Stories written by Kris Janssens

Cambodia More Than Ever Squeezed Between Russia and the West

By Kris Janssens
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen walks into a diplomatic minefield these days. He supports UN resolutions against Putin but does not want to jeopardize the long-standing friendship with Russia. At the same time, he tries to be less dependent on the West, both economically and politically.

40 Years Since the Khmer Rouge Regime Came to an End in Cambodia

By Kris Janssens
The anniversary is not actually celebrated. After all these years, talking about the Khmer Rouge is still controversial. This is partly because the genocide came ‘from within’. Almost every family has a feud that goes back to this dark history in the seventies.

The Cambodian Port City on China’s 21st Century Silk Road That’s Becoming the New Macau

By Kris Janssens
The new Macau. That's what the Cambodian coastal city Sihanoukville is called nowadays. Chinese investors are building casinos there on a massive scale. The southern port city lies on the new Silk Road (the so called 'One Belt, One Road') and is therefore interesting for China. The Cambodian government is happy to accept the money. And Beijing never asks difficult questions.