Cambodia’s coronavirus complacency may exact global tollA train attendant waits to check passengers at a deserted Beijing railway station on Friday evening, Feb 14, 2020. (NYT photo)SIHANOUKVILLE, Cambodia: When Cambodia’s prime minister greeted passengers on a cruise ship amid a coronavirus scare on Valentine’s Day, embraces were the order of the day. But on Monday, Hun Sen directed officials in Phnom Penh to treat passengers from the Westerdam to a sightseeing jaunt. Despite cases of coronavirus popping up in Southeast Asia, Hun Sen has campaigned against masks, arguing that they are better at spreading fear than stopping germs. Even as other governments instituted China travel bans that angered Beijing, Hun Sen travelled to the Chinese capital and met with Xi Jinping, China’s leader, in another photo op.

Source: Bangkok Post February 18, 2020 03:33 UTC