Cambodia 20250714
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Headlines:
Citizenship Revocation Amendment Causes Alarm
Genocide Sites Get UNESCO Status
Investment Wave Drives Growth
Infrastructure Projects on the Move
AI, Startups, and EVs
Environmental Protection
Bird Flu Cases Raise Health Concerns
Human Capital Development
Call for Microfinance and Banking Improvements
Admin Reforms For Better Governance
Border Tensions Cause a Political Crisis
Fake Angkor Dispute Gets Rowdier
Citizenship Revocation Amendment Causes Alarm
The National Assembly has unanimously passed a constitutional amendment to Article 33, giving the government power to revoke citizenship and denaturalize anyone who is considered to be conspiring with foreign powers. Critics say the amendment could be used to target political dissidents, possibly making them stateless. Amnesty International condemned the amendment, saying it violates Article 15 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The government says nothing’s wrong with the measure as it’s intended to protect national interests, saying that 134 other countries have similar rules on their books.
Read more: Amnesty International (Human Rights Concerns), UCA News (Political Impact), Jurist (Legal Analysis), Al Jazeera (Legislative Process)
Genocide Sites Get UNESCO Status
Three Cambodian genocide memorial sites - Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum, Choeung Ek Genocidal Centre, and M-13 Prison - have been officially inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List. These sites were central locations of imprisonment, torture, and execution during the Khmer Rouge regime's rule from 1975 to 1979. The recognition comes on the 50th anniversary of the Khmer Rouge's rise to power. Survivors welcomed the designation as an important step towards saving historical memories.
Read more: Khmer Times (Government Response), UCA News (Site Details), Canberra Times (Historical Context), Straits Times (Survivor Reactions)
Investment Wave Drives Growth
Nearly $6 billion in fixed-asset investments have been recorded in the first half of the year, a 77% year-over-year increase. 373 approved investment projects are expected to create more than a quarter of a million new jobs. The country's trade with its top 20 trading partners reached $30.57 billion, an increase of 17.2% year-over-year. Exports grew 16.2% to $14.29 billion and imports rose 18% to $16.28 billion. China is still the largest trading partner at $9.27 billion (+26.9%), followed by the United States at $5.69 billion (+25.7%).
Read more: Khmer Times (Trade Growth), Khmer Times (Investment Climate)
Infrastructure Projects on the Move
The Northeast Border Ring Road project is more than half done, covering ~86 km. The Cambodia-China Mekong Kratie Friendship Bridge, funded by a $114 million Chinese loan, is almost ready, with 96% of the bridge body finished and 70% overall finished. The new Techo International Airport remains scheduled to open for operations on September 9.
Read more: Khmer Times (Border Road), Khmer Times (Kratie Bridge), Khmer Times (Techo Airport)
AI, Startups, and EVs
Cambodia is the fourth South-East Asian country to finish its national AI Readiness Assessment on legal/regulatory, social/cultural, scientific/educational, economic, and technical/infrastructural frameworks. The country's tech startup ecosystem is still hampered by gaps in support programs, including insufficient mentorship and limited networking opportunities. Cambodia has set a target of getting 800,000 electric vehicles on the road by 2030, a feat that will require expanding the number of EV-trained technicians from 150 to 15,000 skilled workers.
Read more: UNESCO (AI Readiness), Cambodia Investment Review (Startup Ecosystem), Khmer Times (EV Development)
Environmental Protection
Three main environmental stories this week: The government has set up a commission under Interior Minister Sar Sokha to relocate many of the floating houses around Tonle Sap Lake as part of what’s claimed to be an environmental protection program. The World Bank says it will continue to modernize Cambodia's water infrastructure through a decade-long program. The Ministry of Environment and Sevea consultancy have announced PowerWise, an energy efficiency program running from September 2025 to August 2026, that will engage with 30 commercial companies and NGOs in a gamified contest to work on reducing energy use.
