Sou Sdei and welcome to Campuccino, your fortnightly dispatch of key headlines in Cambodia with a dash of opinion.
To new subscribers, welcome!
We’re approaching that time in Cambodia when it feels like you’re living in an oven. I find myself daydreaming about chilling in a pool with a passionfruit soda multiple times a day. I also must confess that I've been sleep-deprived for the past week because of a howling baby husky that my neighbour bought just to leave him sleeping and being bored to death in his cage for the majority of the time. If I were in one of those countries where animal cruelty is being taken seriousy, you bet I would have called the animal hotline long time ago, but this is Cambodia where sadly this poor pup is treated as private property and nobody can do anything about it. What is left for me to do is thoughts and prayer, I guess.
- Darathtey
In this issue: dodgy businesses in Sihanoukville, Omicron on the rise, NIG got delayed, black magic and more.
A few weeks ago on a taxi ride back from Siem Reap, a random conversation with my driver led him to tell me about how bad Sihanoukville had become. He told me of regular Chinese people being scared to go there in fear of getting kidnapped and sold. I was shocked, of course, but I didn’t think much of it because I assumed it was one of those rumours. Sure, the town is in a dire state but it couldn’t be that bad, I thought. Then, a few days ago, this excellent report by Mech Dara, Cindy Liu and Danielle Keeton-Olsen came out investigating alleged scams, torture and detention in a town I personally call shitty-ville. The news report followed many cases of illicit activities and connected many dots that link those cases to many influential individuals and businesses in Cambodia. This is a must-read.
If this story doesn’t leave your jaw dropped, try reading this one too. It is about a Chinese man who got trafficked to Cambodia and ended up having most of his blood drawn out of him by the traffickers. I mean this is next level mafia shit that leaves me speechless.
You can also read another news report on this blood harvest case by Vice.
Last time, I prepared you (and myself) for the elusive National Internet Gateway that was supposed to come into effect on Wednesday this week. It has now been delayed due to the pandemic and the lack of supporting structure, according to Liv Sophanarith, the under-secretary of state for the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications. Yay, I guess all of us in Cambodia get to be digitally free for a wee bit longer!
Omicron is finally catching up with Cambodia. Don’t get me wrong, the strain was here for a while but like I mentioned a few issues ago but people seemed to mostly resume their normal lives. However, in the last two weeks, Cambodia has seen a big spike in covid cases. On February 20 alone, 736 new Omicron cases were reported. It is important to note that the official numbers only count using the positive covid cases verified by the PCR test. Hence, it is very likely that the actual number of positive cases is much higher. The spike in community transmission of Covid-19 also sees 25 percent of children under five being infected with Omicron. This has prompted the government to allow children aged 3-5 to get the Covid-19 vaccine.
Visually Pleasing
Arts & Culture
📽️ Rithy Panh’s “Everything Will Be Okay” won the Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution at Berlinale. 👏 The film tells a twenty-first century dystopian story in which humans are enslaved by animals who took over the world. I can’t wait to see this film. I also find the synopsis ironic for me after observing a puppy being neglected by its owner for days and thinking humans are cruel and what if animals took over and did this to us. I guess I’m not the only one after all.
📚 There is no secret that I love writing and reading. I used to fancy writing and publishing Khmer fiction when I was in high school. Khmer Literature was my jam and I never got bored doing my Khmer essay homework. However, it is common knowledge in Cambodia that you cannot make a living off writing here. Hence, I admire those, especially, the younger generation for their perseverance in pursuing their passion in the literary scene. The community is growing although not fast enough.
📷 I stumbled upon this time capsule of Phnom Penh captured by photographer John Vink on Twitter. In this collection, you will be transported back to the streets of central Phnom Penh in 2002. It feels like it was a different city altogether, but it also brings up some nostalgic memories, especially the 500 riel-per-minute phone booth privately operated by vendors all over town.
Overheard on Twitter
📑 Worthy Read
Malady and Magic: The Murders of Cambodia’s ‘Black Magic’ Practitioners is a long-form report by Andrew Haffner and Mech Dara. The article looks at Cambodia’s rural superstition in witchcraft and black magic and how people use popular justice to decide whether those practicing blackmagic should be sacrificed for the village’s peace. Quality reporting on topics not often explored or discussed!
Campuccino is a fortnightly dispatch of key headlines in Cambodia, written by @DarathteyDin from Word & Visual.
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