A long-stalled gas development project in waters claimed by both Thailand and Cambodia is regaining momentum, with shared concerns over energy security pushing the Southeast Asian countries to put their territorial dispute aside.
“We agreed to discuss further on the joint exploration of the hydrocarbon resources in the overlapping claims area between the two countries,” Thai Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin told reporters Feb. 7 after meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet in Bangkok.
After Cambodia’s ruling party won 55 of the 58 available seats in the Senate following elections on February 25, former prime minister Hun Sen is expected to make his return to front-line politics as the upper chamber’s new president, according to preliminary results announced on Monday by the National Election Committee.
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Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) now controls almost all seats in both chambers of parliament, as well as all but four of the country’s 1,652 commune chiefs.
Senate elections are indirect, with 58 senators elected by more than 11,000 commune councilors and National Assembly lawmakers. National Assembly lawmakers and King Norodom Sihamoni appoint two more senators each.
In full: https://www.dw.com/en/cambodia-hun-sens-dynasty-consolidates-grip-on-power/a-68375726
The Senate election win by former Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen’s ruling party on Sunday has cemented his family’s grip on power and his son’s premiership, after a vote that excluded the main opposition and was marred by allegations of voter intimidation.
The Cambodian People’s Party’s (CPP) comfortable victory will see 71-year-old Hun Sen sworn in as Senate president, six months after he stepped down from the prime minister’s role and handed the top job to his son, ex-Army commander Hun Manet.
Tep Vong, the senior monk who headed Cambodia’s Buddhist community and was vital for its rejuvenation in the wake of the Khmer Rouge genocide in the late 70s, has died. He was 93.
Cambodia’s Ministry of Cult and Religion said Tep Vong died Monday after an extended illness.
Tep Vong in 2006 was granted the title of the Great Supreme Patriarch, making him the religious chief of both the Mahanikay and Dhammayut orders of Theravada Buddhism in Cambodia. About 97% of Cambodia’s 17 million people are Buddhists.
The ruling Cambodian People’s Party said it captured 55 of the 58 seats contested in Sunday’s Senate election, saying the result was better than expected, citing preliminary unofficial results.
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The other three seats were likely won by the Khmer Will Party, an opposition party affiliated with the disqualified main opposition Candlelight Party, the party said. Official results are expected to be announced by April.
Former Prime Minister Hun Sen is running with the ruling party of the government, currently led by his eldest son, Hun Manet. Hun Sen is all but assured of winning his seat and securing the top post in the upper house, according to the results.
In full: https://asia.nikkei.com/Politics/Cambodia-s-ruling-party-claims-victory-in-Senate-election
Cambodian officials voted in a Senate election on Sunday, setting the stage for former leader Hun Sen to officially return to politics after he stepped down as prime minister last year.
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After nearly four decades of hardline rule, Hun Sen handed power to his eldest son Hun Manet in national polls last August held without any significant opposition.
Hun Sen at the time made it clear that despite his resignation, he still intended to wield influence.
Cambodia recently unveiled a ten-year master plan for building a cellular transportation and logistics system to support businesses after five years of preparation.
The plan’s goal includes expanding and improving the scope and capacity of the transport infrastructure system; improving efficiency and effectiveness of transport services and infrastructure; promoting and improving transport infrastructure to support national development policies; and strengthening service efficiency and logistics costs.
The master plan identifies 174 priority projects that include 94 related to roads, eight involving the railways, 23 connected to river transport, 20 linked to sea transport and 20 dealing with air transport.
In what appears to be another step towards realizing Chinese ambitions in the Indo-Pacific, a new set of satellite images reveals that the country has, since 2020, made progress toward constructing a naval base in Cambodia, with several structures now nearing completion.
Tom Shugart, a former US Navy submariner and defense analyst, published satellite images that he obtained from Planet Labs on February 21, providing a comprehensive update on China’s progress in building its new base at Ream in Cambodia. The images are dated January 15, 2023.
In a long thread, Shugart attempted to provide an overview of the construction project as of January 2024, in comparison to March 2020, when the work had first started.
In full: https://www.eurasiantimes.com/chinas-naval-base-in-cambodia-undergoes-rapid/
Cambodia’s industrial sector is projected to grow by 8.5 per cent this year compared to 7.7 per cent in 2023, according to industry, science, technology and innovation minister Hem Vanndy, who recently said the economy is projected to grow by about 6.6 per cent in 2024.
“This is due to the expected recovery of the garment sub-sector and continued strong growth in the non-garment manufacturing sub-sector, despite the projected sluggish growth of the construction sub-sector,” Vanndy was quoted as saying by a domestic news outlet.
On Sunday, Cambodia will vote to elect a new Senate – and among those putting themselves forward for a seat is none other than former Prime Minister Hun Sen, who handed the reins of power to his son last year after nearly four decades in office.
Hun Sen has previously announced that he will stand for a Senate seat in Kandal province, where he has held a National Assembly seat since 1993. The expectation is that he will then be appointed as president of the body, replacing the incumbent Say Chhum, who is set to retire.
In full: https://thediplomat.com/2024/02/cambodia-gears-up-for-low-stakes-senate-election/
For years, an airport has been slated for construction in Cambodia’s Mondulkiri province, but all that exists are concrete fence posts across the razed farmlands of an indigenous community, cleared for a runway that may never get built.
Remote Mondulkiri was an odd choice for a multimillion-dollar new airport, observers say. Bordering Vietnam, the region is one of Cambodia’s most sparsely populated, with a provincial capital of just over 13,000 residents, and few tourist draws. Making matters worse, a key Chinese funder has pulled out of the project, first announced in 2019.
