Sihanoukville Deputy Governor Long Dimanche recently sat down with a French media outlet to talk about the current situation in the coastal city. He noted that ever since the government clamped down hard on online scam operations, a massive wave of foreign nationals—particularly Chinese citizens—has packed up and left. The streets are a lot quieter now, and plenty of local small business owners have taken to social media to complain that business is tough and money is tight.
Dimanche didn't try to sugarcoat it, openly admitting that the exodus has taken a toll on local livelihoods. But he stressed that clearing out these shady industries is the only way Sihanoukville can truly transition to a legitimate economy. In his view, this kind of growing pain is a necessary hurdle for sustainable local development, and the city has to tough it out to get the economy back on the right track.
Walking down the streets, you can clearly feel that Sihanoukville isn't quite the same as it was a few years ago. Rental rooms sit empty, and beneath the roar of motorbike traffic, everyone's biggest question is how they're going to make ends meet. Locals are hoping the economy will genuinely come back to life—this time, without relying on the shadows.
