Cambodia 20241111: Striated, Baroque, Instrumental

Mekong Memo Cambodia Weekly: Business, politics, finance, trade & legal news.

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Headlines:

Eyewitnesses Discredit Border Loss Claims

Tourism Grows, Adapts

Talks on Disputed Maritime Area to Restart

Journalist Safety Under Threat

Push for Clean Energy Transformation

Immigration Controls Tightened

Retail Credit Crosses $15B

Trust Market Booms for Property Investments

South Korea Supports Rainwater Schools

Anti-Corruption Council Reports Progress

Non-Communicable Diseases Drive High Mortality

New Film Gains Ministry Support

Crime Analysis Software to Tackle Cybercrime

Dore Gold Bar Production Reaches 13,000 kg

Industry Minister Wants Quality Commitment

Smoking Culture Shifts from Status to Crisis

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Eyewitnesses Discredit Border Loss Claims

The government launched free weekend tours to Kratie, Stung Treng, Mondulkiri, and Ratanakiri provinces to try and fend off rumors of lost territory. Eyewitnesses, including Khmer Times, visited the Cambodia-Laos border in Stung Treng and the Cambodia-Vietnam border in Ratanakiri and are now trying to dispell claims of territory loss. Officials rejected ex-opposition leaders' claims of lost territory due to border demarcation.

Read more: Khmer Times

Tourism Grows, Adapts

The luxury tourism industry is adapting to new market conditions and challenges including the rise of digital technologies, cybersecurity risks, and shifts in demand for sustainable, eco-friendly tourism practices. These challenges also offer opportunities for businesses to improve and raise awareness of Cambodia as a worthwhile global travel destination. Chinese tourist arrivals have jumped almost 50 percent in the year to date, and the trend is expected to be maintained through the end of the year.

Read more: Khmer Times (Sustainable, Luxury Tourism), Khmer Times (Chinese Arrivals)

Talks on Disputed Maritime Area to Restart

Negotiations over the disputed maritime zone in the Gulf of Thailand, containing huge hydrocarbon deposits, will soon resume under the 2001 MoU framework. This contentious agreement, involving a joint technical committee, mandates a combined approach to maritime boundary demarcation and resource development. Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has assured that talks will not compromise Thai sovereignty, despite growing public and political pressures calling for the MoU’s revocation. Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet expressed a willingness to support the talks, but the issue remains contentious on both sides of the border.

Read more: Bangkok Post (Public Pressures), Khmer Times (Diplomatic Outlook)

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Journalist Safety Under Threat

Cambodian journalist Mech Dara’s arrest, following his critical reporting on government-linked cyber scams, is a symptom of escalating pressures on media freedom in Cambodia. Detained for alleged "incitement," Dara was released on bail after a high-profile apology. Disheartened, he has since left journalism. UNESCO and press advocates have condemned the impunity surrounding such cases, saying it is part of a pattern of legal harassment designed to silence journalists. This comes as global calls to protect journalists from financial and criminal penalties that stifle independent reporting and free expression grow ever-louder.

Read more: Rappler (Mech Dara Experience), The Straits Times (Mech Dara’s Exit), UNESCO (Press Freedom Advocacy)