Sou Sdei and welcome to Campuccino, your fortnightly dispatch of key headlines in Cambodia with a dash of opinion.
To new subscribers, welcome!
The plus of running a free newsletter is that I don’t feel guilty when I need to delay an issue to take a break. I find myself wanting to switch off a lot recently. By switching off, I mean going offline, far away from the computer screen and social media. I find that Twitter has become too much, the world has become too much at times. I guess I just have to be okay with that. On another note, I was given an opportunity to chat to my friends at SpliceMedia a few weeks ago about Campuccino. If you’re curious about how it all started, have a listen.
- Darathtey
In this issue: Pandemic as usual, Cambodia at COP26, some economic stuff I rarely talk about, my favorite plant shop in Phnom Penh, and more...
It feels like Cambodia is back to almost normal. Weddings are finally allowed to happen again with a 200 guests allowance. The downside is that people are required to wear masks and observe social distancing. My thoughts go out to all the ladies who normally spent hours at salons to put too much makeup on for a wedding of someone they used to know. Meanwhile, entertainment venues such as karaoke venues and clubs foresee their reopening by the end of the month. School reopening is also allowed to progress to the next stage.
Now, in the spirit of #COP26, let’s briefly look at what this auspicious event means for Cambodia. Spoiler alert: we still cut down trees, fill in lakes, use plastic like crazy, and arrest environmental activists like there’s no tomorrow. But hey, we are always up for producing more carbon emission flying to Glasgow in order to potentially commit to net carbon neutrality. I mean that’s the best ROI right there for the planet. What about a promise to at least protect the forest, you may ask? Yeah, nah...as the Kiwis usually say, Cambodia didn’t sign the pledge to preserve any forested ecosystem either. To read what Cambodia signed or didn’t sign at COP26, read this article by Danielle Keeton-Olsen for VOD right here.
In my best attempt to be fair, Cambodia isn’t the only country in the Southeast Asia region that refused to sign a global pact to end and reverse forest loss by 2030. Joining Cambodia are Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar and Thailand, who also refused to sign the pact claiming it is unfair for developing economies. They have a point. But that point largely becomes moot when the planet is on fire.
I am aware that I don’t cover news on economics a lot because I’m just not very good with numbers. Guilty! Anyway, I can only tiptoe around it for so long. Also, there has been some really interesting news in the economics department these past few weeks. Here goes:
This article about e-commerce gives you a fascinating insight into how the deed is done in Cambodia where postal service is not really functioning, addresses are confusing, and road quality is questionable. Don’t even get me started on the traffic. Essentially, the author points out that e-commerce here operates based on creativity and clever adaptability to bypass what is not there when it comes to infrastructure.
Speaking of infrastructure, the Telecommunication Regulator of Cambodia (TRC) requested, a few weeks ago, the prosecutor to take legal action against Thomas Hundt, the CEO of Smart, for "illegal laying of fiber-optic cable". It also just happened that Hundt had been appointed to a new position effective immediately and had to relocate to Malaysia. Apparently, this investigation is part of a wider crackdown by the telecom ministry as part of the enforcement of regulatory violations which has begun since April 2020. Some experts warn that this unclear regulatory environment could potentially undermine the industry.
On another note, Cambodia hasn’t really fully opened for tourism yet, but there has already been some expertsy prediction that Cambodia’s economy will heavily rely on the industry in 2022. Call me dumb, but how? Maybe the opening of the country will get some tourists, yes but I just can’t see how that number will return to what it used to be so soon. I just don’t think it is a safe bet, but we’ll just have to wait and see.
Last item on my economic roundup is the soaring price of petrol which has risen by 34% just for the period in between July 2020 to July 2021. This has caused serious weariness among the public especially those who work hand-to-mouth. The pandemic already jeopardised many people’s livelihoods, and the last thing people need is this. However, guess what was the advice from our Ministry of Commerce? 1. “Use less” and 2. “Avoid congestion”. Oh yes, Cambodian people really love riding their motorcycle to sit in congestion for fun, like it’s the best pastime activity! Also, the tuk tuk and food delivery Bongs love spending all their hard earned money on gasoline because it’s not like they need petrol to work and that they have debts to pay off or anything.
Visually Pleasing
Arts & Culture
📰 A former editor of Campuccino and a dear friend of mine Maryam Jillani wrote this great article on how Cambodian Americans choose to connect to their roots through food and share the cuisine with the world. Being a Cambodian, I do feel under-represented and overlooked when it comes to Cambodian cuisine. This article shows why the Cambodian American community took their time in exploring and representing the cuisine to their audiences.
🎤 I’m sure the name Sa Sa Art Projects rings a bell to many of you because I mentioned their events and exhibitions on multiple occasions, but I rarely talked about Sa Sa itself. Sa Sa Art Projects describes themselves as “Phnom Penh's only not-for-profit artist-run space dedicated for experimental art practices”. I recently came across a podcast episode in which two of the founders of Sa Sa, Lim Sokchanlina and Vuth Lyno, talk about the beginnings of Sa Sa Art Projects at the now-demolished White Building, their attempt to fill the gap of art education that formal institutions have failed to offer, and the importance of artist-led arts education and what it means to teach contemporary art. I must say I love Lina’s description of what arts mean to him at the end!
Overheard on Twitter
📑 Worthy Read
I know I am super late in talking about the 30th celebration of the Paris Peace Agreement which happened on October 23, but this long-form below is worth your while to read because it shines a light on a different angle of this peace agreement that most people don’t usually pay attention to or talk about.
Her Name Is Untac: UN Peacekeepers’ Forgotten Children in Cambodia by New Narratif is an amazing long-form report looking at how misconduct of peacekeepers can have many lasting adverse effects on people’s lives. This shows that despite the glorious achievement of the agreement, there was this ugly underbelly of issues that got swept under the rug.
Things I love
A totally #notsponsored section of things I love around Phnom Penh:
Planto - one of my go-to plant shops. Oh, when I said go to, I meant texting the owner on Instagram and getting my plants delivered straight to my door. One of the owners is a young Cambodian who is very passionate about plants and succulents and who is very good at selling you anything. They mix their own potting soil (which is a good sign for any plant shop) and stock anything plant-related from pots, to perlite, to sphagnum moss, to grow lights, and so on.
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