Sou Sdei and welcome to Campuccino, your fortnightly dispatch of key headlines in Cambodia with a dash of opinion.
A warm welcome to new subscribers, thank you for allowing me into your inbox. It’s nice to have you here.
This issue is out a bit earlier than usual because Thursday falls on Christmas Eve and I’m aware the last thing you want to do is getting yet another email.
Since this is going to be the last issue of 2020, I thought I would find something nice and wise to say, but honestly folks, I couldn't think of anything. This year has been a massive cluster fuck. There, I said it (so you don't have to). Totally unwise. However, Campuccino would not have been born if it wasn't for me being depressed, homesick, and unemployed. I guess that's the tiny silver lining to this hell of a year.
I would like to thank you for all your support so far, every subscriber, every email you sent me, every comment, like, retweet and shout out. I’m grateful and humbled to know that something I do for myself can be of use to others as well.
Wherever you are and whatever level of lockdown you are in, I wish you a Merry Christmas and a less shitty new year.
I'll be back in your inbox in 2021!
- Darathtey
In this issue: LICADHO’s report on attacks on human rights defenders, Covid-19, appointment of second female governor, Cambodian cuisine and more.
As usual, I will start with my favourite topic, rights and freedom (hmm…what’s that?). The situation is sad, heart-breaking and annoying but it’s not to be ignored even though all we want to do is eat that leg of honey-glazed ham or open another bottle of your alcoholic drink of choice.
LICADHO recently released its latest report on attacks on human rights defenders 2018-2020 which sees a sharp increase in arrests in the last six months. Gerald Flynn and Phoung Vantha did an excellent summary piece of the report which is essentially what Flynn calls “a catalogue of abuse in Cambodia”. In brief, LICHADO documented 17 incidents in 2018, 18 in 2019 and 26 in 2020. Incidents come in form of activists being threatened, harassed, intimidated or attacked, in some cases physically, in others, legally. If I can urge you to read one thing, this summary piece would be it. It is long (2,999 words to be exact) but it gives you a clear idea of how horrific things have become on the human rights front in Cambodia.
If you still wonder what kind of act can land you in trouble in Cambodia, a recent arrest made due to one man’s “chicken” commentary is a good example. VOD reports that a man in Phnom Penh has been placed in pre-trial detention for public insult and incitement for a social media post on preparing letters and documents to put his chicken coop in a state of emergency. The post was supposed to mimic the PM’s speeches on state of emergency law readied for a serious case of Covid-19 outbreak.
Remember last issue I said plastering images and photos of the Covid-19 patients got me worried? In this case, I hate to be right. A VOD’s report by Tran Techseng shows that some patients whose identities were publicised are facing discrimination. The patients and their families report that people are angry, and blame them for their sickness. On December 11, a group of UN experts issued a statement urging to stop the controversial practice. On December 15, the Prime Minister announced he would end the practice and that he accepted responsibility for harm done. I don’t think the harm done can be reversed but at least we all can hope that future patients will not suffer from the same practice.
On the topic of Covid-19, Matt Blomberg and Mech Dara did an interesting piece for Thomson Reuters Foundation looking at how Cambodia’s garment sector suffers under the pandemic and a possible rebound in the upcoming year.
On Covid-19 vaccines for Cambodia, there has been a discussion of which one will be chosen. While Nikkei Asia runs a headline saying “Cambodia shuns China’s Sinovac vaccine in favour of COVAX shots”, SCMP came back with “Coronavirus: Cambodia ‘not shunning’ China vaccines”. So, I guess we have to wait and see how the Prime Minister is attempting to keep his people healthy while making sure that the Cambodia-China relationship is in good condition.
Pailin province now has a female governor, reports Torn Chanritheara for Cambodianess. A royal decree dated December 18 appointed Ban Sreymon as governor of Pailin province. Sreymom is a CPP member (obviously) and wife of a Secretary of State at the Ministry of National Defence. Was the appointment transparent and fair? No. Is this move important? Yes. Why? Well, she is the second woman in Cambodia to become provincial governor after the first being Mithona Phouthorng, governor of Koh Kong. Coming from a country where the bar for gender equality and women's participation in politics is incredibly low, this is monumental. I’m aware that we are far from being equal, the journey to reach that is long and challenging. That’s why I applaud and cherish every small step we make - such doesn’t come by very often.
Arts & Culture
💻 Despite the decline in civic space, human rights and freedom, I’m inspired by the fact that many young Cambodians are navigating this tight space to advocate for social issues. One of the social content creators that I’m really impressed by is Dosslarb, a platform aiming to promote the well-being of young Cambodians through the discussion of sexual and reproductive health. They are not the first of their kind when it comes to sexual and reproductive health content but what makes Dosslarb unique is their approach to the topic and their creativity in making the topic less intimidating, easy to understand and relatable (Khmer language only).
🍳 I was drooling when I came across Grantourismo’s 48 Cambodian Recipes to Learn to Cook in Lockdown from Fragrant Salads to Fish Amok. I don’t need to be in lockdown to be salivating over those recipes, most of which I don’t see being covered often in the mainstream. If you’re curious about Cambodian cuisine, this article is a very good introduction. If I had to pick my top three Khmer dishes of all time, it would be Bai Sach Chrouk (pork and rice), Gnoam Trayong Chek (banana flower salad), and Beef Lok Lak.
And I’m off…
Campuccino is a fortnightly dispatch of key headlines in Cambodia, written by @DarathteyDin from Word & Visual.
I’d love to hear from you. If you have feedback or content ideas, please reach out via tey@wordandvisualmedia.com