Clockwise from Top Left: Hun Sen, SRP MP Son Chhay, So Moura, Minister of Tourism Thong Khon, Sok Kong owner of Sokha Hotel Group (Photo: Sralanh Khmer newspaper)By Mao Sotheany
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer to English by Khmerization
Mr Son Chhay, who is a member of parliament and chairman of the parliamentary committee from the Sam Rainsy Party has, on Tuesday, reacted in response to Prime Minister Hun Sen’s letter which stated that the revenues collected by the Sokha Hotel Group from the sales of tickets to tourists who come to visit Angkor Wat have been properly audited and accounted for by the Ministry of Finance and the National Audit Authority.
Mr Son Chhay indicated that annually the State Treasury had lost approximately $US30 million of the $US60 collected from the sales of the tickets to tourists who visit Angkor Wat. He said that the numbers of tourists visited Cambodia in 2007 were 2 million, not 1 million as stated by the prime minister. Mr Son Chhay said: “The figures from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as from the Ministry of Tourism stated that the numbers of tourists visited Cambodia were as high as 2.4 million visitors. And the calculated numbers of tourists to Angkor Wat of 1 million visitors are the in correct figures. And secondly, the method which Oknha Sok Kong company collected the revenues from the tourists, in January I have personally visited the sales office on the spot, the staff there told me that there is a directive ordering them not to keep any receipts and documents related to the sales of the tickets in the computer data.”
Mr Son Chhay also claimed that, according to the information he obtained from his inquiry when he visited the ticket sales office, Kong Kong’s company has transferred approximately $US6 million per month from the proceeds of the ticket sales from Siem Reap to a bank account in Phnom Penh.
Mr Son Chhay said: “Furthermore we’ve received information that Sok Kong’s company has transferred not less than $US6 million per month of the revenues collected from the sales of the tickets to a bank account in Phnom Penh. In total, according to our calculations, considering that each ticket was sold for $US20, $US40 or $US60, the amounts released were not correct, if we take into account that the sales of $US60 accounted for less than 40% of the numbers of visitors. In total, I believe that the revenues collected from the sales of the tickets to Angkor Wat can be as high as $US60 million, not the $US30 as claimed by Sok Kong’s company.”
Even though the Prime Minister has written a letter to the parliament on the 3rd of March which stated that the numbers of tourists were only estimated at 1 million tourists a year, his speech on Wednesday in a meeting to review the works of the Ministry of Tourism stressed that the numbers of tourists were estimated at approximately the same as the statistics from the Ministry of Tourism in the website (http://www.mot.gov.kh/), which are the same figures as claimed by Mr Son Chhay.
Prime Minister Hun Sen said: “I applaud and value the arrivals of international tourists which estimated at 2 million in 2007 who have brought incomes estimated at about $1.4 billion to our nation, which is accounted to 10% of our Growth Domestic Product and have created 300,000 jobs for our people.”
The 5-year contract of concessions signed on 17th June 2005 between the government and the Sokha Hotel Group stated that the amount of up to $US3 million from the sales of the tickets to Angkor will be split 50% to the Apsara Authority and 50% for the Sokha Hotel Group.
And any amount above the $US3 million will be split as follow: 15% deposited in Angkor Development Fund and 85% will go to the Apsara Authority. In turn, this 85% of revenue will be split 80% to Apsara Authority and 20% to the Sokha Hotel Group.
Related Story:
http://khmerization.blogspot.com/2008/03/prime-minister-hun-sen-clarifies-about.html
Mr Son Chhay indicated that annually the State Treasury had lost approximately $US30 million of the $US60 collected from the sales of the tickets to tourists who visit Angkor Wat. He said that the numbers of tourists visited Cambodia in 2007 were 2 million, not 1 million as stated by the prime minister. Mr Son Chhay said: “The figures from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well as from the Ministry of Tourism stated that the numbers of tourists visited Cambodia were as high as 2.4 million visitors. And the calculated numbers of tourists to Angkor Wat of 1 million visitors are the in correct figures. And secondly, the method which Oknha Sok Kong company collected the revenues from the tourists, in January I have personally visited the sales office on the spot, the staff there told me that there is a directive ordering them not to keep any receipts and documents related to the sales of the tickets in the computer data.”
