Monumental failure! Or Working Perfectly?

 

Cambodia's has its much vaunted local network of officials down to sub-village-level everywhere.

And yet it is not only hundreds of scam compounds that somehow eluded their notice but in fact even everyday occurrences. Is it deliberate selective “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil”?

Cambodia is to host an international conference soon to share knowledge on how to eliminate such crimes. Will it explain why their expansive network of officials – local administrative ones from assistant village chief upwards as well as commune police – all seemingly failed?

If not then the only explanation is they all operated exactly as expected, as ordered.

The Cambodian People’s Party Central Committee controls the vast network with special commissions and branches that conforms to the official administrative system through 24 provinces, 210 districts, 1,652 communes/sangkats and 14,578 villages with also sub-village groups. The network is most visibly mobilised for election campaigns.

There is one village chief and at least one deputy or assistant, often more, in every village.

From June 2025 to June 2026, Cambodian authorities report that 737 scam sites nationwide have been raided and 20,102 "illegal" foreign nationals deported. That shows a lot of village chiefs and deputies "not seeing anything" untoward on their patches as well as lax immigration entry control systems.

One observation from formal good governance training as well as practical experience in development projects in almost every province is that village chiefs and deputies – as they are invariably also CPP officials - do not distinguish their official administrative work from that of the party. Cambodia did agree for the 1998 National Election on a programme of strict neutrality training but it has never been repeated since.

The most vivid example of how effective this network can be is that in 2017 within hours of Cambodia's Supreme Court banning the opposition CNRP party, every known activist/supporter was visited and all party signs dismantled.

Cambodia National Rescue Party's Headquarters Chak Angre closed, signs removed, and later demolished.

Therefore my contention – that every potential “partner” and especially donors like US giving Foreign Aid money for technical capacity-building should bear in mind - is that unless Cambodia recognises that its network has failed, and accepts the obvious explanation why it has failed and it will continue to do so unless they do change it, then no way can it be trusted to root out its lucrative scamming crimes.

I will now illustrate with a local Takhmau example of another repeated failing, and that is despite alerting authorities to the problem, as if they did not already know.

For over one year now, we have near neighbours holding all-night raves with extremely loud techno/house party music, the type with the loudest rapid repeat bass thuds. Often participants also shout and scream. They turn the volume up and down but delight in it being loudest between 3.30 and 4.30 am, the deadest time of the night when sound travels most easily. It is clearly in breach of Cambodia's Law (cited below).

There is a reason why the culprits are allowed to behave in this way. Pure selfishness, greed and disregard for others governs their behaviour, just as it does for the scammers and their backers.

But what causes officials to do nothing about it? Or is it a deliberate policy in this case to drive people away, to sell up cheaply and to go?

Footnote

Good contextual report is Transparency International's 2014 study of Cambodia's Governance System.

Colin Meyn also wrote about Cambodia's patronage system in the now defunct SE Globe. I referred to it in my tweet at the time and since. There might be an archived copy. http://sea-globe.com/cambodia-patronage/

For a more detailed explanation about how and why the CPP ruling party reactivated its network and captured others such as the youth movements - Loughlin, Neil, and Astrid Noren-Nilsson. "Introduction to Special Issue: The Cambodian People's Party's Turn to Hegemonic Authoritarianism: Strategies and Envisaged Futures." Contemporary Southeast Asia, vol. 43, no. 2, Aug. 2021, pp. 225+

Former Deputy Prime Minister/Minister of Interior did try to reform and separate ruling party work from official state duties and responsibilities.  In reality he had little success. Personal loyalty and family connections were of course reinforced with the "handover" of power from father to son. Hun Sen to Hun Manet, a precedent allowed in other ministries and state institutions.

Update 1 August 2026

 

Another example of obvious first-level first-line local law and order enforcement repeated failings.  A few weeks ago this shop in Street 172 was raided. For years we had seen its illicit sales going on in plain sight.  Yesterday we returned. Yes, it is shuttered, but look - not to the ground. There's a grill. And that's where the customers collect their white packets. We saw 7 transactions in less than an hour we were sitting opposite. 

You can see challenge the Cambodia Government faces or should face. So here is now and then:

Now (31 July 2026)

Then (19 January 2026)

.....ooo0ooo.....

My record of recent incidences of our anti-social neighbours, as sent to authorities and acknowledged by them.

Record of All Night Loud Music Kampong Samnanh Takhmau

The culprits have been imposing their loud music on this quiet neighbourhood for months, seemingly free to do so although the Provincial Tourism did visit twice to remind one business of entertainment licencing rules including loud music. Last year the Police also visited but by mistake thought that it was an occasional neighbour's karaoke at fault. The noise especially in the dead of night, when the volume is often turned up very high has not, it seems been heard by village chiefs, assistant village chiefs, and commune officials. Shouting, clapping, banging and even screams take place too.

