The National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) has announced that it is embarking on an expansion of the Cambodian riel’s use, connecting payments to businesses in Laos and Vietnam via its Bakong online banking system. This initiative follows the central bank’s linking of payment systems with Thailand, an achievement that spurred the decision to extend the riel payment reach to other ASEAN countries. Speaking in Kampong Thom province at a celebration of the 43rd anniversary of the riel’s reintroduction, NBC deputy governor Chea Serey highlighted the significance of the riel for bolstering economic resilience, promoting growth and ensuring macroeconomic stability, especially during crises. She elaborated that once the project goes live, Cambodians holding Bakong accounts will be able to pay for goods and services in Vietnam, Laos and Thailand provided they have a riel account. She further emphasized that residents of all four countries would also be able to transact in the Cambodian riel while in Cambodia. Serey underscored plans for an expanded riel payment system throughout the ASEAN region, aiming to increase the currency’s value and widespread usage, as well as ease payments for Cambodian travelers in the region. Read more at: https://www.phnompenhpost.com/business/cambodian-riel-expand-across-laos-and-vietnam
EXTRICATING NDONESIAN CHILDREN FROM ISIS INFLUENCE ABROAD
Indonesia urgently needs to revisit the possibility of repatriating the neediest of its young citizens stranded abroad, whose families had earlier joined ISIS. Most of these children are in camps in northern Syria but there are also small numbers in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Iraq. “Extricating Indonesian Children from ISIS Influence Abroad”, the latest report from the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) argues that the government could begin by bringing back small groups of unaccompanied children under ten years of age, who pose minimal security risk and are most vulnerable to deteriorating conditions in the camps.“The problem is that health and security conditions are worsening by the day in the Syrian camps, and the children are growing older,” says Dyah Kartika, IPAC analyst. “They need access to schools, a nurturing environment, and medical attention. If the government waits too long, the children will be further exposed to ISIS ideology.” The new report examines a 2019 list of Indonesians in camps and prisons run by the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Indonesian government has been trying to verify their citizenship, but with pseudonyms, misspellings and bad transliterations, it is a daunting task. At the time the data was collected, between March and June 2019, there were 555 Indonesians in SDF camps and prisons, including 367 children. Among the children, approximately 277 were under the age of ten and 34 were unaccompanied. In June 2021, there are fewer than ten children who are both unaccompanied and under the age of ten that could be prioritized for return. Bringing back children of ISIS families is no easy task. The report analyses the main challenges faced by the Indonesian government. These include definitional issues, bureaucratic competition, the difficulty of verifying nationality, evaluating the toll of exposure to conflict, assessing security risk, and finding relatives or others willing to provide care once the children are returned. In addition, COVID has meant stringent restrictions on travel, placing further obstacles in the way of repatriation. There are several models for rehabilitation of children exposed to violent extremism in Indonesia that could be modified to accommodate the needs of children repatriated from abroad. The report examines these models and argues that the government does not need to have every detail of rehabilitation programs in place before it starts extricating children from ISIS influence. It can start by bringing back the most vulnerable children and then modify programs as needed.
“It’s important that the government see these children as victims” says Dyah. “They deserve a chance to be children again.”
