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| Motorcycle taxi drivers wait for customers across a casino on Koh Kong. The development of the island has contributed significantly to the economy, but not without cost. |
New cables show how Cambodia is caught in a tough balancing act between economic growth and fledgling efforts to curb corruption
1/08/2011
James O'Toole
Bangkok Post
"The tycoons help to finance the CPP, contribute greatly to economic growth, and undertake important charitable work," the cable says. "However, Hun Sen's very reliance on his tycoon network may hinder progress in battling corruption, illegal logging, and other sensitive issues that he claims are priorities."
PHNOM PENH : "Mr Rough Stuff." "The Gatekeeper." "Gambling Kingpin." "Hun Sen's Money Man."
These are just a few of the nicknames bestowed on some of the most prominent members of the Cambodian business community by American diplomats writing in a cable made public over the last few weeks by the anti-secrecy organisation WikiLeaks. The authors of the communique raise concerns about this collection of oligarchs, their close relations with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen and the implications of such links for Cambodia's avowed war on corruption.
Ranked 154th out of 178 on Transparency International's global Corruption Perceptions Index, Cambodia has long been dogged by graft in both the private and public sectors. Hun Sen and his ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP) have publicly acknowledged the issue, and last year the country passed its long-awaited anti-corruption law, legislation years in the making that had long been urged by donor countries.
A few high-profile busts have been made since the law came into effect, but few doubt the systemic nature of Cambodia's corruption challenge. Complicating the fight are the country's well-connected tycoons, whose close ties with the government "reinforce the culture of impunity and limit progress on reforms such as Hun Sen's self-declared 'war on corruption", the US cable says.