Mr Son Chhay also claimed that, according to the information he obtained from his inquiry when he visited the ticket sales office, Kong Kong’s company has transferred approximately $US6 million per month from the proceeds of the ticket sales from Siem Reap to a bank account in Phnom Penh.
Mr Son Chhay said: “Furthermore we’ve received information that Sok Kong’s company has transferred not less than $US6 million per month of the revenues collected from the sales of the tickets to a bank account in Phnom Penh. In total, according to our calculations, considering that each ticket was sold for $US20, $US40 or $US60, the amounts released were not correct, if we take into account that the sales of $US60 accounted for less than 40% of the numbers of visitors. In total, I believe that the revenues collected from the sales of the tickets to Angkor Wat can be as high as $US60 million, not the $US30 as claimed by Sok Kong’s company.”
Even though the Prime Minister has written a letter to the parliament on the 3rd of March which stated that the numbers of tourists were only estimated at 1 million tourists a year, his speech on Wednesday in a meeting to review the works of the Ministry of Tourism stressed that the numbers of tourists were estimated at approximately the same as the statistics from the Ministry of Tourism in the website (http://www.mot.gov.kh/), which are the same figures as claimed by Mr Son Chhay.
Prime Minister Hun Sen said: “I applaud and value the arrivals of international tourists which estimated at 2 million in 2007 who have brought incomes estimated at about $1.4 billion to our nation, which is accounted to 10% of our Growth Domestic Product and have created 300,000 jobs for our people.”
The 5-year contract of concessions signed on 17th June 2005 between the government and the Sokha Hotel Group stated that the amount of up to $US3 million from the sales of the tickets to Angkor will be split 50% to the Apsara Authority and 50% for the Sokha Hotel Group.
And any amount above the $US3 million will be split as follow: 15% deposited in Angkor Development Fund and 85% will go to the Apsara Authority. In turn, this 85% of revenue will be split 80% to Apsara Authority and 20% to the Sokha Hotel Group.
Related Story:
http://khmerization.blogspot.com/2008/03/prime-minister-hun-sen-clarifies-about.html
32 comments:
"sales of tickets to tourists who come to visit Angkor Wat have been properly audited and accounted for by the Ministry of Finance and the National Audit Authority."
That said it all; what more can we ask for. Everything has been accounted for.
Anyone can dream of 3 millions tourists or 12 millions tourists and that Cambodia should be rich, but I say, "Have a pleasant dream!"
I think recent Khmer PM has no knowlege about accounting and he is poor in math. I don't know how you make your way up to get your PM seat, [cheating..?]. To be honest with you [Hun Sen}, Sometimes, it's hard to blame on you as cheater if these poor and less educated people vote for you. But personally I still hold you accountability for leading the country this way [Your CPP make them Poor]. I am so upsad to be born as Khmer in your time of PM. Come on, just walk out from your office. I am so embraced to have you as a Khmer PM. I can't believe that until now you still running for PM candidate for this upcoming election! There are plenty of educated students and nationalists want to return back to Cambodia to put our hands together to reconstruct our lovely motherland.
I am sick of seeing you as Khmer PM each time I go back to Cambodia.
KhmerNationalist
4:26 pm, Please be happy still, don't be upsad to be khmer because of this disgrace Hun Sen. He won't last long. Don't he realize that the more he causes pain to Cambodia the more his whole generation will be cursed? Come On, Hun Sen, If you don't love yourself.... Please think of your next generation. Physical blind is ok.. don't be spiritually and emotionally blind.
