Hun Sen & Co. Exploits Angkor Wat

“I cannot accept [Son Chhay’s findings] because of the three pieces of evidence: the report of the president of Apsara to the delegation, the slideshow, and the report given to us [by the Apsara Authority].”

CPP senior lawmaker Cheam Yeap, 1 January 2015, The Phnom Penh Post

 “We have already made this written clarification, so if he [Son Chhay] doesn’t accept this, it’s up to him.”

Spokesman for the Council of Ministers Phay Siphan, 9 January 2015, The Cambodia Daily

“One reason [for Son Chhay’s claims] was an aim to take political benefits, and another reason was an aim to take revenge against the Apsara Authority because he once lost a case related to an anarchic land encroachment in the Cultural and Tourism City of Siem Reap province.”

The Apsara Authority statement, 26 December 2014 [The Cambodia Daily]

“Apsara Authority does not hire out the temples to Sokha Hotel [Sokimex]. In fact, the authority only hired the company to provide ticket revenue collection services on our behalf – a common action that public administrations or governments in other countries have also implemented.”

The Apsara Authority statement, 25 November 2014 [The Cambodia Daily]

“The fee for the land lease [$9 million], which has not yet been paid to the national budget, has certainly not gone anywhere, meaning it is a technical problem with accounting, so the money will be paid to the state later.”

Apsara Authority director-general Bun Narith, 9 January 2015, The Cambodia Daily

Angkor Wat is shrouded in mysteries. While nobody is certain how it was built, only a few know how much income it has generated for Hun Sen & Co.

So, according to statistics director Kong Sopheareak at the Tourism Ministry, there are 4.5 million foreign visitors to Cambodia in 2014, and Apsara Authority (AA) claims only 2.06 million, or 46%, of them pays to visit Angkor. Thus, what are the other 2.44 million visitors doing in the country? Or do they enter Angkor Wat Park without paying, keeping Angkor revenues down? Or, what are the pull factors for them?

Maybe they do a real estate survey for future residence. The Tourism Ministry figures indicate the largest group of all (803,591) in the first 11 months of 2014 are from Vietnam, to which Hun Sen is indebted for his power.

Anyway, published numbers for Angkor revenues have been unexpectedly subjected to close scrutiny. And it is the reactions of Hun Sen & Co. that reveals the numbers are fudged.

First, Hun Sen & Co. launch personal attacks on parliamentarian Son Chhay who challenges the numbers and rejects their simplistic responses. They resort to kicking the man rather than the ball because they have something to hide.

Second, Hun Sen & Co.’s simplistic approach in defending the numbers is bewildering. Cheam Yeap says the words of the AA president are sufficient to quell any doubt. Phay Siphan claims the clarification in writing is enough for anyone to accept the figures validity and reliability. How naïve can they be to reject an independent verification?

Of course, the matter could be settled once and for all with an audit by the National Audit Authority (NAA). However, the only difference between the NAA and AA is the affix “N” stuck in front, and the AA may as well stand for Alcoholics Anonymous. They are so drunk the NAA annual report for 2006 is published in 2009; the 2007 report takes another year longer in 2011. None mentions any audit work at the AA, anyhow.

Indeed, the whole Angkor management is dubious. The AA claims in November 2014 it does not lease the Angkor land to Sok Kong’s private company Sokimex, only to admit a few weeks later that it is in fact leased to the company. The leasing contract is so sweet that Sokimex must be an integral part of Hun Sen & Co. The whole 26-hectare plot of Cultural and Tourism City in Seam Reap is leased for 77 years for a whopping $9 million – a sum Son Chhay has the nerve to describe it as peanuts.

And best of all, (let drumroll begin), the $9 million has not been paid into the State revenue, due to what Bun Narith claims – wait for it – an accounting problem that seems to persist for more than a decade. Thus, either the AA accountant is perpetually intoxicated, or the money must be sitting pretty somewhere in Hun Sen & Co.’s pockets.

Where else could the cash be?

Ung Bun Ang

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Who is Phay Siphan trying to kid, besides himself, about his government not lying? It is a blatant assault on the intelligence of CPP government supporters.

But again, as they say, if you repeat any lie often enough, you will believe yourself that it is all true. Hence, Phay Siphan may believe he tells the truth all along.

“We [the government] don’t say anything to earn funding for reports [like Licadho does]; the government is looking for votes… We don’t lie to the people, we don’t play games with the people; we want our people to be happy.”

Government spokesman Phay Siphan, 20 February 2015, The Phnom Penh Post

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Hun Sen Pursues Death Trap Economy

“These barbarian acts [shooting Cambodian citizens at the border] flagrantly violated not only agreements between the two governments, but the most elementary laws of any civilized country and the international law on human rights.”

Letter from Cambodia’s Foreign Ministry to Thai Government, 14 February 2015, The Cambodia Daily

“The failure of the [Thai] State to take legal action on those responsible for those [extra-judicial] killings as tantamount to the State’s encouragement of such extra-judicial killing.”

