Hun Sen Fails Covid-19 Test

“However, a drop in trade volume cannot be avoided because the pandemic is going to affect economic activity at a global level.”

Anonymous official at the Vietnamese Embassy in Phnom Penh, 20 March 2020, The Phnom Penh Post

«ក្រសួងសុខាភិបាល​របស់​យើងអត់​ទាន់​មាន​ផែនការ​រួម​ទេ​។ មាន​ការ​ប្រជុំ​បន្ទាន់​មួយ​ដែរ ប៉ុន្តែ​អត់​មាន​ធ្វើ​អ្វី​ផង​។ ទម្លាក់​មក​ឲ្យ​ខាង​សន្តិសុខ​វិញ​។ បញ្ហា​ក្រសួង​ដែល​យើង​ហៅ​មក​លើក​មុន មកដល់ពេលនេះ គាត់​ខំ​ប្រឹងប្រែង ប៉ុន្តែ​នៅ​មិនទាន់​គ្រប់​ជ្រុងជ្រោយ នៅ​មាន​ការ​ខ្វះខាត​ច្រើន ហើយ​ខ្វះ​ធនធានមនុស្ស​។ ចំនួន​មនុស្ស​ដែល​ថា ២០០០ នាក់​ហ្នឹង​អត់​មាន ដូច​ការ​បាន​ត្រៀម​ទេ​។ អ្នក​ដែល​ធ្វើការ​នៅ​សល់​តែ​ប៉ុន្មាន​នាក់​ដដែល។»

​អគ្គនាយកនៃ​អគ្គនាយកដ្ឋាន​ស្រាវជ្រាវ​ចារកិច្ចនៃ​ក្រសួង​ការពារជាតិ និង​ជា​អនុប្រធាន​គណៈកម្មាធិការ​ត្រួតពិនិត្យនៃ​គណៈកម្មាធិការ​មជ្ឈិមបក្ស ហ៊ុន ម៉ានិត ថ្ងៃ​ទី២១ ខែ មីនា ឆ្នាំ​២០២០ វិទ្យុអាស៊ីសេរី

“More than 1,000 people came in and we have not yet checked their health and they go to their villages. Now I asked each provincial governor to instruct local authorities to ask the people who have just returned from Thailand to let doctors check their health.” [the number is now updated to 15,000]

Interior Minister Sar Kheng, 23 March 2020, Khmer Times

“Cambodians are panicking... Parents are panicking.”

Psychiatrist and former dean of the University of Medical Sciences Dr Ka Sunbaunat, 18 March 2020, Khmer Times

“ទីផ្សា​របញ្ជាទិញមួ​យចំនួន បានស្នើ​ឲ្យមានកា​រផ្អាកដឹកជ​ញ្ជូនទំនិញទៅ​កាន់ទៅទីនោះ គឺសំ​ដៅទៅលើទីផ្សា​រសហរដ្ឋអា​មេរិក និងទីផ្សា​រអឺរ៉ុប ដែលពេលនេះ​ទីផ្សារធំទាំង​ពីរ កំពុង​ទទួលរងនូវផលប៉ះ​ពាល់ពីកូ​វីដ-១៩យ៉ាងខ្លាំ​ង។”

អគ្គលេខាធិ​ការរង និ​ងជាអ្នក​នាំពាក្យសមា​គមរោង​ចក្រកាត់ដេរនៅ​កម្ពុជា កាំង ម៉ូនីកា ​ថ្ងៃ​ទី១៩ ខែ​មីនា ឆ្នាំ​២០២០ វិទ្យុបារាំងអន្តរជាតិ

Hun Sen is right Covid-19 fear is worse than the virus. The irony is that he, who has instilled fear on others to maintain power, now must squash public fear to sustain his power. Perhaps, as a fear monger, he could also control, not just inflicting, it.

Nevertheless, there are crucial indications that, by design or by sheer incompetence, he has whipped up fear of Covid-19. First, he fails to make Cambodia a self-sufficient economy in food security. It has run chronic and severe trade deficits in foodstuffs, especially with Thailand and Vietnam. As they now close the borders due to the global Covid-19 pandemic, food imports will be disrupted. So confirms the Vietnamese embassy. Their priority is their own citizens, not Cambodians.

Second, measures to contain the pandemic are persistently ineffective. Khmer Times has called for the Health Minister’s sacking. Hun Manit says the Ministry is incompetent. The latest blunder is an unmonitored passage at border checkpoints of some 15,000 migrant workers returning home from Thailand. Sar Kheng is frantic fetching them for testing after the ship has sailed. A BBC analysis indicates if one carrier infects 1.5 persons, the total number of the infected will only be 57 in 30 days. However, if 2.5 persons is infected, the 30 days number will rise exponentially to 406. Sar Kheng should panic.

Third, Hun Sen now divides scarce resources between containment and treatment phase. He is looking for empty hotels and schools to house infected patients. It may be a pre-emptive strike, but he forgoes the opportunity to flatten the contagion curve. A run-away infection will overwhelm the health system that he rejects for his personal care, despite a two-week crash course in fighting Covid-19 offered by seven Chinese doctors who have just flown in.

Fourth, Hun Sen has established a National Commission for Combatting Covid-19 that has no public health experts in charge, only politicians like himself and other five deputy premiers. If experiences of other long-established commissions to combat critical problems, like deforestation and drug trafficking, can be of any guide, this new commission solely groups those who can do nothing individually to sit and decide that nothing can be done together.

Hence, it is Hun Sen’s incompetence that induces public fear and panic. If psychiatrist Sunbaunat is right, a public panic has begun. Only the well-off or well-connected can afford to access and hoard foodstuff amidst price gouging. Many will lose their job and incomes. Garment buyers have announced their order suspension. Tourism has stalled with empty hotels and unemployed guides. Debts, rents, and other non-discretionary payments can no longer be made. Economic activities will grind to a halt. Lives will be lost to the virus.

If his drawcard is China, Hun Sen might be cushioned from long-run impacts of the pandemic. The question is then what he will do in return for the Chinese favour. He will lie again and say, “anything, but sovereignty”.

Pol Pot would be smiling in his grave, proud of his clone.

Ung Bun Ang

26iii20

Fake News You Can Use

Hun Sen may fail to contain Covid-19, but he has enjoyed a better success in limiting the contagion on social media. In the last few weeks, he has had 17 persons arrested, several Facebook accounts blocked, and over 74 Facebook accounts and pages closely watched. Hun Sen accuses them of peddling misinformation to whip up fear and panic to smear his good name and of his regime. He does not need their help to do that, does he?

He insists everyone take in “official” information. He is so calculating that he releases the number of infected persons in the night perhaps so that few people know about it. This way he does not smear his good name, not generate fear, and gets himself arrested.

“The official announcement is being delayed to late evening or even night so that when the news breaks, people may be in bed and will miss the immediate impact of the news.”

Anonymous Ministry of Health official, 23 March 2020, Khmer Times

Should you wish to receive Pseng-Pseng on your screen as soon as it is released, subscribe to it at https://tinyletter.com/pseng-pseng

Pseng-Pseng is published irregularly. Previous issues are archived at pseng-pseng.blogspot.com