2, could blunt recent success in fighting the virus.
Covid-19 Numbers
The Ministry of Health on Thursday reported 426 new infections and 11 deaths, just one below the daily record of 12, set Tuesday. The latest numbers pushed total cases to 36,666, total deaths to 300, and total recoveries to 29,807. There were 6,859 active cases by Friday.
BACKPAGES: From The Cambodia Daily Vaults
Oil Agreement Opens Talks
June 5, 2001
Thailand and Cambodia signed a memorandum of understanding Monday on disputed areas in the Gulf of Siam, agreeing that neither country will explore for oil or gas until the dispute is resolved.
CFF President Says Trial is a Political Game
June 5, 2001
The trial of 28 suspected members of the Cambodian Freedom Fighters is going to be used as a ploy to deflect attention from the stalled law to try former Khmer Rouge leaders, according to CFF president Chhun Yasith.
Donor Meeting Raises Debate Over Reform
June 7, 2001
If Lao Mong Hay had a say in the matter, the international donors’ meeting in Tokyo would begin with donors asking Cambodia’s leaders three questions: “What kind of Cambodia do they want to have? A baby is born; in 16 years, what kind of person will he be? What kind of citizen will he be?” asked Lao Mong Hay, executive director of the Khmer Institute for Democracy.
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