Cambodia bid farewell to 2022 with fireworks and parties, bringing an end to a year of several tragedies that have killed dozens of people.
Large crowds gathered at the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh on Sunday to watch the fireworks as traffic was brought to a standstill. Others stayed at home, partying and blasting their karaoke skills out loud throughout the night.
Just as 2022 drew to a close, a massive fire ripped through a Poipet casino in Banteay Meanchey province, killing 26 people and injuring 57, with most of the victims Thai, according to provincial governor Oum Reatrey.
An investigation is underway to find the cause of the blaze, but Sek Sokhom, Banteay Meanchey’s information department head, has suggested it may have been caused by the overuse of electricity, resulting in an electrical short circuit.
The year 2022 also saw another tragedy when a boat in Kandal province carrying children sank, killing 11 of the passengers.
The year wasn’t just bad for humans, it was also a tragedy for dolphins. A dolphin died in Kratie province in December after it was caught in a longline fishing hook, indicating an increasingly alarming situation.
Eleven of the endangered dolphins died in 2022 (as of December 24), bringing the total number of dead to 29 in the last three years, according to the WWF.
Adding to the sorrow, an award-winning hero rat also died in 2022. Magawa died at the age of eight after sniffing out more than 100 landmines and other deadly devices across Cambodia.
With decelerating economic growth predicted to be 4.9 percent from estimates of 5.4 percent, inflation was at its peak in 2022, hitting 7.8 percent year-on-year in June 2022. This followed significant increases in fuel and fertilizer costs, although inflation receded to 4.9 percent in August.
Rising inflation and increasing fuel and food costs have impacted the everyday lives of Cambodians, who are struggling to pay mounting bills.
The year 2022 also saw some of the biggest business deals, with digital media platform MediaLoad securing a second round of investment from leading Thai tech company, True Digital Group, to continue its ambitious plans to further expand in the market.
Hong Kong’s Swire Pacific has reached an agreement to buy Coca Cola bottling plants in Cambodia and Vietnam, marking its debut in Southeast Asia.
The year also saw the country’s first fast EV charging station installed as the government unveiled a drive to have 40 percent of electric cars on the roads by 2050 as part of its roadmap towards zero carbon emissions.
Cambodia’s rice sector also bounced back after its main rice export market was slated to return to pre-pandemic levels after EU tariffs were dropped.
With Covid-19 cases winding down and the tourism sector on its path to recovery, the country also saw some emerging inspiring individuals.
Rith Sovandalin has managed to overcome emerging obstacles and is now recognized as a role model for other young girls to look up to. Sovandalin, a high school fresh graduate, launched ’Code for Girls’ with the aim of promoting basic coding skills to girls and women, specifically those who live in rural provinces.
Cambodia’s youngest female techie Kao Menghorng is hoping to inspire other girls to enter the sector as she became the nation’s first participant in the TechGirls programme in America this summer.
Co-founder Bun Channimol, of Sastra Film, chased her dreams to see her business evolve from husband-and-wife dream team to a leading Cambodian film production company with 100 staff.
While innovative mobile app Kotluy was launched with the aim of promoting financial literacy among Cambodians as part of its founders’ mission to elevate financial inclusion nationwide.
Elsewhere, determined Thaung Thyda overcame a swathe of challenges to successfully transform the small salt business her family has run for generations into an international organization supplying salt across the globe.
One man - Lim Vanny - also made it his mission to transform Cambodia’s mountains of waste into handicrafts as an innovative project got underway to clean the capital’s three major rivers.
Inspired after family members died from cancer, the team behind award-winning app, CancerCo., aim to reduce the number of cancer-related deaths by increasing awareness and information surrounding treatment for the disease.
Kiripost also shone the spotlight on MeetDoctor, a telehealth start-up that is making healthcare services more accessible nationwide, providing services at affordable costs.
Despite many hurdles, indigenous Jarai Rochom Munny refused to wed at 14 and is instead pursuing a career in technology, with the aim of inspiring female members of her community to follow in her footsteps.
After starting school at the age of 18 in a class of six-year-olds, Tiv Sim made a lifelong pledge to help provide his community with access to education. He now runs social enterprise Ratanak Farm, which helps young students in his community get into higher education.
In June, nearly 100 people gathered in Siem Reap to attend Cambodia ICT Camp to learn about how to stay safe in the digital sphere, data protection, cybercrime and digital literacy.
This came at a time when experts issued a warning for Cambodians to protect themselves when shopping online to avoid being defrauded and discuss ways to keep children safe online.
The government announced that private sector workers can enjoy the benefits of Cambodia’s first pension scheme, which launched in October, with employers and employees to contribute.
Prime Minister Hun Sen also warned that the global fuel crisis will see EDC lose $100 million in 2022 as the state-run utility firm continues its pledge not to raise tariffs.
It was also announced that young entrepreneurs living on Cambodia’s coast are slated to receive a financial boost, thanks to a $2 million pot of funding aimed at delivering training, creating employment and improving livelihoods.
The pandemic-fuelled mass exodus of Chinese investors from Preah Sihanouk province has also left the area with a swath of abandoned half-built buildings and a stagnant economy.
Senior US state official, Assistant Secretary Daniel J. Kritenbrink, visited Cambodia during a regional tour in a bid to strengthen bilateral relations and engage with civil society leaders.
While Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn made calls for a senior US state official to renew a duty-free export trade deal and expressed disappointment at Cambodia being earmarked as “uncooperative”.
US Ambassador Patrick Murphy to Cambodia said he is “troubled” by reports of online scam gangs operating in Cambodia as he revealed victims in the US have been lured in.
In 2022, the US Treasury’s downgrade of Cambodia to “Tier 3” – the lowest rating – in its 2022 Trafficking in Persons report, put the country at risk of sanctions and reduced foreign assistance.
Last year also saw a treasured stash of stolen Cambodian relics repatriated from the US after a joint operation between the two governments to bring the looted artifacts home.
American journalist Abby Seiff launched her new book exploring the severe threats climate change, hydropower dams and illegal fishing pose to the Tonle Sap Lake and the millions of people who depend on it for survival.
US President Joe Biden visited Cambodia in 2022 and met with Hun Sen as the country chairing rotating ASEAN. Biden mistook Columbia for Cambodia in one of his speeches.
Agriculture Ministry official, Masphal Kry, who is now on bail, was arrested in the United States accused of smuggling endangered monkeys.
The year 2022 also saw pledges of loans, including from the World Bank, Asia Development and South Korea, to help build Cambodia’s infrastructure and recover the economy impacted by Covid.
Despite the year ending with some partying and fireworks, protests by NagaWorld workers over alleged unfair dismissals, is not over yet as the ongoing dispute enters its second year.
