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.
I had a different introduction written for this issue but then Afghanistan happened. I then wrote another long one reflecting how I feel about what’s going on in Kabul but by the time this hits your inbox, I’ll have you know that I ditched that as well. The point is I feel like I have to say something but at the same time, I also feel that it is not my place to say it. To keep it short, it bothers me and I feel helpless watching it all unfold without being able to do anything to help those in need.
I discussed my intention of donating to some organizations with my partner this morning but we both weren’t sure if what we would like to donate actually reaches the right people. I don’t think that we’ll ever know for certain but we hope that the donation will help in some ways. For those of you who feel the same way, you’re not alone. My approach is to try to find those NGOs that are actually in touch with people on the ground. That’s the best I can hope for.
- Darathtey
In this issue: Influx of migrants returning home, the usual unreasonable sentence of a Union leader, a bunch of environmental issues and more...
I am aware that I don’t normally talk about environmental issues because I feel a little helpless and it frustrates me. Sometimes, I feel like no matter how many plastic straws, bags and other plastic stuff I banned myself from using, it is not going to make a difference if people in power keep making decisions that hugely offset my actions.
Exhibit A: the government of Mondulkiri province is waiting to get a go-ahead for installing a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in Phnom Nam Lear Wildlife Sanctuary, an area full of evergreen forest. What could possibly go wrong? I mean the sanctuary already lost more than 8,580 hectares of its 50K hectare of forest cover between 2001 and 2020, according to Global Forest Watch. So, why not cut some more, right? Meanwhile, here I am trying to grow indoor plants hoping to have some greenery in my life. In case you’re not quite sure about the impact of SEZs, this study with interactive maps titled Zoned Out by C4ADS will walk you through various aspects of those impacts in countries across the Mekong region. Fun fact: I am one of the contributing researchers.
Exhibit B: the act of sand mining in the name of economic development. I mentioned this before but the economic downturn caused by the pandemic doesn’t seem to slow down the sand dredging business. This article by The Third Pole is looking at how Cambodia’s high demand for sand can adversely impact communities and the Mekong.
Oh, in case you’re wondering what happened to journalists who tried to cover cases such as homes being cleared around some lakes that are to be filled with sand, they got harassed just for doing their jobs. Earlier this week, two reporters were ordered to hand in their phones and delete their photos while trying to capture a dispute between authorities and Beoung Tompun residents.
Let’s move on to the human rights news. I haven’t touched this topic in a while because nothing has changed 😅. On August 17, Rong Chhun, a union leader was convicted and sentenced to two years in prison on incitement charges. The charge came after he made comments about the Vietnam border issue. Alongside him, two more activists, Sar Kanika and Ton Nimol, were also charged with incitement to cause social disorder after they openly called for the Rong’s release. They were sentenced to 20 months in prison. Read this story for more details…
Quickly on Covid-19: Cambodia has started its booster vaccination campaign last week, aka the famous 3rd dose, offering AstraZeneca as a third shot option to those who were jabbed with Sinopharm and Sinovac. This effort is driven by the rising cases of the Delta variant.
The border to Thailand was reopened on Friday last week which led to an influx of hundreds of migrant workers returning home. It is worth noting that Poipet international border crossing, the biggest checkpoint, remains closed.
As of 17 August, Cambodia has a total of 87,190 Covid-19 cases consisting of 593 new cases on the reporting day, 82,666 recovered, 1,730 deaths, and 13,474 imported cases, according to the Ministry of Health.
Visually Pleasing
Arts & Culture
🎵 A student at the Royal University of Fine Arts created a 21st century version of Chapei! I mean how cool is that? It is called Chapei Vivath (Vivath means to evolve). I think I’m getting closer to my dream of going to a psychedelic Kse Diew concert in the next 20 years if more inventions such as this keep popping up. While I am celebrating this, it is worth noting that Sam Vathanak, the said student, is the only student choosing to obtain a bachelor’s degree in Chapei Dang Veng (Cambodia’s two-string longneck guitar) since the program was established in 2017. I do hope that Vathanak gets all the support that he needs to keep progressing his work.
📷 Cambodianess had this really interesting conversation with a Cambodian photojournalist, Hean Socheata. Socheata shared her experience embarking in this field, why she chose it, and barriers she has faced due to her gender and career choice. It is an interesting read because photojournalism is not something that is being talked about or discussed a lot in Cambodia, especially among younger generations while deciding on their career path.
📰 Worthy Read
Vaccination Nation: Unmasking Cambodia's Vaccination Success by Mekong Strategic Partners is a short report comparing how Cambodia is doing on the vaccination front compared to its regional neighbours and some developed nations in the world. I like that it is a short report with many interesting visualised data sets. It also very well encapsulates Cambodia’s remarkable vaccination effort to date. Definitely worth a flip through.
As Cambodia Sheds Factory Jobs, Family Farms Lose a Lifeline by New Naratif is a long-form news report dissecting how Cambodia’s farming dynamic has shifted to heavily relying on the garment industry. It was a duo that I don’t normally put together but this article walks me through nicely by pointing out all the links from the pandemic, to lack of government support for the farmers, to the danger of rural microfinancing.
Overheard on Twitter
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