Bishop Paul Lay will lead the Apostolic Prefecture of Kompong Cham, whilst Bishop John Vimanephet Indavong will lead the Apostolic Vicariate of Luang Prabang. The appointments were made by the Dicastery for Evangelisation with the Pope’s approval. These mark important new steps in the revival of these local Churches following periods of persecution.
The 36-year-old reporter who documented online scam centres in Sihanoukville was released on bail three weeks after his arrest in late September, following apologies to former Prime Minister Hun Sen and his son, current Prime Minister Hun Manet. Dara explained that detention and police threats have undermined his spirit.
On the sidelines of the synod sessions, the wheelchair made in Phnom Pen, representing universal dignity, was gifted to the Pontiff. Named after the longest river in Indochina, it improves the existence of people affected by mines and cluster bombs. Jesuit Enrique Figaredo, apostolic prefect of Battambang: it is a ‘sacrament’ because it changes the inner life of those who receive it.
Cambodia’s best-known independent journalist still active despite ongoing repression has been arrested. His posts on social media on environmental damage caused by stone quarries were probably the pretext used by the authorities to detain him on charges of causing “social disorder". Dara was also actively reporting on online scams by transnational crime syndicates employing people in slave-like conditions. He joins about a hundred political prisoners already in detention in Cambodia.
On the feast day of the saint of the marginalised, Fr Alberto Caccaro, a PIME missionary in Cambodia, remembers celebrating the Eucharist with the Missionaries of Charity in their house on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. When he distributes the Communion, he is happy that Jesus, “the Bread of Heaven”, comes to rest on the “visibly damaged hands” of people “that no one else would take in”.
A video of three activists denouncing decades-old land concessions triggered a new crackdown on dissent. Capital armored to prevent demonstrations that exiled opposition leaders had called for Aug. 18. Hun Manet: “We will not tolerate protests against the government like those that took place in Bagladesh.”
Today's headlines: Iran arrested a street female performer for singing in public without headcover. Purges continue in Vietnam, where a tycoon was sentenced to 21 years for fraud. Tomorrow in Jeddah, the OIC will meet to discuss Haniyeh’s assassination at the request of Pakistan and Iran. Cambodia’s prime minister is set to launch the controversial Funan Techo project. China and Kazakhstan plan to jointly build a lunar station.
Elliptic, a British blockchain analysis company, exposes a marketplace called HuiOne Guarantee, which also involves Hun To, cousin of current Prime Minister Hun Manet. Chinese groups are involved in the illicit business. Worth US$ 11 billion dollars, it ranges from money laundering to pig butchering scams.
Repression continues after Hun Sen relinquished power to his son, with ten environmentalists convicted of lèse-majesté and one of two remaining independent unions targeted by the authorities. The lack of charisma of the young heir seems to have be fuelling corruption and abuse of power.
An OECD-FAO report expects ice output to rise worldwide by 11 per cent with robust growth in exports from Cambodia and Myanmar. After the peak triggered by drought fears, prices are still 14 per cent higher than 12 months ago.
A report by the United States Institute of Peace highlights the danger. Since 2021, the growing influence of criminal groups has affected individuals and the national security of individual states. For experts, more coordination between Beijing and Washington is needed. Such criminal networks have a turnover of US$ 64 billion.
A new report notes that returns from cyber scams generate an estimated at US$ 12.5 billion in a country whose GDP is below US$ 30 billion. This is keeping foreign investors away, weakening economic development. While the authorities have started to crack down, they can only go so far since many of those involved are Chinese nationals, protected by their country’s economic involvement in Cambodia.
Today's news: UN 'deeply alarmed' by renewed violence in Rakhine State in Myanmar; Officials from Kyrgyzstan and Pakistan met after mob violence in Bishkek; Two Chinese warships docked in Cambodia for joint military exercises; Over 130 people died over the weekend in Afghanistan from flooding in the north and centre.
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