Campuccino #89

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.

Despite the sweltering heat this past month taking a toll on my energy, and the occasional moments when world events test my faith in humanity, there's been a genuine bright spot I want to highlight. I'm truly touched that several of you readers reached out offering to treat me to actual coffee during your visits to Phnom Penh! While I can't meet every subscriber who has ever written to me (though I wish I could!), these connections have been absolutely delightful. Each meetup reminds me of the wonderful connection to Cambodia that we share, and I'm incredibly grateful for these opportunities to put faces to the names in my inbox.

- Darathtey

As someone who calls Phnom Penh home, I can't help but notice our city's yearning for more green spaces. While urban development has taken center stage, parks and tree-lined streets have unfortunately remained on the back burner. These days, I find myself longing for the simple joy of a tranquil walk among trees, knowing how restorative that connection with nature would be for my well-being. Anyway, I welcome the news when the PM made an announcement in early April that his government committed to develop 70 hectares of land at Boeung Tumnup Kob Srov into a public park. I hope I live to see the day that such a park(with real trees!) comes into existence. Normally, I would welcome this news with way higher enthusiasm if it wasn’t for the fact that a natural lake such as Boeung Tumnup Kob Srov, aka Boeung Tamok was being filled to make space for private development and some park. But hey, beggars can’t be chooser, I guess. We’ll take what we can get.

Chinese electric vehicle BYD broke ground on its assembly factory in Sihanoukville Special Economic Zone in late April. The 32-million USD factory is expected to produce 10,000 EV per year. I find this development particularly exciting because Cambodia stands at a pivotal moment in its economic evolution. While our reputation has been built on garment manufacturing and agricultural exports, the addition of an EV assembly plant represents a significant leap forward in diversifying our economic portfolio. This strategic expansion couldn't come at a better time, especially as global trade tensions reshape international supply chains and create new opportunities for emerging markets like ours.

Speaking of factories, not all factories are made equal. Some, just like BYD, are built in a dedicated SEZ. But some factories found themselves erected in the least likely place of all, as in the middle of a wildlife sanctuary. According to a report by Mongabay, the Cambodian government has approved the construction of a new cement factory deep inside Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary, granting politically connected KP Cement a 50-year lease on 99 hectares despite a 2023 mining license moratorium. The company, previously linked to deforestation, has already begun clearing forest near a planned limestone mine. Local communities protest their exclusion from the decision-making process, voicing concerns about environmental damage and health risks from limestone dust. This development shows a troubling pattern where politically connected firms exploit protected areas with apparent government preference for industrial interests over conservation commitments. This is hardly a surprise though, isn’t it?

Since we’re already on the track of environmental destruction, I might as well talk about what happened to people who tried to raise their voice against such acts. Some of you may remember Mother Nature, Cambodia's environmental activists who were, in July 2024, handed a range of 6-8 years of prison sentence for their peaceful demonstration aiming to preserve Cambodia’s natural resources. If that sounds crazy to you, that is because it is. Now what is even more insane is that a year later they were denied bail as well. This is where it is more than appropriate for me to list all their names because they deserve that much: Ly Chandaravuth (25), Phuon Keorasmey (24), Long Kunthea (27), Thun Ratha (33), and Yim Leanghy (35).

Visually Pleasing

Arts & Culture

📚 Phnom Penh recently welcomed a new Japanese chain bookstore Tsutaya in Aeon 1. For those of you who do not know, this city sorely lacks bookstores, at least those that stock varieties of books. Therefore, this was a big deal for me, a self-certified bookworm. I was surprised to see that this new bookstore attracted so many others. The great turnout for the first week of its opening kinda bursted the Cambodia-do-not-read stereotype for a bit. Mind you, Tsutaya is a combination of bookstore, stationary shop, and a cafe. So, there are multiple reasons to be there other than books despite the stiff price tag. Nevertheless, I think I will stick to my local indie bookstore Chamnar for the most part, but it is still good to have this new fancy option.

🎥 If you can’t go to Cannes Film Fest in Cannes, you can still enjoy some of the films in Cannes Film Fest in Phnom Penh. The 5th Cannes in Phnom Penh will be held from 14-25 May in three venues across the city – Institut français du Cambodge, Fable Cinema, and Legend Cinema. I might put a pause on some of my books and get out of the house to see some of the films. See full program here.

Worth Watching

While I encourage more contemporary representation of Cambodia beyond its temple and trauma, I also encourage people to take a deeper look into my country’s history beyond the common top layers of simplified facts. Khmer Rouge history goes deeper than numbers of lives perished and who the bad guys were. Fifty years later, many different kinds of trauma are still embedded within our parents and grandparents. The documentary below reminds you what survivors of the Khmer Rouge’s forced marriage had to endure after all this time.

Notable

Kouprey is a newly launched newsletter aiming to provide updates about what is going on in Cambodia. The group behind this newsletter preferred to hide their identity for safety reasons but they identify as a team of both foreign and local journalists, with more than 15 years of combined Cambodia reporting experience. I personally also do not know who they are. However, considering that we are operating in a very tight independent media landscape, I suggest you check them out if you want to be kept informed. They might even be better than me in terms of frequency and variety of news 🙂

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

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