Campuccino #90
Press freedom, new airport, and new VannDa's albums
Sou Sdei and welcome to Campuccino, your bi-monthly 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.
Dear readers, I've been contemplating the content of this newsletter for quite some time now. While I know key headlines keep you informed on certain matters, I also recognise that I cannot cover everything. To be honest, despite my efforts to balance giving you enough information without overwhelming you or leaving you wanting more, I still struggle to find the right equilibrium and often feel guilty for not covering enough or publishing frequently enough.
This brings me to another confession: curating these news items brings me little joy because, more often than not, they contain unpleasant news—except for the Arts and Culture section, which I absolutely love writing. I understand that I'm filling a gap in a challenging media environment, and I'm grateful to those of you who have personally shared how useful these newsletters have been. However, I'm pleased to see that another local newsletter, albeit newer, now provides news roundups on Cambodia that are both more extensive and more regular than mine.
This leads me to two questions for you: 1) How useful do you find my news roundup now that another newsletter does a better job of providing more varied news coverage? 2) What are your thoughts on revamping this newsletter to focus solely on arts and culture in Cambodia?
Please let me know by hitting reply 🙂
- Darathtey
The clash between the Cambodian and Thai troops on the borders has been dominating the local news for the past week. To be honest, I do not know what to make of it and I’m not trying to. Of course, when an incident such as this happens, it prompts a surge of nationalism both mild and extreme among politicians and citizens from both nations. Therefore, I’m going to list a few news articles from multiple sources so you can read and make your own analysis.
Cambodia, Thailand to Hold Talks After Deadly Border Clash; Tensions Ease but Troops Still Sent | CamboJA
Border Clashes: PM Calls for Calm, Warns of Defense | Kiripost
Army 'ready' but Thailand seeks peaceful solution on Cambodian border | Bangkok Post
PM, Phumtham delay border closure amid Cambodian troop incursion | The Nation
Cambodia to file complaint with ICJ over Thai border dispute | CNA
Next up we have yet another arrest made on an environmental activist. Environmental journalist Ouk Mao was arrested on May 16 in his home in Stung Treng without a warrant. He was later charged with incitement to commit assault and public defamation by the Stung Treng Provincial Court. As usual, human rights group ADHOC called the charge excessive and unjustified. This is the dance we have all seen before that you could probably guess what happens next. Well, it was reported days later that Ouk Mao was released on bail with 15 pending legal cases. The arrest is not an isolated event, earlier this year Mongabay reported that Ouk Mao was attacked by a group of men.
While we’re on the topic of journalism. Let’s look at our score in the World Press Freedom Index 2025. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) ranked Cambodia 161 out of 180 countries in the 2025. We ranked 151 in 2024 😁 But hey, the government said the real situation is “very good”. So, nothing to worry about, I guess?
Let's just say the situation is very good that people are encouraged to not talk about natural disasters such as lightning strikes as it could risk the country’s reputation in tourism. 🤦🏽♀️
Alright, let’s move on to a less grim subject. Starting from this September, my (and everyone else’s in Phnom Penh) airport journey from the city centre will get a lot longer. Phnom Penh International Airport (PPIA) is scheduled to close in September (it was reported earlier to be closed in July) and all flight traffic will be redirected to Techo International Airport (TIA), located approximately 30km from the central PP. To many, especially those living in a country with good roads and infrastructure, 30km is not that much but if you know Phnom Penh traffic and our word-class reckless driving, that distance feels like a lifetime. PPIA will always have a special place in my heart and I will miss the 20mn door to gate journey in my early morning flight (yes it is small and often quite makes for very efficient departing and arrival experience, at least for Cambodians). There is currently no plan on what will be done to repurpose PPIA. In my wildest dream, I wish PPIA would follow a similar footstep of Berlin Tempelhof Airport which was transformed into a recreational space known as Tempelhofer Feld. Yes, I’ll keep dreaming…
Visually Pleasing
Arts & Culture
🎶 Dare I say whenever VannDa releases a new album, it is a cultural phenomenon. If you want to know how I back that up, go read my book, it is very small ;) Anyway, VannDa recently dropped not one, not two, but three albums titled Treyvisai I, II, II, accordingly. To be honest, the first two of the albums were just alright for me. They were fine but I wasn’t like blown away or anything. Nothing stood out to me and A LOT of autotune which I personally detest. Then, he dropped the សុវណ្ណភូមិ music video followed by the launch of Treyvisai III and they were fire! Let me start with the MV first. At the time of this writing, it has 4.2 million views on YouTube. This is two weeks after the video was released on the platform. While the song itself is not as good as Time to Rise, imo, the cinematography of the MV is very impressive. Baramey figured the magic key to Cambodia pride and hacked that big time, with finesse. How do I feel about the substance of the video? Let me just say I do not know who we are going to war against. I know this is touché considering we had a military clash at the border with Thailand weeks later.
As for Treyvisai III, my favorite song is "Lakhon Bassac" because it exemplifies the fusion of old and new art forms, this time incorporating—you guessed it—Lakkhon Bassac (a traditional Cambodian opera theatre). The beat and sound are incredibly unique, and before I knew it, I found myself grooving along to the music. If you give it a listen, let me know which track is your favourite!
📚 One of the most common stereotypes about Cambodians is that we don't read. I'm not even mad about this one because it's true to a certain extent. Simply put, Cambodians don't read for leisure. If you tell someone you're reading a book, the first question they'll most likely ask is what you've learned from it. Reading non-fiction is admired and considered a certified nerd activity, while reading fiction is considered a waste of time—an activity of which I am guilty 🤷🏽♀️. While everything I've said feeds into the aforementioned stereotype, Cambodian reading culture has slowly started to shift. This is evident in the gradual increase of bookshops selling both imported and locally published books. The stereotype is also being challenged significantly when you attend events like the annual Cambodian Book Fair, where thousands of people turn up to purchase books and meet their favourite local authors. This piece in the Mekong Review supports my observation from the book fair and provides additional context.
📖 Speaking of book, Chamnar Bookstore is hosting a signing session this weekend of June 7, with Ms. Chantha Nguon, author of Slow Noodles. So for those of you who are in town and a fan of the book, this might be something for you to fill your Saturday afternoon.
🖼️ Up until a few months ago, I did not know what a cyanotype was. Then, I saw my friend Quinn posting about her beautiful works of textile-based cyanotype art inspired by Phnom Penh’s urban landscape. If you’re in town this weekend, Quinn will have a pop up at Sundown Social to showcase her work.
Worth Watching
On My To-Read List
Policies and Patterns: State-Abetted Transnational Crime in Cambodia as a Global Security Threat
A friend brought this report to my attention. I did skim through it but I think it deserves a proper sit down and a clear head from me to read in detail. Hence, it is under my to-read list, rather than the usual Worth Reading category. Now, I know Cambodia is a rather significant role in the cybercrime industry but I didn’t expect to see a sentence such at this from the report: “Rivaled only by Myanmar, Cambodia is likely the absolute global epicenter of next-gen transnational fraud in 2025 and is certainly the country most primed for explosive growth going forward.”
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
Please keep writing--whatever you want.
I think you should write what makes you happy if you have the freedom to do so. You've shown you *can* fill the news gap, and you could always do so again should the need arise, but if arts and culture feeds your soul then relish the chance to focus on them!