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Cambodia in Quarantine

From a public health perspective, Cambodia has apparently escaped the deepest hit from the Covid-19 pandemic. But while its role as an essential link in the globalised economy has propelled growth at a runaway pace in recent decades, it’s also left the Kingdom of some 16 million souls especially vulnerable to the massive shocks of a worldwide contraction. This five-part series, Cambodia in Quarantine, looks beyond the more immediately obvious health impacts of the global pandemic, instead casting an eye towards the people, projects and the finances at risk should the pillars of the Kingdom’s economy crumble.

You can also read the series in a special edition e-magazine harkening back to our days in print! Subscribe Southeast Asia Globe now to produce more reports like this.

  1. 1 Locking the factory doors
  2. 2 A return to the fields
  3. 3 Finding a pulse
  4. 4 Hanging up the hard hat
  5. 5 Holidays on hold
  6. 6 Reading between the data

Cambodia in Quarantine

Locking the factory doors

For decades the garment and footwear industry has fuelled Cambodia’s economic miracle, with more than 900,000 workers employed by over 1,000 factories at its peak. But with the global economic shutdown, the factory lights are off and the doors locked Read More

Navet Tab • Aug 10, 2020

Cambodia in Quarantine

A return to the fields

Once the largest single industry in the Kingdom, Cambodia’s agricultural sector has shrunk significantly with the growth of industrialisation. Now, with few other options as the economy stalls due to the pandemic, Cambodians are once again going to ground Read More

Navet Tab • Aug 11, 2020

Cambodia in Quarantine

Finding a pulse

For centuries the Tonle Sap has been key to the Kingdom’s fisheries and a source of nourishment for millions. Now, dams on the Mekong, negligence and climate change are changing history and threatening the Kingdom’s food security Read More

Navet Tab • Aug 11, 2020

Cambodia in Quarantine

Hanging up the hard hat

With no building in Phnom Penh higher than four storeys only 20 years ago, Cambodia’s capital and many provincial cities have seen explosive development. But with the hard hats hung up on many smaller projects in recent months, how sustainable is the boom? Read More

Navet Tab • Aug 12, 2020

Cambodia in Quarantine

Holidays on hold

Tourists have clamoured to see the sights of Cambodia and, for years, business has moved to meet demand. But the sudden collapse of the global travel industry has brought an end to the party, with once-bustling towns like Siem Reap now lying dormant Read More

Navet Tab • Aug 13, 2020

Cambodia in Quarantine

Reading between the data

Wrapping up a week of delving into the four pillars of the Cambodian economy – garments, agriculture, construction and tourism – Globe editor Andrew Haffner offers reflections on the findings and process behind the series Read More

Navet Tab • Aug 14, 2020

The Cambodia in Quarantine series is financially supported by Splice Lights On grant. Splice is working with Facebook to distribute micro-grants in support of small- to mid-sized news orgs and their freelancers in Asia financially affected by Covid-19.