Friday, February 06, 2009

Mobitel office cordoned off by police: Between rumors and official version

Phnom Penh (Cambodia) – 05 February 2009. A dozen of military police were deployed in front of the Mobitel headquarters located on Sihanouk Boulevard (Photo: John Vink/Magnum)

05 Feb 2009
By Duong Sokha
Ka-set (Our apologies to K-7 for the previous source attribution to CSH)
Unofficial translation by Luc Sâr
Click here to read the article in French
Click here to read the article in Khmer

On Thursday 05 February, customers of the Mobitel telephone company were surprised by a sudden interruption of its services at the company headquarters in Phnom Penh. In fact, a dozen of military police officers were deployed in front of its offices, preventing all employees from entering the premises. It was impossible to obtain any information on the spot. The company customer service phone numbers (812 and 012 812 812) did not work all morning long.

Rumors started to spread in which the company would owe debts toward the state, or that there would be an internal conflict within the company management.

In the middle of the afternoon, a company employee who was in charge of providing answers to customers explained over the phone that the morning incident was caused by “the visit of VIPs who came to observe the working of the company” … when no employees were actually at work. “That’s why we had to suspend all our activities…”

Refusing to reveal the identity of these VIPs, she added that “the police deployment was aimed at protecting the security of these people, the same way high-ranking government officials are protected by cars blaring sirens used to open their convoy.” She indicated that rumors swirling about the incident were baseless while adding that the company resumed normal service on the same day at 1PM.

Mobitel, the phone company which counts the largest customer base in Cambodia, belongs to Oknha Kith Meng, the powerful president of the Royal Group (which includes Mobitel and the ANZ Royal bank in which it is a partner), and also president of the Phnom Penh business chamber. He is considered as a man close to prime minister Hun Sen. He could not be reached on Thursday.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

aH TAY HOUNG HOK LANDY COME LOOKING FOR AH hUN XEN TROUGHT TELEPHONE????

yOU FUCKING TAY HOUNG SHOULD GO TO CHINA TOO!!!!!

Anonymous said...

Kith Meng is with Chea Sim????

Sok Kong take over Mobitel????

ah Kwack was hit by the phone? You stupid Ph. D from Hanoi that Bonary your fat wife, the one who hit you with the phone!!!!

Anonymous said...

This idiot Oknha Kith Meng is incompetent in buz management even though he owns the buz.

If there is plan in place for his observation, there should not be intermittent disruption of customer services available to subscribers as this could have a big impact and lost to customers depend on the phone system.

Why there is a high security for his visit? He does not operate the buz in a terrorist country.

What an arrogant jack ASS this guy is!

Anonymous said...

This is called a security!! Shit, man!!
Did a dozen of this policemen be able to protect THAT ASS VIP?
Oh! the hell not. It took only one shot to blow the brain from his head through his eye.
WAT LANKA is the best spot for a sniper. It's calcuted only 3mn for professional to kill the VIP since his first step out of his car.
In Cambodia no one dare to do it. Shall we bring some of lousy professional from other country, shalln't we?

Anonymous said...

4:56 AM

Terrorism threat. IP reported. Next stop, Guantanamo Bay. Be prepared to eat a cock sandwich, son.

Anonymous said...

what ever it is just wait and see....the explaination that came out ain't true....time will tell.

Anonymous said...

Of course not, Pouk Ah Scam Rainxy doesn't even know what the truth is.

Anonymous said...

Umm....So scary, huh??
IP report!! Oh, My.... If so, U.S. be able to catch OSAMA BINLADEN bat tov heuy Ah va, Ah Koun Sva.

Anonymous said...

Donkey-Ass 10:33, can you low down your lousy noise?

Anonymous said...

How is the work of the KI now? this news is from Ka-set not Cambodge Soir.....u want those guys who got argument over the Global witness report to be together again?