#43 - The Devil is Human
Clear the forest to replant baby trees at the wrong time of the year. This is Cambodia.
Sou Sdei and welcome to Campuccino, your fortnightly dispatch of key headlines in Cambodia with a dash of opinion.
To new subscribers, welcome!
Some of you may have noticed that I skipped an issue. I had Covid. Yes, after dodging the bastard for over two years, I finally had it. It wasn’t a walk in the park for me. I had many of the textbook symptoms minus the breathing issue which saved me from hospitalisation. I also had THE worst headache in my life. Anyway, I’m fully recovered now and hoping for zero long-Covid effects.
- Darathtey
In this issue: Phnom Tamao forest clearing and replanting, constitutional amendments, indigenous land rights issues, and more.
While I was consumed by fever and evil headache, the Phnom Tamao forest clearing and reforestation unfolded. The forest surrounding the wildlife sanctuary was privatised and given to a developer a few weeks ago. The announcement caused some public reaction but it was not enough to prevent the razing of a huge chunk of forest area surrounding Phnom Tamao Wildlife Sanctuary two weeks ago. This caused a big public uproar which prompted the PM to put a stop to the raze. Days after the destruction, a bunch of people with too much money started a replanting initiative…LOL What can I say? This is sadly ironic. This is Cambodia. While there are many local reporting on this kerfuffle, this reporting from Anton L. Delgado for Southeast Asia Globe does an amazing job for taking you on this strange journey.
On August 6, the King signed the Constitutional amendments which clarify the appointment of a new prime minister, the council of ministers and the government. The amendment also covers appointment of an interim prime minister, transfer of power to a new council of ministers and other parliamentary procedures.
Looks like the tourism sector has not picked up as fast as expected as we sees the government putting extra effort into boosting the sector. First, the Ministry of Tourism announced earlier this month that expats residing in Cambodia for two years and over will finally receive free access to Angkor. No details have been revealed yet when this will come into effect, however. Second, the ministry also waived fines for tour guides whose licenses are expired until the end of this year.
In case you’re wondering, the NagaWorld worker strike is still going on. Because my office is nearby the area, barricades and a bunch of police force hanging around the area ready to block a certain section of surrounding roads are a common sight. While admiring the strikers’ courage to continue the strike, I’m wondering how long this will drag on when there seems to be lack of compromise and unclear roles of state authorities intervening in the issue. On August 11, the strikers and authorities violently clashed again leaving three women seriously injured and several others with light injuries. While the use of violence and barricade shouldn’t be there from the first place, now the city hall is suing the strikers for property damage, aka the barricades. 🤦🏽♀️ Maybe the strikers should counter-sue the authority for their smashed nose? Oh wait, the role of our judicial system in finding real justice is questionable?
Visually Pleasing
Arts & Culture
📖 Kroojchmar is a newly launched children magazine in Cambodia. The dual-language magazine (Khmer and English) hopes to introduce children to the world of creation. I find this exciting because such magazine is sorely needed in this country. I’m also curious to see if their affordable subscription model gains any traction. Read more about their journey here.
📽️ To be honest, I’d never put Cambodia and sci-fi film together. I don’t know why but the two are just not the most common combination. Therefore, imagine my interest spike when I heard about Karmalink, a Cambodian Sci-Fi film about displaced communities and tech developments. The film is yet to be screened in Cambodia which means I have not seen it but I’m intrigued. If you are abroad and interested, look out for it. Otherwise, you can read about it on this Forbes article.
Worth Reading
Fear, Frustration for Community Stuck in Protected-Zone Confusion by Fiona Kelliher and Phin Rathana looked at the struggle indigenous communities are facing due to unclear land demarcation, random arrests, resourceful commune officials and their threatened livelihood. It is heartbreaking but a must-read if you want to get a glimpse of how indigenous communities are being treated here.
Overheard on Twitter
Campuccino is a fortnightly dispatch of key headlines in Cambodia, written by @DarathteyDin.
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forgive me for being thick but just how will this boost tourism?
"Looks like the tourism sector has not picked up as fast as expected as we sees the government putting extra effort into boosting the sector. First, the Ministry of Tourism announced earlier this month that expats residing in Cambodia for two years and over will finally receive free access to Angkor"