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Headlines:
One Month of Diesel, Zero Refineries
One Rumor, $700 Million Out the Door
Raids by the Thousand, Answers by the Dozen
Washington's $15,000 Cover Charge
Two Bucks Fifty and a Prayer
Monks, Concrete, and Border Creep
Hun Sen's Nephew Loses the Shield
More Money In, Thinner Margins Out
Red Carpet, No Visa
Twenty Months, No Hearing, No Hurry
Mekong's Dolphins Hit 116 and Counting
Shiva Dances Again, Uma Still in Paris
One Month of Diesel, Zero Refineries
About a third of the country's 6,300 petrol stations shuttered last week after Vietnam and China restricted fuel exports through at least end-March, though most have since reopened with only about 6 percent still dark. Thailand's export ban, in place since the armed conflict that began last July, has made the squeeze worse. The government cut import duties and VAT on fuel to zero, trying to put a leash on prices that have risen 40 percent for petrol and 74 percent for diesel since the US-Israeli war on Iran choked Middle East shipping routes. Energy Minister Keo Rottanak says Cambodia is pulling more supply from Singapore and Malaysia; partnerships with Total and Chevron are helpin to keep product flowing. Cambodia holds less than a month of diesel, jet fuel, and petrol in reserve and has no refineries of its own. Rottanak told Bloomberg the government is in talks with the US, China, and Japan about building a domestic refinery by 2029 or 2030.
Read more: CNA (LNG power plans), The Star (tax cut details), VnExpress (station closure figures), Strat News Global (30-day supply limit), Modern Diplomacy (ASEAN grid proposal)
One Rumor, $700 Million Out the Door
Lines formed outside APD Bank's Phnom Penh headquarters last Monday, allegedly after phone calls to high-net-worth Chinese clients claimed the institution would lose its license. Deposit withdrawal attempts hit $700 million for the week. The bank set daily withdrawal limits to $300 and suspended Visa services for more than 7,000 customers. APD has more than a billion dollars in deposits, with 99% of shares held in the hands of chairman Vong Pech, an unusually tight ownership structure for a bank. The panic comes after license revocations and forced liquidations at three other banks over the past year, most recently Panda Bank in February. Central bank governor Chea Serey asked for patience, promising that the banking sector "remains strong." APD continues to say its balance sheet is solid.
Read more: CamboJA News (transparency concerns context), Cambodia Investment Review ($700M withdrawal figure)
Raids by the Thousand, Answers by the Dozen
Between January and mid-March, police hauled in 5,771 suspects from 23 countries in 98 raids, the Interior Ministry said, with Chinese nationals making up the majority at 3,438 souls. Another 3,700 reportedly fled before authorities showed up. The crackdown has resulted in the shuttering of 249 locations, and courts have processed more than 500 cybercrime cases. But a Guardian investigation into arrested Prince Group founder Chen Zhi shows a messier picture, with scam compounds allegedly run with ties to the political elite, complete with luxury yachts and a $16 billion eco-city project. Chen's arrest in January forced uncomfortable questions about whether the raids are cleanup or damage control. Thousands of workers are now themselves stranded without passports or money to get home.
Read more: Caixin Global (January-March statistics), Asian News Network (deportation processing numbers), The Guardian (Chen Zhi profile), Cambodia Daily (provincial breakdown data), Asian News Network (China technical support)
Washington's $15,000 Cover Charge
Starting April 2, anyone from Cambodia applying for a short-term US business or tourist visa will need to post a cash bond between $5,000 and $15,000. The bond, payable by wire transfer or cashier's check to a government escrow account, will be refunded if the visa is denied or if the traveler leaves (the US) on time, but vanishes in case of an overstay. The State Department has put 12 new countries on the program, bringing the total to 50, mostly low-income nations. Washington says 97 percent of bonded travelers have departed on schedule, though that compliance rate is the result of less than 1,000 visas issued so far. The bond payment, of course, doesn't guarantee visa approval.
Read more: Travel and Tour World (payment logistics), Cambodianess (compliance rate), Travel and Tour World (program history), Khmer Times (deportation context), Travel and Tour World (tourism impact)
Two Bucks Fifty and a Prayer
Diesel at 6,550 riel ($1.64)/ liter pushed about 400 workers at J Star Garment in Kampong Speu to strike Tuesday, blocking National Road 3. PM Hun Manet held a tripartite meeting that resulted in a $2.50 monthly stopgap starting April 1, which union president Far Saly praised despite workers saying it’s not enough. To help illustrate how close to the edge these people are, one striker said her transport costs have risen by $3 a month but the factory's stipend, including bonuses, was only $12, leaving her short. The Labor Ministry says the issue is resolved, but worker Heam Samon said about 70% of strikers are still out, with demands for higher meal and overtime pay unmet.