Letter from CNRP parliamentarians to Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, 9 February 2015, CNRP

«អ្នក​នៅ​ស្រុក​យើង​មាន​អី មាន​តែ​ថា នៅ​រក​ស៊ី​នៅ​ភ្នំពេញ ធ្វើ​ជា​អ្នក​កាត់ដេរ ធ្វើ​ការ​នៅ​រោងចក្រ​អ៊ីហ្នឹង ហើយ​ឯណោះ​រក​បាន​ជាង​នៅ​ភ្នំពេញ គឺ​នៅ​ថៃ ហ្នឹង។ វា​ថា នៅ​មួយ​ឆ្នាំ​រក​ស៊ី​មិន​សល់​លុយ​ផង​នៅ​ភ្នំពេញ រកស៊ី​នៅ​ភ្នំពេញ​នោះ។ ថ្លៃ​ទឹក ថ្លៃ​ផ្ទះ ថ្លៃ​ភ្លើង លិច​កើត​រក​ស៊ី​គ្មាន​សល់។ នៅ​ឯណោះ​(ថៃ) គេ​ចំណាយ​បន្តិច​តែ​សល់​គ្រាន់​បើ​បន្តិច។ បាទ ខ្ញុំ​ចង់​ឲ្យ​តែ​កូន​ចៅ​មក​ផ្ទះ ទោះ​រក​បាន​ឬ​មិន​បាន មាន​ឬ​ក្រ​អី​នៅ​ស្រុក​យើង​ហ្នឹង​ហើយ នៅ​ស្រុក​នោះ​បែក​ពី​កូន​បែក​ពី​ចៅ។ ខ្ញុំ​មិន​ចង់​ឲ្យ​ទៅ​ដែរ​ តែ​វា​ថា​ទៅ»។

លោក ឆេន ឆឺយ អ្នកស្រុក​ស៊ីធរកណ្ដាល ខេត្ត​ព្រៃវែង ​១៩ ខែ​តុលា ឆ្នាំ​២០១៤ ​វិទ្យុ​អាស៊ីសេរី

“Until now, I cannot walk and work. I am still in the house with an injury… and the company has not paid any compensation or hospital fees for me.”

Cambodian labourer Ms Kong Dalin at a South Korea’s tomato plantation, 30 December 2014, The Phnom Penh Post

“Figures sourced separately by the Guardian from Nepalese authorities suggest the total [death] during that period could be as high as 188. In 2013, the figure from January to mid-November was 168… A series of stories in the Guardian have shown that migrant workers from Nepal, India, Sri Lanka and elsewhere were dying in their hundreds. While some were listed as having been killed in workplace accidents, many more were said to have died from sudden, unexplained cardiac arrest.”

Reporters Owen Gibson, and Pete Pattison, The Guardian, 25 December 2014

“The premier [Hun Sen] stressed that Cambodian workers in South Korea would not only receive money but also increase their experience and technological skills they can use back home.”

Kao Kim Hourn, a minister attached to Premier Hun Sen, 16 December 2014, The Phnom Penh Post

Those are tough words from Cambodia to Thailand, though this is not the first time they fly across the border. Will they work this time? Unlikely.

The likelihood is that Cambodian villagers will keep on crossing the border, assuming the border marks are clear, for petty activities to support their daily livelihood; and Thai soldiers will continue to use them as their target practice. Why? Because the first group has to, and the second mob can.

However, all are attributable to Hun Sen’s economy and labour policy that largely regard Cambodian lives with such contempt, hence encouraging aliens to do likewise.

First, Hun Sen treats Khmer people no better than the Thais do. He strips away dignity from the poor. He collects vagrants from Phnom Penh city streets and takes them away in caged vans. Thais do the same thing by putting hundreds of thousand Khmer migrant workers in Thailand in caged trucks, and dumped them at the border.

The Thais know those tough words, which are really for domestic consumption, will vanish in thin air. As Hun Sen is prepared to shoot dead unarmed Khmer demonstrators in Phnom Penh streets, there is no reason for the Thais not to shoot Khmers at the border. They know Hun Sen is not so sensitive to how Cambodian migrant workers are mistreated. It is a respectability issue that Hun Sen would need to address before the Thais stop shooting, and other maltreatments of the Khmer migrant workers cease.

Second, the Thais must know Hun Sen owes them some gratitude for providing jobs to some one million Cambodians, though they are not the kind of jobs over which Thai citizens would fight. But still gratitude is gratitude. Indeed, the gratitude cannot be as much as the one Hun Sen proudly declares he owes to the Eastern alien who provides the power base of his government. Still, the employment of a million workers is not something to scoff at for any economy, let alone a tiny one like the Cambodian, which amounts to about 11% of the whole workforce.

