#30 – Territorial Pissings
Disappearing landscape of memories
Sou Sdei and welcome to Campuccino, your fortnightly dispatch of key headlines in Cambodia with a dash of opinion.
To new subscribers, welcome!
First off, how are you all doing? I’ve noticed that the state of my feelings fluctuates according to how much time I spend on Twitter. I would stay away from it for a few days, and I am fine. Then, I got back to it, and just like that all the anxiety comes rushing. Earlier this week, I was shocked by a video in which a beautiful Kep beachfront at the Sailing Club was filled in with trucks of sand. It triggered all of my fears about losing the Cambodia I remember through my childhood. How do you cope seeing the place you grew up in changing before your very eyes? How do you reconcile witnessing the loss of landscapes where some of your best childhood memories were made? Beaches my family took me to as a child, rivers my parents told me about, forests I felt, are slowly disappearing. My good old days may just exist in the form of some digital footprints in which the landscapes no longer exist.
- Darathtey
In this issue: prime ministerial succession, an arms embargo, Cham cuisine exhibition, my rant on a music video, and more...
Here’s one of the biggest news stories this week, it also happens to be news that most of us sort of knew all along. The Prime Minister announced that his son, Hun Manet, will be his successor citing the former Japanese Prime Minister whose father, Shintaro Abe, was a foreign minister and his grandfather, Nobusuke Kishi, was a prime minister. He also mentioned that Minister of Economy and Finance Aun Pornmoniroth is another prime ministerial candidate in the ruling party. The PM also added that Interior Minister Sar Kheng, National Defense Minister Tea Banh, and Chairman of the Council for Agriculture and Rural Development, Yim Chhay Ly, were too old and that he might as well just stay on.
The announcement attracted many congratulatory messages from officials and institutions except one individual who was the last one to issue a statement responding to the PM’s announcement. That individual is Interior Minister Sar Kheng. When Sar Kheng finally issued a response to the announcement, it was on a CPP letterhead saying that he would follow the party’s decision on choosing a prime ministerial candidate in the future. Hun Manet’s name was not mentioned in the letter.
Another major news in Cambodian politics this week is the passing of Prince Norodom Ranariddh. He passed away in France on November 29 at the age of 77. He was an important player in Cambodian politics in the 1990s in which he won the 1993 election and had to share his Prime Ministership with PM Hun Sen. The prince was ousted in a coup in 1997 (the first and the last time I saw a tank on the street in real life). Prince Ranariddh’s popularity has decreased over the past decades but his presence clearly marked a significant era in Cambodia’s contemporary politics. At one point in my life, I thought having two Prime Ministers was normal...
To refresh your memory, please be reminded that hundreds of members of the dissolved CNRP are still tried for incitement and conspiracy at mass trials. On Tuesday morning of Dec 7, I woke up to tweets of Seng Chantheary, who symbolically shaved her head and dressed in an Apsara costume to appear at her trial. The trial was suspended earlier this year and just resumed. Theary was one of more than 40 defendants who were on trial that day. I said it before and I’ll say it again, the whole thing is a mess and a joke (I refer to the whole mass trials situation). So, I refuse to give any opinion, and let you make up your own mind. You can read more about the day in this VOD article or this CamboJANews article.
Now, let’s look at some regional politics news.
Earlier this week, the US government announced that they have imposed an arms embargo on Cambodia, citing concerns about human rights and corruption and increasing Chinese influence. Classic 😂 This embargo will "restrict" access to "less-sensitive military items" and "defence articles and defence services" by Cambodia's military and intelligence agencies. The military intelligence unit is run by the PM’s son Hun Manith.
In response to this action, the Prime Minister ordered the military to take stock of all American-made weapons to either store or destroy them. Classic 😂😂
It is worth noting that the PM announced last week at one of his speeches that he was done talking about Ream naval base matters and would not allow any more visits.
Visually Pleasing
Arts & Culture
📺 Tep Boprek’s newly released song “Top of the Lady” (a strange English translation of វីរៈនារី in Khmer) got people talking for its lavish and allegedly expensive music video. I wanted to like it because I’m a fan of modernising Cambodian culture. However, I see the MV as cultural heritage porn (please don’t google that). Let me explain. In a 4ish-minute MV, they managed to cram at least 5 to 6 Cambodian art forms in there.Total overload. It feels like a competition of who could feature the most traditional art forms. There was not much coherence or relevance, they were just there. Then comes the song itself. It was mediocre at best. It’s obvious that it was inspired by the style of K-Pop which I have no problem with, but it just wasn’t good enough. I might be labelled a nation hater after this but hey, I’m entitled to my opinion. See for yourself and I’m curious to know what you all think.
🥄 I grew up in Takhmao town in which my house is a stone’s throw away from a sizable Cham community. Despite living side by side, I shamefully admit that I don’t know much about Cham people. I honestly don’t know why. I think it might be partly because I was raised to think of them as the other group. Therefore, I find it refreshing that the community finally speaks up and are allowed to showcase their culture. Almost three decades of living in this country, this is the first time I heard about an exhibition of Cham cuisine. The two-and-a-half-hour exhibition showcased three types of dishes including num paak, tabai chyal, and num ler tram. It was a bummer that I only found out about this after it happened as I would definitely have attended. However, I think it is a good start to what I hope to see more of. I see this as a signal from Cham people saying “We are here, too”.
Overheard on Twitter
Things I love
A totally #notsponsored section of things I love around Phnom Penh:
Fairweave is my go-to place to get a comfy handwoven throw. I know, some of you may ask why one needs a throw blanket in hot Cambodia. Well, we do have half of November and a whole of December when things get a bit chilly, by Cambodian standards. This time makes it all worth it. I noticed that their products extend beyond blankets. Last time I checked, they also make scarves, pillow cases, rugs and bath mats.
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
Dear Darathtey, reading your notes with much interest and intrique. Thank you. On a lighter note, how do I order from AirWeav (ship to USA)--would like to support--will make great presents too. Best wishes, Ted, https://www.tedchu.com