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Feb 23, 2026

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Headlines:

Thai Forces Still Deep Inside Cambodian Territory

Hun Manet Goes Shopping in Washington

Snapshot Treason

Whack-a-Mole with 210,000 Moles

Washington's Open Door, Phnom Penh's Locked One

The Mirror Cracks a Little More

Tokyo Backs Phnom Penh's Green Promises

ASEAN Business Summit Returns to Phnom Penh

Diesel Tells the Story

The $6 Billion Dream Runs on 30% Digital Literacy

IndiGo in Siem Reap's Sights

Thai Forces Still Deep Inside Cambodian Territory

Hun Manet told Reuters last Tuesday that Thai forces are still deep inside Cambodian territory despite December's Trump-brokered ceasefire, occupying land with shipping containers and barbed wire that Thailand previously said belonged to Cambodia. Speaking in Washington for a meeting of Trump's Board of Peace, Hun Manet said roughly 80,000 residents still can't get home and called the situation "fragile," pushing Thailand to let the Joint Boundary Commission start demarcation work now that Bangkok's February 8 election is over. Thailand's “new” Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul rode nationalist sentiment from the border conflict to a handy win. Hun Manet said Thai troops have now moved beyond even Thailand's own claims. This is his sharpest public challenge since the ceasefire ended fighting that killed dozens, displaced hundreds of thousands, and disrupted trade along the 508-mile border.

Read more: Asahi, Al Jazeera (shipping container specifics), Khmer Times (Thailand's counterclaims), Myind (October failure timeline)

Hun Manet Goes Shopping in Washington

Prime Minister Hun Manet returned from Washington this week with a $3.24 billion Boeing order and a tariff cut, dropping the U.S. rate on Cambodian exports from 49% to 19%. Air Cambodia signed for ten 737 MAX aircraft with an option for ten more, a deal U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau was quick to thank the airline for during Feb. 18-19 meetings. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer pointed to the nearly 29% increase in bilateral trade volume in 2025 compared to the previous year, calling it proof of American investment momentum. The meetings, held on the sidelines of President Trump's Board of Peace gathering, also covered the Thai border conflict, with Landau promising U.S. monitoring and peacebuilding support while commending the current ceasefire. Hun Manet stressed the country wasn't making "baseless accusations" about border tensions but "stating facts witnessed on the ground."

Read more: Khmer Times, Cambodianess (border peace assurance)

Snapshot Treason

Two Cambodian journalists filed an appeal this week against 14-year prison sentences handed down in December for treason over a Facebook photo showing them posing with soldiers near Ta Krabei Temple during last year's border fight with Thailand. Phorn Sopheap and Pheap Pheara were arrested in July after Thai media republished the image, which allegedly showed unplaced landmines in the background and contradicted official denials that Cambodia was using the weapons. The conviction, delivered in what CamboJA described as a same-day trial not previously reported, only came to light after relatives filed the appeal. At least six journalists have been detained in early 2026 for reporting on border issues and scam compounds; two are still being held in pre-trial detention on incitement charges, one of whom was jailed despite deleting his video and apologizing publicly.

Read more: AP News, CamboJA News (broader crackdown pattern), CamboJA News (misinterpreted photo context), Ucanews

Whack-a-Mole with 210,000 Moles

Cambodia has shut down 200 scam compounds since June, deported 48,000 foreigners since 2023, including roughly 8,000 since June, and 210,000 more suspects reportedly left on their own, a suspiciously tidy exodus that came right after the arrest of alleged kingpin Chen Zhi in January. Courts processed cases against more than 500, and authorities have taken possession of 46,000 pieces of (“tech”) equipment. Prime Minister Hun Manet set a March 31 deadline to wipe out the industry, but the crackdown has been stretched thin: recruitment for scam work is picking up on Telegram and TikTok, with hundreds of new job postings appearing daily in groups with 17,000+ members, many targeting foreigners already in the country. The listings offered salaries well above local rates for vague roles like "Add Contact" and "AI or Real Model." Several listings included Google Map pins to Bavet casinos previously flagged as scam centers and noted that passports would be held for "safekeeping."

Read more: Anadolu Agency (overall exodus numbers), Bankinfosecurity ($30M daily revenue), Asia News Network, CamboJA News (recruitment surge paradox), Kiripost (legal proceedings focus)

Washington's Open Door, Phnom Penh's Locked One

Hun Manet's Thursday visit to Washington, followed by meetings in Europe, has analysts and opposition figures calling for the release of Kem Sokha as a goodwill gesture that could ease trade talks. Sokha, co-founder of the Cambodia National Rescue Party, was convicted of treason in a case UN experts called politically driven, banned for life from politics, and sentenced to 27 years before being released on bail in 2018 and placed under house arrest. Independent analyst Seng Vanly said freeing him would help "genuine national reconciliation" and could smooth negotiations over Trump's 19% tariffs. The EU partially revoked duty-free access in 2020 over rights concerns, and its parliament reviewed Cambodia's preferential trade terms again in late 2024.

The Mirror Cracks a Little More

Cambodia slipped five spots in Transparency International's 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index, landing at 163rd out of 182 countries. Government officials called the ranking "senseless," which is roughly what you'd expect from officials in a country ranked 163rd. The timing is awkward as Phnom Penh has spent months trying to warm relations with Washington, pitching itself as a more balanced partner in the region. Investors weighing that pitch now have a fresh data point. The global average score fell to 42, the lowest in years, so at least the slide isn't happening in isolation.

Tokyo Backs Phnom Penh's Green Promises

Cambodia's Environment Minister Eang Sophalleth signed a climate cooperation deal with Japan on February 16, promising a 55% greenhouse gas emissions cut by 2035 in energy, industry, agriculture, forestry and waste. The same day, his delegation signed a separate deal with the Japan Federation of Shiho-Shoshi Lawyers' Associations to improve environmental law enforcement and transparency around permitting.

ASEAN Business Summit Returns to Phnom Penh

The Cambodia Chamber of Commerce and the ASEAN-Cambodia Business Advisory Council will hold the Cambodia-ASEAN Business Summit on March 3-4, the third year running. Hun Manet is expected to attend the opening alongside diplomats and regional corporate heavyweights. Sessions will cover green industry, customs harmonization, supply chains, and vocational education.

Diesel Tells the Story

Cambodia spent $219.5 million importing fuel in January, up 1.6% year on year, but the mix reveals more than the total. Diesel imports jumped 15% to $133.1 million even as petrol dropped 10% and gas slipped 1.3%. Heavy machinery burns diesel, and construction sites and factories bought plenty of it to start the year.

The $6 Billion Dream Runs on 30% Digital Literacy

A CNA documentary has put a number to the gap between ambition and capacity in Cambodia. AI could potentially add between $3.35 billion and $6.7 billion to the economy by 2030, which would be the same as a 5% to 10% GDP boost, but only three in 10 people had basic digital skills as of 2020. The government wants to train 1,000 AI and data science specialists by 2030, but field tests of an AI chatbot for farmers showed the real constraints are spotty rural internet and a preference for face-to-face advice over text-based systems. Cambodia is ranked near the bottom in ASEAN for AI readiness, ahead of only Laos, Myanmar and Timor-Leste.

IndiGo in Siem Reap's Sights

Tourism Minister Huot Hak met Cambodia's honorary consul in Bengaluru on Feb. 21 to discuss direct flights between Siem Reap and the southern Indian tech hub, targeting IndiGo Airlines as the operator. The push builds on a recent partnership agreement between Siem Reap province and Karnataka state, where Bengaluru sits. Indian arrivals were tallied at 62,000 through the first 11 months of 2025.

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