Read more: CamboJA News (strike details), CamboJA News (government response)
Monks, Concrete, and Border Creep
Cambodia filed a new protest last Friday after spotting smoke rising from residential areas near the Thai border and claiming continued military construction in disputed territory, three months after a ceasefire was agreed to. Bangkok's forces have been clearing land, pouring concrete trenches near Ta Moan Thom temple, and building roads in Oddar Meanchey and Preah Vihear provinces. Thai officials recently surveyed and allocated three land plots to citizens in Banteay Meanchey along a disputed border segment. Thai media reported that a 1.3-kilometer permanent fence between two border markers will start construction in early April. The project is expected to take about a month and a half.
Read more: Cambodianess (Cambodia's formal protest), Cambodia Daily (fence construction timeline), The Globe and Mail (historical context, casualties)
Hun Sen's Nephew Loses the Shield
An Australian appeals court breathed life back into Al Jazeera's bid to subpoena AFP (Australian Federal Police) paperwork allegedly connecting Hun To to drug trafficking, overturning an earlier decision that said the broadcaster couldn't ask for evidence it didn't already have. Al Jazeera says the AFP have 17 documents from a 2002-2004 probe, one describing him as a "growing drug suspect." Hun To, nephew of former PM Hun Sen and cousin to current PM Hun Manet, has denied any involvement in drug trafficking or any of the scam networks. He previously sued The Australian newspaper over the same allegation and settled out of court last July.
Read more: CamboJA News
More Money In, Thinner Margins Out
AmCham's 2026 Business Outlook survey shows almost two-thirds of firms are planning to raise investments this year, up from half in 2025. But the share of companies that are expecting profit drops has risen from a fifth to more than a third year-on-year. The Khmer Times ran a separate piece warning that Cambodia remains a "price-taker" in global trade, vulnerable to US tariff fights and border disputes with Thailand that directly affect import costs.
Read more: Khmer Times (profit decline expectations), Khmer Times (tariff percentages imposed)
Red Carpet, No Visa
Chinese tourists will get visa-free entry from June 15 to October 15, a four-month pilot for the peak season, and launched alongside a street art festival that has turned Siem Reap's Pub Street into an open-air stage. The courtship makes sense on paper as Chinese arrivals were 1.2 million in 2025, making China the second-largest source of tourists. Tourism Minister Huot Hak said 150,000 Chinese visitors arrived in the first two months of 2026, out of about 690,000 international arrivals. Full-year international arrivals were 5.57 million in 2025.
Read more: The Star (2026 visitor numbers), Travel and Tour World (visa pilot dates)
Twenty Months, No Hearing, No Hurry
The UN Special Rapporteur for human rights defenders wants the immediate scheduling of an appeal hearing for five Mother Nature activists who've been jailed for more than 20 months. Thon Ratha, Phuon Keoreaksmey, Long Kunthea, Ly Chandaravuth, and Yim Leanghy are serving six to eight years for “plotting and insulting the King” after they launched an environmental campaign in July 2024. Their lawyer filed an appeal that same month. The Court of Appeal postponed a hearing once in June 2025, and has gone quiet since. The defense team sent another letter in February asking the court to proceed, but the Court of Appeal has so far declined to say when, or whether, it will do anything.
Read more: CamboJA News
Mekong's Dolphins Hit 116 and Counting
Four calves born so far in 2026 brought the Mekong dolphin population to 116. Even better, 2025 saw zero deaths reported from illegal fishing gear, apparently for the first time since people started keeping track. River guards, fisheries patrols, and drone monitoring are getting the credit for keeping illegal gear out of dolphin pools in Kratie and Stung Treng.
Read more: Phnom Penh Post
Shiva Dances Again, Uma Still in Paris
Reading Public Museum returned a looted 10th-century Khmer sculpture this week, the same week Cambodian restorers reassembled a 5-meter Dancing Shiva from more than 10,000 pieces that have been collected over decades. The sandstone god, with all ten arms and five faces, took five years to piece back together at the Angkor Conservation Center in Siem Reap. His consort, Dancing Uma, is still at the Guimet Museum in Paris, where the couple has been separated since looters shattered Koh Ker's Kraham temple.
Read more: Berks Weekly (U.S. museum return), VietnamPlus (10,000 fragments detail), Cambodianess (Uma Paris location)
That's all for this week, thanks for reading. Your voice matters to us. Feel we're missing something? Have additional sources to suggest? Don't hold back- hit reply and tell us what you think.
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