The unfinished site is just one of several Cambodian airports in various stages of halting development and with questionable economic viability, especially after Chinese investors walked away in recent years and tourism has struggled to return to pre-pandemic levels. As these projects inch forward, local communities say they have been pushed off their land to make way for construction.
A rare Mekong Irrawaddy dolphin was found dead after being entangled in a fisherman’s illegal gillnet in northeast Cambodia, said a Fisheries Administration’s statement to the media.
The 1.04-meter-long, 14-kg weight male dolphin was spotted dead on Feb. 18 in Preaek Prasab district of Kratie province, about 16 km from the Kampi dolphin pool in the Mekong River.
“The Fisheries Administration and the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) primarily assessed that the death was caused by the gillnet because there were gillnet marks on its tail base,” the statement said.
Cambodia’s economy is projected to grow by nearly 6.6 per cent this year despite geopolitical tensions and a global economic slowdown, according to officials from the ministry of economy and finance.
A significant early-year rebound in the garment sector has contributed to the projection.
Two Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers on Thursday stopped at Sihanoukville port in Cambodia, located near a naval base where construction work is under way with financial aid from China.
The Suzunami and Shimakaze destroyers, with a combined crew of around 430, were greeted by Gen. Ros Veasna, deputy commander of Cambodia’s navy, at the port of the southern Cambodian city, the navy said. The destroyers will stay at the port until Saturday.
In full: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20240222/p2g/00m/0in/076000c
Yesterday, former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra received his first foreign visitor since his parole and release from detention over the weekend: Cambodia’s former prime minister, Hun Sen.
The 71-year-old former leader flew to Thailand on a private jet and drove to the Shinawatra family compound in western Bangkok in a Maybach limousine for a visit that lasted just under two hours.
During the meeting, which was also attended by Thaksin’s daughter Paetongtarn, the pair claimed not to have discussed politics. “Two former prime ministers met and didn’t talk about politics, we just reminisced about 32 years of friendship,” Hun Sen posted on Facebook, alongside images of him sitting on a sofa next to Thaksin, still wearing the neck brace and sling that he wore during his release on February 18.
In full: https://thediplomat.com/2024/02/following-release-thailands-thaksin-welcomes-former-cambodian-pm/
Cambodia’s new Prime Minister Samdech Hun Manet paid his first visit to Vietnam in December with the goal of promoting “the traditional friendship and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries to new heights”. However, there are many obstacles behind the historical curtain that may prevent the achievement of these goals.
For centuries, the Mekong River Delta has witnessed a tumultuous relationship between Vietnam and Cambodia. From ancient empires clashing for dominance to the scars of recent wars, the delta holds memories of conflict and mistrust. While recent years have seen glimmers of cooperation, achieving a lasting peace remains elusive.
Although former prime minister Hun Sen’s transfer of power to his son Hun Manet in August 2023 appeared smooth, it belied internal challenges. Cambodian nationalism coupled with Hun Sen’s pro-Vietnamese past has led to repeated accusations, especially from opposition leader Sam Rainsy, that he has favoured Vietnam, particularly regarding land concession licences.
In full: https://www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpreter/can-vietnam-cambodia-build-lasting-peace
Thailand’s influential ex-premier Thaksin Shinawatra, who was released this week from detention, was visited on Wednesday (Feb 21) by former Cambodian leader Hun Sen, one of the tycoon’s closest allies during his 15 years of self-imposed exile.
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Political heavyweight Hun Sen, the self-styled strongman of Cambodia, was prime minister for nearly four decades until handing over to his son last year.
Hun Sen provided the billionaire with sanctuary during his exile, naming him a special advisor and allowing him to visit frequently and meet allies in Cambodia, frustrating Thaksin’s rivals, who saw it as interference by a neighbouring country.
Living in a floating village means embracing the rhythm of the ever-changing water. As I stroll through Kampong Khleang, flanked by wooden stilt houses lining sandy streets, I witness daily life unfolding. Alongside staircases, people prepare meals or run their little shops.
But actually, I’m walking at the bottom of a lake. In about six months from now, this will all disappear below the water surface. Residents will have to move to the highest floor of their houses and they will suddenly need a boat to go out.
Kampong Khleang is located on the shores of Lake Tonle Sap, in northwestern Cambodia, roughly 50 kilometers from Siem Reap and the renowned Angkor Wat temple. Owing to a unique tidal current, the village gets flooded once a year.
Cambodia’s parliament on Wednesday approved ex-ruler Hun Sen’s youngest son as a deputy prime minister, the latest member of the family to be promoted since the former leader handed the reins to his eldest son Hun Manet.
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Hun Sen stepped down in August after nearly four decades of ruling Cambodia with an iron fist, handing power to Hun Manet following a landslide win in national polls held without any significant opposition parties.
In full: https://www.thaipbsworld.com/cambodia-promotes-ex-leader-hun-sens-youngest-son-as-deputy-pm/
In May 2023, the former prime minister of Cambodia – Hun Sen – led a cabinet meeting that gave the green light to the “Funan Techo Canal”, the first waterway system in Cambodia, which will connect Phnom Penh Autonomous Port to Kep Province of Cambodia.
The canal is 180 kilometers long, stretching from Prek Takeo of the Mekong River to Prek Ta Ek and Prek Ta Hing of the Bassac River, and connects to Kep province. The project will cut through four provinces in Cambodia including Kandal, Takeo, Kampot, and Kep province of Cambodia.
The plan is to build a waterway that is 100 meters wide, with a navigation depth of 4.7 meters. The project also includes the construction of three water gate systems, eleven bridges, and 208-kilometer sidewalks, which will be constructed by China Bridge and Road Corporation (CRBC) using the Build-Operate-Transfer model.
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