Activists Under Fire, Covid Intensifies, Diplomats Disappoint
Good morning, Cambodia. It's Friday, June 25, and this is your Weekly Dispatch.
COVID COUNT: The Kingdom passed 45,000 cases this week, by some accounts, including nearly 500 deaths — all since March.
PRESS PLEA: A wave of threats and clampdowns prompted journalists to ask the government to please stop officials from persecuting reporters.
ROAD WRECKS: Of more than 16,000 road accidents, including 2,000 deaths, only 10% of victims reached a hospital in under 30 minutes.
BALLOT BOSS: A CPP loyalist and former governor was appointed head of the National Election Committee, squashing any notions of impartiality.
Mother Nature on the Run
The jailing of three young environmental activists Friday carried all the hallmarks of wily Cambodian political machinations of times past: official denials, shifting charges, dodgy evidence, and a public shocked by the sheer brazenness of it all.
On Saturday, the court charged three activists with the Mother Nature NGO — Sun Ratha, Yim Leangy and Ly Chandaravuth — with conspiracy to overthrow the government. The crime? Filming sewage pouring from a drainpipe into the Tonle Sap. The next day it charged Sun Ratha and Yim Leangy with lese majeste.
The so-called evidence? A video that surfaced on Facebook of a Zoom call between Mother Nature’s founder, Alejandro Gonzalez-Davidson, and the two activists. The recording purportedly showed the group discussing a childish cartoon of Prime Minister Hun Sen wearing a crown and lording over a compliant National Assembly.
The government insists Mother Nature’s environmental campaigning is part of a wicked scheme, in cahoots with Sam Rainsy and the opposition, intended to push the ruling party from power in a color revolution. Such fears seem fantastically unmoored from reality.
But CPP paranoia runs deep. The question now is, who’s next?
An Opportunity Lost
The U.K.’s chief diplomat met with top ministers Wednesday to address everything but the Kingdom’s failing human rights record.
Dominic Raab, the British foreign minister, arrived on a three-country tour that included Vietnam and Singapore. He met Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn and Minister of Environment Say Samal on Wednesday.
Embassy statements made no mention of press crackdowns, jailed activists or outlawed opposition parties. In his only interview with local media, Raab said he did raise some of those concerns.
A full-throated defense of political freedom would have been better. Even expected. To the disappointment of many, the U.K. had a risk-free chance to take a stand on human rights, and decided against it.
Mondulkiri Gold Rush
Cambodia’s first commercial gold mine poured its maiden Mondulkiri bars Thursday, reigniting environmental fears in an area where hundreds fell sick and 16 died of poisoning three years ago.
Environmental officials first linked the May 2018 deaths to high levels of cyanide in the Prek Te river, which flows through Mondulkiri and Kratie. Prime Minister Hun Sen dismissed the report and blamed methanol-laced rice wine. Results of a Ministry of Environment investigation were never made public. Cyanide is a staple of gold-mining.
The Mondulkiri mine is owned by Renaissance Minerals, a subsidiary of ASX-traded Emerald Resources. Mining operations are expected to contribute about $40 million per year to state coffers. Neither the company nor the government have said anything about environmental protection measures.
TALKING POINTS
New NEC Chairman
The National Assembly on Thursday appointed former provincial governor Prach Chan to lead the National Election Committee. The selection of Chan, a CPP stalwart known for feeble attempts to curb illegal logging, erases any pretense of the body’s independence.
Greta Speaks Out
Greta Thunberg, the 18-year-old Swedish environmentalist, added her voice to a growing chorus of condemnation over the jailing of three more Mother Nature activists. “All over the world, environmental defenders are being threatened, arrested and even killed,” she tweeted. “We who are privileged must raise our voices to speak up against these human rights violations. This is outrageous.”
Vietnam’s New Navy Base
The U.S. isn’t the only country concerned about a Chinese-built port and runway on the southern coast. Vietnam this month inaugurated a new naval squadron in Kien Giang, a response to China’s growing footprint next door.
Unhealthy Prisons
The families of jailed political activists are frustrated with a lack of transparency surrounding Covid-19 in the prison system. Several wives have watched the deteriorating health of their imprisoned husbands with a growing sense of helplessness.
Road Deaths
Drugs, alcohol and mobile phones are the leading causes of traffic accidents, according to a new road safety report. In 2019, Cambodia recorded more than 2,000 road fatalities and nearly 14,000 injuries. Only 10% of casualties reached a hospital in less than 30 minutes.
NagaWorld Impasse
NagaWorld and union representatives failed to produce an agreement on the casino’s plan for mass layoffs. NagaWorld said forced closures due to Covid-19 compelled the company to reduce costs. The union called the layoffs an attempt to crush the union.
Mighty Pen
Local journalism groups asked the government to better protect press freedoms after a string of threats and obstructions. The Cambodian Center for Independent Media and the Cambodian Journalists Alliance urged the government to “stop the activities of authorities that persecute reporters and, instead, ensure the safety and security of all reporters.”
Covid-19: Centenarian Vaccinated
Ho Kham, a 101-year-old grandmother, became Cambodia’s oldest person to receive a Covid-19 vaccination. The Kingdom on Thursday reported 655 new cases and 18 deaths, as the virus further reaches into the provinces. Total cases passed 45,000 this week.
BACKPAGES: From The Cambodia Daily Vaults
Rights Groups Criticize Judge in CFF Trial
June 21, 2001
The Municipal Court trial of 32 terrorism suspects accused of storming Phnom Penh Nov 24 in a failed attempt to topple the government drew criticism Wednesday from human rights monitors who called the proceedings unfair and a violation of Cambodian law.
Policemen Give Accounts Of CFF Attack
June 20, 2001
Sure that the men running from the train station early on Nov 24 were chasing a thief, a squad of traffic police on night patrol pulled up to the group to help, only to be met by AK-47 gunfire from close range as the men turned to fire on them.
Verdict: Five Get Life in Prison in CFF Trial
June 23, 2001
Five people accused of leading a US-based rebel group were sentenced to life in prison Friday by Judge Sok Setha Mony, the most severe punishments handed down against suspected members of the Cambodian Freedom Fighters for their failed November raid.
WEEKEND READING
Wanted Chinese Kingpin Owns Casino With Cambodian Senator’s Son-In-Law
Political connections in Cambodia have allowed a major Chinese fugitive to elude jail while building a business empire.
Cambodia embraces dirty energy fearing drought-driven shortages
Successive droughts in recent years have caused a power crisis in Cambodia, prompting the government to rapidly invest in and build coal and oil plants.
Phnom Penh casino accused of union busting with mass layoffs
Cambodian trade union leaders are fighting back after more than 1,300 casino workers were laid off this year.
The ancient Cambodian silk that was almost lost
Golden silk has run through Cambodia's history for centuries, and Sophea Pheach is helping to ensure that it is also woven into the country's future.