World Leaders Descend on Phnom Penh, Protesters Vow to Continue, Hun Sen Hands Out Watches
Good morning, Cambodia. It's Friday, November 11, and this is your Weekly Dispatch.
BIG STORY: The capital looks nice. The global big shots are here. Officials even stamped out rumors that U.S. security teams might shoot onlookers. Even so, protesters of all stripes threatened to take to the streets.
KARMA TIME: NagaWorld is expected to default on its $542 million bond payments due next year, according to Moody’s. The gambling monopoly was clobbered by the pandemic and hammered by a worker revolt.
FATHER TIME: The Strongman is giving tourbillion wristwatches to world leaders at the ASEAN Summit. What better way to mark perhaps his final turn on the global stage? Recipients likely already know what time it is.
THE LEDE
ASEAN Pride
Phnom Penh is putting on the ritz for a heavy-hitting parade of global dignitaries attending the 2022 ASEAN Summit, which opened today.
President Joe Biden, Premier Li Keqiang, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore joined delegations from more than 20 countries in town for the 3-day, whirlwind conference.
The capital is glammed up and security is tight. Notoriously chaotic traffic has disappeared, along with roadside vendors, potholes, school children, nightclubs, ambulance sirens and most businesses and customers — all in a bid to shield visitors from the capital’s characteristic chaos.
Protests Continue
Social activists promised to defy the government’s ban on protests during the ASEAN Summit and take their complaints to President Joe Biden and other world leaders.
Six youth campaigners joined a weeklong hunger strike led by Theary Seng, the imprisoned Cambodian-American dissident. The group is working to bring attention to what they say is the government’s unjust jailing of critics.
NagaWorld union members promised to protest outside the Phnom Penh casino through Sunday, and residents of Boeng Tamok Lake gathered for a “cursing” ceremony, burning incense and praying for the deaths of developers and government officials involved in their evictions.
Chinese Class
Cambodia will require secondary school students to study Mandarin, the dominant language in mainland China. The deal was one of more than a dozen signed by Hun Sen and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, who is in town for the ASEAN Summit.
Critics called the move a throwback to the Kingdom’s communist era, when students were forced to study Russian and Vietnamese. The deal also ramped up fears that China was nibbling away at Khmer identity.
The launch of a Vietnamese Studies Program in August sparked similar nationalistic pushback, with detractors petitioning the university against the influence of foreign cultures.
TALKING POINTS
Fake News
Don’t worry, a Ministry of Interior spokesperson said, the elite U.S. security teams in town will not — repeat “not” — shoot onlookers who take photos of President Joe Biden or the American entourage. The statement came after Facebook rumors ran amuck, claiming the U.S. had asked for “permission” to use deadly force against anyone following, approaching or taking photos of President Joe.
Premier Swag
Hun Sen will give Cambodian-made tourbillion watches to the two dozen world leaders in attendance at the ASEAN Summit. Tourbillions are a mainstay of the luxury watch market, with Swiss models fetching high six figures. The Strongman’s special edition was made locally by Prince Horology.
Dirty Water
Sewage and wastewater have contaminated the flood-prone Prek Tnaot River in Phnom Penh and officials are warning residents against drinking, bathing or washing clothes. Authorities expect the situation to last for months.
Cash Crunch
NagaWorld’s $120-million bond-buyback plan is unlikely to shield the casino from defaulting next year, said Moody’s. The Phnom Penh gambling monopoly is suffering through a poor pandemic recovery, not to mention labor issues, and it will struggle to make the $542 million bond payments due in July.
Sick Mystery
Plantation workers suspect pesticides are killing their colleagues, and they’re quitting their jobs in droves. Local authorities blamed bad rice wine for three recent deaths and dozens of hospitalizations. Women and children were among the afflicted.
Toothy Catch
Temple workers discovered a fearsome-looking 70kg dragonfish, which is native to the Amazon, in Angkor Wat’s north moat, baffling experts and onlookers. Officials believe the fish may have been released. A 30kg dragonfish was found in the same spot two years ago.
BACKPAGES: From The Cambodia Daily Vault
Court Completes Its Investigation of Sam Bith
November 8, 2002
The official court investigation into former Khmer Rouge commander Sam Bith has concluded, and prosecution for his alleged role in the 1994 slaying of three Western backpackers could begin as early as next month, lawyers and court officials said Thursday.
Summits Showcase Evolution of Hun Sen
November 7, 2002
In 1981, when journalist Denis Gray first met then-foreign minister Hun Sen, he thought the former jungle soldier had a “poor” understanding of world diplomacy.
Phnom Penh Residents Mixed on Summits
November 4, 2002
As a stream of motorcades left the Hotel Inter-Continental Sunday morning, ice cream salesman Keo Vanra was directing another stream of people into a small door in his shuttered storefront on nearby Monireath Boulevard.
WEEKEND READING
Easy Highway, Troubled City: How China Wins and Loses Cambodians’ Hearts
Two China-driven projects show striking contrasts. The newly opened Phnom Penh-Sihanoukville Expressway has been well-received by Cambodians. But grand plans for Sihanoukville to be an investment hub and “multi-purpose” city have instead seen Chinese businesses crowding out locals, a boom-bust cycle in construction and illicit trades.
How Cambodia’s scam mills reel in new “cyber slave” workers
Casual trafficking, calls to parents, misleading ads: even with global pressure, recruitment is rife.
Chinese cyber-scam cartels cause ‘enormous reputational damage’ to Cambodia
ASEAN experts offer mixed views on whether human trafficking syndicates should be prioritised during regional discussions
Photos: Royal Palace, courtesy Royal Palace, Phnom Penh. Watch, Hun Sen’s Facebook page.
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