An Oknha's Extradition and Lim Kimya's Killing
Plus a minor spat with Japan and a baby dolphin.
Tycoon Heng Sithy was living like a king. The son of a secretary of state, he ran a raft of businesses in real estate, fintech, banking, tourism and mining. His Facebook account showed off a lush lifestyle of private jets and boasts about philanthropic contributions to the Cambodian Red Cross.
His fall from grace — which culminated in his extradition from Russia this week after being arrested in St. Petersburg — is a reminder of how quickly a seeming insider can turn on the Cambodian establishment, and how ruthlessly the establishment will respond.
In late November, Sithy accused Singaporean businessman Phua Gek Seng, who also has Cambodian citizenship, of running a major online gambling operation. Seng promptly sued Sithy and also claimed the accusations came after Sithy demanded a $2 million payment, according photos of the lawsuit.
Seng is registered to more than 10 companies in Cambodia, Commerce Ministry records show, including M Casino Resort Co., Ltd., which was registered in 2018 but did not appear to have a casino license as of 2023, when gambling commission records were most recently available. Other Seng companies include AFB 88 Co., Ltd. — a company Sithy has accused of illegal online gambling — and CS 88 Co., Ltd., which are registered as “short-term accommodation” businesses.
Kouprey checked whether these company names correspond with online gambling networks, partially because a combination of letters and Chinese lucky number sequences are commonly associated with the industry. A website called afb88.com provides online gambling and sports betting to Thai, Cambodian, Vietnam, Indonesian and international users, claiming to cover more than 2,500 sporting events weekly. Kouprey was unable to confirm if this site was run by one of Seng’s companies — apart from them having the exact same brand name — however, the website provides a Khmer language option for gamblers and all listed helplines on the website use Cellcard numbers.
Sithy fled the country shortly after the lawsuit and started a months-long screed against Cambodian government and police officials; businesspersons and even the Hun family, a 180-degree turn from his previous laudatory posts on Hun Manet and Hun Sen. He took aim at Manet’s cousin Hun To, former Preah Sihanouk governor Kouch Chamroeun, Interior Minister Sar Sokha, and many others, accusing them of being implicated in online gambling, money laundering and cybercrimes. Scroll through his Facebook account for more detailed accusations, which are too lengthy and, at times, confusing, to reproduce in full.
At the same time, Sithy posted photos of himself with assault rifles and weapons; dressed up in Wagner Group attire and at Moscow’s Red Square. After six weeks of nonstop accusations and military cosplay, the Cambodian government reportedly requested an Interpol red notice, and Sithy was arrested in January. He is now being held in Phnom Penh’s Prey Sar prison awaiting trial.
Days before his extradition, the Cambodia Daily posted a story about an open letter from Sithy, where he claimed his arrest was politically motivated and again targeted Hun To, Kouch Chamroeun and Sar Sokha.
Sithy’s case is reminiscent of Heng Pov, who went from being a powerful Phnom Penh police chief and a Hun Sen advisor to accusing senior government officials of committing crimes, including their complicity in the 1997 grenade attack and the murder of popular actress Piseth Pilika.
The government’s targeting of Pov is likely linked to his conflict with then-National Police commissioner Hok Lundy — another powerful ally of Hun Sen. According to a US government cable, Lundy considered Pov a rival and orchestrated his removal as Phnom Penh police chief. But Pov’s alleged close relations with Hun Sen and Sar Kheng meant he was retained in the Interior Ministry, much to Lundy’s chagrin.
And hence began a months-long spectacle where the government first accused Pov of various crimes and corruption while he was on a trip to Malaysia, to which Pov returned the favour by making his own explosive accusations against Lundy and Hun Sen. Pov, who pushed Malaysia to not deport him, was eventually granted asylum to Finland but was deported back to Cambodia before he could leave for the Scandinavian country.
Twenty years apart, and under differing circumstances, the Sithy and Pov cases highlight the complex interplay of politics, business and governance that maintains the status quo in Cambodia. Powerful individuals can be untouchable as long as they obediently partake in the patronage system, but if they speak out against the system, they lose that protection and are made to serve as a cautionary tale.
In Other News:
Speaking of the government’s aversion to dissent, Al Jazeera’s 101 East released released a documentary feature that neatly pieces together the evidence and narratives surrounding former Cambodia National Rescue Party lawmaker Lim Kimya’s assassination in January, while placing it in the bigger context of the Cambodian government’s penchant for transnational repression. Kimya’s killing is used to demonstrate how Cambodian dissidents overseas are targeted, surveilled and extradited on flimsy charges, specifically focusing on the cases of opposition supporter Phorn Phanna and Cambodian domestic worker Nuon Toeun.
Al Jazeera’s Mary Ann Jolley also grilled Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on Toeun’s case, as well as on the lack of progress in ongoing 1MDB scam investigations, a partial pardon for former Prime Minister Najib Razak and the location of 1MDB accused Jho Low.
Here are other stories you might have missed…
In Justice:
— Cambodia has asked Thailand for the extradition of another dissident for criticizing the government on its strategy around Trump’s tariffs.
— Three high-profile political prisoners were either denied bail or had their convictions upheld on appeal.
— Environmental journalist Ouk Mao was released on bail, a surprising but welcome development in the ongoing persecution of the reporter. Shortly before his release, the Ministry of Information claimed he was not a journalist because he didn’t have a press card and had been accused of multiple crimes.
— Three people are in pretrial detention after police accused them of “murder by rape” of a 15-year-old girl, who was found dead in a primary school in Phnom Penh’s Prek Pnov district.
In Foreign Affairs:
— The Cambodian Foreign Ministry is trying to end a potential diplomatic spat with Japan after Cambodia’s ambassador to the country sent a letter challenging a local lawmaker’s comments on the Cambodia’s human rights record.
— Cambodia again denied China has exclusive access to the Ream Naval Base, despite announcing a joint logistics centre with China that suggests the ongoing presence of Chinese military officers at the base.
— Cambodia and China concluded the Golden Dragon military exercises this week. Here is a video from Chinese Ambassador Wang Wenbin showing some of the live fire drills conducted, and follow this X account for more details on the weaponry used.
— Indonesian news outlet Narasi has another report on scam operations in Myanmar and Cambodia, while Cambodia rejected scam expert Jacob Sims’ recent human trafficking report by claiming it was meant to affect elections in the country. The next commune election is scheduled for 2027, with the national election the following year.
In Infrastructure:
— The government said the new Techo Takhmao International Airport will be operational on September 9, not July 9, as previously reported.
— PM Manet said the government was continuing dredging activity at Sihanoukville port to ensure more ships can dock there and so that Cambodia “no longer depends on other docking places,” a sentiment that has spurred nationalist fervor around the Funan Tech Canal.
— Speaking of the canal, the government said it has completed the second phase of demarcation, though details are still forthcoming whether people will be displaced or if they will receive fair prices for land acquisition.
And in Miscellaneous:
— Hor Namhong, former foreign minister and one of the architects of Cambodia’s pivot to China, is now a samdech.
— Workers at WP Sport factory, supplying American brand Dick’s Sporting Goods, went on strike Monday to demand better work conditions and treatment of pregnant workers.
— Interior Minister Sar Sokha has asked football teams in the local league to not assault or insult referees, perhaps referring to an incident in which a player attacked an official last year.
— In lighter news, Cambodia has another baby dolphin, and endangered banteng are being herded with a helicopter.
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That’s it for this week. Ta!