Nationalist Student
We are grasped very well that Vietnam's attempt to swallow Cambodia has not yet retreated. Vietnam is using the politics of incorporation and economic capitalism to maintain its "status quo" in order to gain their original objective to achieve Indochina Federation, and to benefit their economic growth.
Those Vietnam strategies are possibly through economic, armforce, and political structuring.
1. Sok Kong is Vietnamese by birth and he has never discarded his Vietnamese citizenship. His former name is Sau Cot. He was born in Dong Thap province. He just turned back to Cambodia in early 1990s. What we are wondering about his business in Cambodia, the capital resource is not from Sok Kong himself, but his business capital possibly from Vietnamese government. Petroleum is the lucrative business of Sok Kong. Beside this there are various investments such as import, export, resort, hotels, and the concession of Angkor Wat etc. We do suspect that the profits that this company earned have not deposited in Cambodian bank, the budget possibly transfer to inject the economic growth of Vietnamese government. This just one example among other Vietnamese business tycoons who have not only invested to gain their profit but also to maintain "status quo" of Vietnamese aggression.
2. Hok Lundi who has been noticed by many observers and Cambodian peoples as the Vietnamese in origin. He is playing the role of maintaining "status quo" through armforce in Cambodia. Beside this he facilitates the easiness for all illegal immigrants of Vietnam who are wishing to resettle in Cambodia. Many of those Vietnamese illegal immigrants possibly owned Cambodian citizen through Hok Lundi's supervising and network. We may not be aware that in Cambodia Hok Lundi is a very powerful and influential man to all ministers and governmental officers.
3. Om Yintieng and other group of advisers are the living political machine to maintain "status quo" to achieve their aggression intention. Critically, many good critics and concerns of foreign experts including Peter Libritch, Yash Gai etc are good for government to move in the right trajectory. But often those advisers reversely, adversely attacked those critics and turn Cambodia into their original purpose. Looking at the Hun Sen's activities, speech and national institution interferences etc are possibly the effort of distorting Cambodia to moving into democratic trajectory especially to have their own strong state structure.
Those advisers are greatly achieving their mission to maintain Hun Sen in power for long lasting as he wishes. Election each time is just the soap opera to hide their original agenda, and to lie Cambodian people as well as international arena.
However, the trend is moving forward, and it is not all bad. Those 3 Vietnamese fields in work have hardship as well to turn Cambodia into Vietnam. But their subtle mechanism and lacking of political will of Cambodian leaders can allow Cambodia to shrink and disappear eventually.
Essentially, Vietnam is using their incorporative strategy to maintain their influence and to hide their original agenda from the world like that they are doing in Lao. Vietnam's "status quo" in Cambodia is very challenging to Cambodia in lay down our international relationship strategy.
KY
Bullshit, so far it has been 30 years and hardly no one dress like Yuon, talk Yuon, ... . The only thing we do is eat yuon food as we had done for centuries now. So stop dreaming, you moron (4:43).
5:11PM
Yes, no body dress Yuon, speak Yuon like in Laos....
You might not be blind about the issue in laos.
4:05PM, all sales and expenditures have been accounted for? That is only coming from Hun Sen's mouth. Where is the evidence that all revenues and expenditures have been accounted for? $60 million collected from Angkor Wat and about at least 80% goes to Apsara Authority, but where does this money go? Spend on repairing Angkor Wat? Improving the Angkor Wat surroundings? No, we see that everything around Angkor Wat is the same, no improvements at all, still dirty roads. So where does the money goes? Corruption in Hun Sen's, Sok Kong's and Sok An's pockets.
So what is your point, 5:34?
Laos is still far better than South Vietnam.
5:35, PM Hun Sen doesn't lie, remember? Only Ah Khmer-Yuon Maggot Feeder likes Ah Son Chhay does.
Hun Sen lied more than anyone in Cambodia. Promised to do something but never do. Promised to resign but did not resign. In a meeting at Tourism Ministry Hun Sen said there are 2 million tourists, but in his letter of denial of revenues loss he said 1 million tourists, so who is lying?