Third, this migrant workers scheme relieves Hun Sen from responsibility of creating local employment. Either the impressive GDP growth of about 8% p.a. in the last decade is inadequate, or the growth has concentrated in the wrong place. Effectively, Hun Sen gives Cambodian workers unsavoury options: unemployment, underemployment, underpaid employment, or unsafe employment abroad. A million of them take the last one for better pay that comes with risks of being abused.

The scheme must be working so well for Hun Sen and his personal interest groups that he is now to begin negotiations to export Cambodian labourers to another death trap at the Qatar 2022 World Cup construction site. It is estimated that at least 4,000 migrant workers there will kick the bucket before a ball is kicked due to inhumane work conditions.

Still, best of all, Hun Sen believes his exported slave labourers will bring home technological know-hows, unless they drop dead half-way.

Ung Bun Ang

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Hun Send finds it easier for him to export one million workers than one million tons of rice. Why is it so? Because he can make the workers hungry, and he can’t the rice.

“Our milled rice exports to Europe are a lot now. But the 1 million [ton] target could be difficult in 2015. The processing problem is one thing, but the market problem is another thing.”

Premier Hun Sen, 18 February 2015, The Cambodia Daily

Editors Note

Readers are most welcome to comment and ask questions. However, it is with regret that I will not respond to any anonymous questions, especially those of personal nature.

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The CPP Congress Sideshow

“Secondly, misconduct such as corruption, nepotism, the abuse of power, big gaps between upper and lower-level officials, between government officials and the people, between rich and poor, the lack of confidence in the judicial system, inequality, the effectiveness of the implementation of laws which remains so limited, the issue of public services, land and forest issues…made people lose trust in our leadership.” 

A CPP leaked report distributed at the party’s congress, 31 January 2015, The Cambodia Daily  

“Our seats decreased because the other party has joined together, so it has a lot of seats...If the party [CPP] does not unite, it will not endure the storm.”

Information Minister Khieu Kanharith, 2 February 2015, The Cambodia Daily

“Critics of the government and the CPP have not valued our achievements over the last 30 years... They are not constructive critics, and they exaggerate the truth.”

Newly appointed primary CPP spokesman Chhim Phal Virun, 7 February 2015, The Phnom Penh Post

The CPP know. They know what they have put Cambodia through for an impressive GPD growth that comes with concrete jungles and severe depletion of natural resources. The question now is: can they, or will they, address issues raised in their own confidential report leaked at the recent party’s congress. The short answer is: no, they can’t, and they won’t.

First, any genuine reforms to tackle the issues the CPP say make them lose the public trust and support are a direct threat to their power and wealth accumulation for their personal interest groups. As this has been at the expense of public interest, it is a tough choice between human greed and public interest.

Second, there is no need to address those issues. For instance, Hun Sen pledges to chop his own head off if he cannot stop illegal logging. He fails, and breaks the promise; though some would say he has stopped illegal logging by making them legal – just ask Try Pheap, a prominent beneficiary of Hun Sen’s legalised logging. Immediately after the 2013 elections that deliver a shocking loss, Hun Sen asks his personal interest groups to look at themselves in the mirror and scrub corruption dirt off their body, giving all naive an impression that he himself is Mr clean. Nothing much has since happened; otherwise, the leaked CPP report would not raise the corruption issue sixteen months later. After all these botches, they are still in power.

As Khieu Kanharith sees it, the 2013 elections setback is due to a merger of the HRP and SRP – not the sideshow issues spelled out in the leaked report. Thus, to overcome the opposition “storm”, the CPP must be united.

And they take this party unity thing seriously. They admit into the CPP central committee more than a dozen children of top party leaders to ensure continuity of whatever their father has secured for the family. These fresh brains and intellect are unlikely to rock the boat, however. It is much easier to go with the flow like a dead fish than putting their family power and wealth at risks.

Another good measure is to ensure the party remain in control of the armed forces. At least 80 of the 306 new members of the CPP’s expanded central committee are commanders of police and army forces, including a disciple of Hitler and the Viets who has no hesitation in shooting unarmed protesters. The armed forces also swear allegiance by to Hun Sen and his family. These are insurance policies so that Hun Sen always has an option of not transferring power in an unexpected election loss.

Finally, to put on a finishing touch on their new political agenda for status quo, the CPP has just announced three newly-appointed spokesmen. They are charged with the responsibility of deflecting all criticisms the party say “destructive”, and putting positive spins on anything that moves. The critical point is to deal with these criticisms, not addressing those in the leaked CPP report.

Ung Bun Ang

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How lucky. Cambodia has so many born leaders with divine connection.

“Can you imagine the kids of 34 [standing committee] members, all of whom think they deserve to step into their parents’ shoes? All of whom think they’re God’s gift to Cambodia?” 

Occidental College Associate Professor Sophal Ear, 28 January 2015, The Phnom Penh Post 

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