Sou Sdei and welcome to Campuccino, your fortnightly dispatch of key headlines in Cambodia with a dash of opinion.
To new subscribers, welcome! I’m Darathtey, a communication consultant, writer, and researcher. Learn more about my work here.
Happy December! I personally favour the month because it is my birthday month and technically the coldest month in Cambodia. As we are approaching year end, this issue will be the last of 2023 as I am taking a break from Campuccino and will return in early January 2024. As we are doing this, gone with the old and come with the new year thing, I want to share with you some of my major milestones this year. I went fully independent in March – one of the best decisions I’ve made. I published a book. I attempted to climb Malaysia’s tallest mountain with dengue fever (unknowingly). Campuccino reached 1,000 subscribers in August right before it turned 3 years old in October. I overcame my trauma and fear of being grappled and pinned to the ground by taking up Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (I discovered the joy of bulldozing people with my head). I prioritised my mental-wellbeing by learning to ask for help both from loved ones and from a professional – a milestone I’m most proud of this year. As much as I would like to say all these achievements are the results of my determination, sheer willpower, sweat and tears, I would not be able to do this without the help of loved ones, friends, acquaintances, and even kind strangers. For my readers here, I thank you for your continuous support. For those who bought me coffee, you would be happy to know that this writer is happy and well-caffeinated, thank you. For Campuccino’s two monthly-paying members, thank you for your trust in my work and commitment. Until then, see you in 2024.
- Darathtey
In this issue: cyber slavery, the Mekong, private land ownership, and more.
I apologise in advance for bursting your December festivity vibe, but we are due for another cyber slavery story. Lindsey Kennedy and Nathan Paul Southern followed the journey of a Filipino woman who managed to seek authority help to escape a scam compound where she was trapped only to realise that her rescue journey was anything but easy. The article revealed how trafficking victims face mistreatment, sometimes by the authorities that are supposed to help them. Definitely an article worth reading.
The next piece in the BBC is about the mighty Mekong which is not going to be very mighty any longer if no major actions are taken to protect it. Once again, this is old news, but that doesn’t make it any less important. In a nutshell, climate change and hydropower dams are destroying the Mekong as well as its surrounding ecosystem. So, what are we going to do about it? In my cynical mind, I think we are looking at the Mekong being dealt a slow death, but I would love to be proven wrong. You can listen to the podcast version of this piece here: The mighty Mekong’s last hope.
In other news, David Hutt looks into foreigners’ land ownership in Cambodia. Prime Minister Hun Manet has announced that the government is considering pushing for the implementation of permanent leasehold rights, which would allow foreigners to lease land or ground-floor villas and houses for up to 50 years. While this is not technically ownership, it is effectively the same thing as ownership. To date, the Constitution does not allow non-Cambodian nationals to own land or ground-floor property. This policy change is being pushed for by the private sector, which is hoping that it will drive up demand for property and help to save the indebted middle class. It is likely that this idea won’t fly well among Cambodians who are yet to own property or worry that this change could lead to more forced eviction, speculation, and corruption. Hence, the PM is in a tough spot of not being perceived as giving into the demand of the private sector.
Visually Pleasing
Arts & Culture
🎆 It was nice to see Water Festival celebrations return to the Kingdom after four years. While I hid away in Thailand’s seaside town of Hua Hin during the three-day festivities, I was glad to hear that family and friends who stayed had a great time watching the boat race and countless fireworks.
🏆 Chef Nak’s “SAOY - Royal Cambodian Home Cuisine” won Best Of The Best Cookbook In The World at the 29th Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Based on Chef Nak’s post on her Facebook page, the making of the book received support from the PM’s brother Hun Many who also enabled the team to attend the event in Riyadh. Now, I call that a nice move in food diplomacy. 👏🏼
📽️ The Overseas Press Club of Cambodia organised a public screening of multiple documentaries produced by its members throughout the year. The screening will be on Thursday, 7 December, at 6:30 PM at Meta House. For more details on the screening lineup, go here.
🎭 Entwined is a contemporary dance piece to advocate against illegal fishing, particularly the use of substandard-size nets that indiscriminately kill juvenile fish. The dance was a collaborative project between the Wildlife Conservation Society Cambodia, SilverBelle Contemporary Dance Studio, and composer Pavel Lipski. It was a beautifully choreographed piece, especially under the net.
Campuccino is a fortnightly dispatch of key headlines in Cambodia, written by @DarathteyDin.
I’d love to hear from you. If you have feedback or content ideas, please write to me at hello@darathteydin.com
Happy Birthday! and saum arkoun for your faithful reporting and analysis.