What lies behind Cambodia's surprise coronavirus success?

Government's strong hand and international aid have led to zero deaths from COVID-19

20200526 motorist Phnom Penh.jpg

Motorists wear face masks in Phnom Penh on Apr. 3: to protect themselves from inhaling dust and exhaust fumes, many Cambodians wear face masks. © AP

Kimkong Heng is a Research Fellow at the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace. These are his personal views.

In Southeast Asia, only Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam have until now reported zero deaths from COVID-19. Although critics have argued that some countries in this region lack the capacity to detect the virus, are underreporting cases, hiding reported cases or discouraging people from reporting them with legal threats, it seems that these countries have been able to contain the spread of the virus.

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