Read more: Khmer Times (Tonle Sap Protection), Khmer Times (Water Infrastructure), Khmer Times (Energy Efficiency)
Bird Flu Cases Raise Health Concerns
There’s been a concerning recent rise in H5N1 avian influenza, with 12 human infections and a 43% fatality rate so far this year. A new case involves a 5-year-old boy from Kampot province who has been hospitalized with severe respiratory problems. Most of the cases are linked to rural poultry contact, so readers of the Memo should largely be safe, but be alert.
Read more: The Conversation (Case Analysis), Medical Xpress (Health Risks)
Human Capital Development
Human capital development remains an important part of the nation’s Vision 2050, and the government says that it has run 1.5 million vocational training sessions covering 45 high-demand skills. Separately, the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training is undertaking a push to redirect workers toward domestic employment opportunities. Part of the plan to convince them is to allow them to receive National Social Security Fund coverage, something that the estimated 1.2 million Cambodian migrant workers in Thailand currently lack.
Read more: Khmer Times (Vision 2050), Khmer Times (Domestic Employment)
Call for Microfinance and Banking Improvements
The Cambodia Microfinance Association has published plans to improve borrower protections in a sector which serves more than 2 million borrowers with loans of more than $10 billion. The new Code of Conduct puts a stop to coercive lending practices and shifts loan assessments from collateral-based to cash flow-based evaluations.
A Yuanta Securities analysis reports some of the challenges facing the broader banking sector, with 59 commercial banks operating in a highly fragmented market where the top 5 banks control 49% of total assets. The analysis recommends consolidation, better regulatory support for mergers, and improved risk management systems to shore up the sector.
Read more: Cambodia Investment Review (Microfinance Reforms), Cambodia Investment Review (Banking Sector)
Admin Reforms For Better Governance
The General Department of Taxation has a new formal notification system for tax declaration irregularities in Cambodia. Under Notification 9124, taxpayers will receive notifications either physically or electronically and have 30 working days to respond with three options: accepting and paying, disputing the findings, or dealing with enforcement actions. A new monitoring system for salary and allowance payments has been put in place by the Ministry of Civil Service after the discovery of $10.7 million in overpayments between 2022 and 2024 ($9 million of that has already been recovered).
Read more: Cambodia Investment Review (Tax System), Asian News Network (Salary Monitoring), Khmer Times (Land Registration)
Border Tensions Cause a Political Crisis
We’ve moved the last two stories to the bottom of today’s newsletter since they, although important, are largely rehashes of ongoing drama. The May 28 border brouhaha between Thai and Cambodian forces has now graduated into a diplomatic crisis. Thailand's Constitutional Court suspended Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra after a leaked phone call with former Cambodian PM Hun Sen was released. Now, both countries have slapped restrictions on each other, with Thailand closing border crossings and Cambodia banning Thai imports of fuel, gasoline, fruits, and vegetables. The dispute is centered on an 817km border with contentious areas including temple sites and undemarcated regions that have their roots in colonial-era disagreements. The situation has crushed bilateral trade, which has dropped from €4.5 billion in 2024. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has offered to mediate the border tensions, saying he is willing to keep an impartial stance while working towards a peaceful resolution.
Read more: Crisis Group (Political Impact), Asia Pacific (Diplomatic Crisis), Euro Weekly News (ASEAN Impact), Foreign Policy (Political Fallout), Bangkok Post (Diplomatic Measures), Khmer Times (China Role)
Fake Angkor Dispute Gets Rowdier
Although maybe not directly related to the previous story, the recent ill-will between Cambodia and Thailand is doing nothing to pour oil on stormy seas over Thailand's construction of an Angkor Wat replica in Buriram province. Cambodia put forward a strong protest at the 46th UNESCO World Heritage Committee session on the issue where the Cambodian delegation challenged Thailand's assertion that the structure is merely "inspired" by regional architecture, saying it is an unauthorized copy of a unique Khmer cultural symbol Angkor Wat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1992, holds huge significance for Cambodia - it’s featured on its flag and currency. Cambodia has asked for a UNESCO fact-finding mission and called for an immediate stop to the replica's construction.
Read more: UCA News (UNESCO Request), Khmer Times (Cultural Integrity), Camboja News (Border Context)
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