5.35, ah chormaray yuon, you must know who is ion he national auditing authority - all are cpp assholders. waht do you expect cunt
5.35, ah chormaray yuon, you must know who is ion he national auditing authority - all are cpp assholders. waht do you expect cunt
6:16, stop mumbling if you want to know who's lying.
Tell me when and where did PM said that there were 2 millions tourists, did he said this at the graduation? was there a media publication?
Then tell me what letter of denial of revenue lost? when was the letter dated? Where did you see this letter?
5:35, what is your complaint about the National Auditing Authority? Have they scammed anyone before? ...
Give me something to work with, will ya?
I give you one, you Viet/Yuon troller @7:34PM...Quit pretending to be Khmer and get the freaking out of Khmer's face, now!
The comments of KY 4:43PM, You are absolutely correct! They may not showing that they dress like YOUN or speak like Youn but this cold mentally worked in Laos. 5:48PM is stupid. He doens't seem to get it or he is blind. He is Pro-Youn. don't mind that stupid idiot.
Hey, get back in the Vietcong shit pit, you maggot feeders. You stink all over the place here. And Euw ... there is a freaking maggot wiggling out of your nose, gross!
Dude, chill down with your attitude. Your attitude is exactly the same as HUN SEN. You got to show some manner and be respectful here. You need to act like professional here. Don't act like barbarian here. What a peasant you are. This is to that mofo 8:02PM.
No matter what all Khmer include, Khmer Krom, Khmer Kandal and Khmer Loeu will be winning over you mofo nonesense attitude.
Hey, they say great men think alike.
And fuck you, Ah Khmer-Yuon Maggot Feeders ain't gonna get anymore chance to destroy Cambodia no more. You got that, MotherFucker (8:24).
I bet he is more Khmer than you bastard. He clearly related you to anuneducated fool. LOL, I really applaud 8:24PM. He did spoke clearly and very respected. Only you acting very unprofessionally. Go to hell clown!
Oh zip it. You are spitting maggots all over the place when you talk.
Dude get a grip. People try to point out what is nonesense or not here. It seems that you are very barbaric or one of those ape. You call us maggots you are one of the bacteria that contageous the society. You need to wash you mouth with my piss inside it.
I don't know who pocket all that money. please start to fix the street around Angkor before it too late.
Samdech akeak moha sena is the greatest .The rest are just idiots.
7:31PM, Hun Sen's letter dated 3rd March stated only 1 million tourists and his speech at Ministry of Tourism on Wednesday 12th March stated 2 million tourists. The website of Ministry of Tourism (http://www.mot.gove.kh) also stated 2 million tourists. Is the Ministry of Tourism lying or Hun Sen Sen is lying? Have your pick, dude. The sales staff at Angkor Wat said Sok Kong transferred $6 million to bank account in Phnom Penh every month- that means $72 million per year. Why did Hun Sen claimed only $30 miilion. So the $42 million are in his pocket?
4:08, I will tell you who's lying once I see the letter, alright? So let's see it and stop stalling, will ya?
Who the hell you freaking Viet/Yuon Troller @8:47AM think you are to say "Once I see the letter"?
Be a sport Viet/Yuon troller,
go home and leave Khmer people to solve their problem on their own.
Hey, get back in your Vietcong shit pit, Maggots Feeder (9:28). Stop stinking the entire place here!
Under AH HUN SEN Vietcong slave accountant system and everything in Cambodia are accounted for!
Except one thing! AH HUN SEN bank account is unaccounted for! It is about time to check his bank account under various name related to his family and relatives and his close associates!
Hey, don't you have any respect for people privacy here?
6:36PM, Are you with Hun Sen or you are against Hun Sen? If you are against Hun Sen you and me are in the same boat, but if you are aginst Hun Sen then I respect your right. But I must advise you to be a bit more dignified in your choice of language because the language you used reflects what kind of a family you come from.
5:24, it is not hard to figure out whether 6:36 is for or against PM.
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