In Cambodia drug-taking and distribution is rife at KTVs and night-spots.  It would be no surprise if loud music is not the only attraction, with Ketamine, Ecstasy and Methamphetamines plus "Yaba" and other stimulants to keep them awake and boisterous all night.

This is a residential area on the edge of Takhmau with the nearest actual karaoke parlours and entertainment venues 2 kms away. Almost as far to the South is Senate President Hun Sen's residence,

Cambodia's Law:

“Residential Areas: Noise levels must not exceed \(45 \ dB(A)}\)”

Sub-Degree No. 42 on Air Pollution and Noise Disturbance Control

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends keeping night-time ambient noise inside bedrooms below 30 to 40 dB.

To gauge how loud their noise is inside our bedroom, windows closed, curtains drawn, I compare it with my small bedside radio with volume just below normal conversation level 40 decibels.

	Compared to Cambodia Law	Effects
Audible	Matches/exceeds radio, 50 dB and higher	Annoying, disturbs sleep
Loud	Well exceeds radio – 70 dB+	Unsafe, prevents sleep
Very loud	Radio drowned out – 80 dB+	Very unsafe, can't take breaks from it.

Date

Time Started

Time Ended*

Volume

Accompanying Noises

Notes

31/1 August	?	5.30am*	Audible		4.00am on Loud
30/31 July	11.30pm	5.15am	Audible	At times Loud	3.30am women shouting

29/30 July	10.00pm	5.30am	Audible	At times Loud	3.15am on rowdiness
28/29 July			No music
27/28 July			No music		Similar from KTV direction
26/27 July	?	8.00am	Audible	Also Loud	Continued daytime*
25/26 July	?	7.00am	Loud	Shouting	3.30am to 4.30 then Audible
24/25 July			No music*
23/24 July	10.00pm	5.30am	Loud	Audible at times	Raucous ladies songs 3-3.30am

22/23 July	11.15pm	4.45pm	Audible	Men, women talk
21/22 July			No music*
20/21 July			No music
19/20 July	8.00pm	11.30pm	Very loud	Karaoke, birthday	All night to 5.00 am loud usual.
18/19 July	10pm	5.30am	Loud	Shouts, claps
17/18 July			No music
16/17 July			No music		Reported new exact location

15/16 July	9.00pm	7.00am	Very loud		Update to Provincial Tourism
14/15 July			No Music
13/14 July			Audible
12/13 July	3.30am	5.30am	Very loud		Turned down to loud 4.15
11/12 July	10.00pm	5.00am	Audible		Some tracks quieter
10/11 July			No music
9/10 July	9.00pm	6.00am	Audible		Some tracks quieter

• No music, ended or turned down to acceptable levels as no more than from other houses.

Originally we thought that the small KTV about 200 metres away was the source as when visited it had the equipment and played the same music. It was an open venue facing our direction but behind houses.  We wondered if it had been licensed for public entertainment. The Provincial Tourism Office visited twice, when they accepted some part. They were advised about the noise regulations and not to play loud music after 9.00pm.

Then recently in early July the direction of sound seemed to change, but the same type of music and pattern of being played all night, volume sometimes very high. One evening when it was especially loud we saw in one house windows partly open, with music-activated colour lights in an upstairs room. We could also hear distinctly mainly men, some women shouting above the music with singing and clapping. At 3.30 am one morning a group of KTV hostess gave their most shrill rendering of whatever they were trying to sing.  This seems to be similar to "Pop-Up" raves, although at a regular venue but well away from where Police inspect. It is also a location where Police would be seen if coming.

No doubt this noise, as well as anti-social, is definitely unsafe for the revellers and for neighbours they inflict it on, all within earshot, living just metres away.

Safe Listening Guidelines

Industry experts and audiology foundations recommend specific ways to enjoy music while preventing long-term hearing loss:

• 60 dB is the equivalent of a normal conversational voice, background music in a quiet cafe, quiet office environment.

• The 60/60 Rule: 60 dB is the maximum safe volume, if any higher no more than a maximum of 60 minutes per session.

• 70dB can be unsafe as while you try to sleep it triggers a "fight-or-flight" survival response in your brain. It spikes stress hormones (cortisol and adrenaline), elevates your heart rate, and prevents you from entering deep REM sleep.

• 80dB and above is dangerous, as in techno house music if sustained over time. Continuous low-frequency thuds (20–250 Hz) carry high acoustic energy that can cause permanent hearing damage, fatigue, and physical discomfort in the chest and ears.

• Take Quiet Breaks: Step away from the heavy bass thuds every 30 to 60 minutes to let your ears recover.