Kith MengBy Prak Chan Thul
PHNOM PENH Feb 16 (Reuters) - A Cambodian tycoon will launch a $100 million casino near the country's border with Vietnam this month to attract foreign tourists and develop the country's fast-growing entertainment industry.
The Titan King Casino will open its doors on Feb. 26 in Bavet, a town in Svay Rieng province, about 120 km (75 miles) from Phnom Penh, covering 2.5 hectares of land and employing some 6,000 people, its owner, Kith Thieng, told Reuters on Tuesday.
Kith Thieng, whose business interests include hotels, fast food restaurants, a mobile phone operator and stakes in a bank and television station, said he wanted to help Cambodia's entertainment sector rebound after the global economic crisis.
"Most gamblers will be Vietnamese but my goal is also to attract people from other countries," he said. "I want to promote the fact that Cambodia has enough places for entertainment."
Tourism is the impoverished country's second-biggest earner after its agriculture sector.
Cambodia generated revenues of $19 million from its 29 casinos in 2008, according to Finance Ministry data.
That fell to $17 million last year, with the decline attributed to a fall in tourist arrivals and rising border tensions with neighbouring Thailand.
Thais are a vital part of Cambodia's casino industry. Most forms of gambling are forbidden in Thailand, but thousands of Thais regularly visit massive casino complexes located along their shared border.
In a posting on the new casino's website (titankingcasino.com), Kith Thieng said Bavet was fast becoming a regional centre for entertainment "much like Las Vegas and Macau".
Hear Sopheaktra, an assistant to Kith Thieng, said the casino would list on the Cambodian stock market, which was due to open later this year.
NagaCorp, is currently the only casino operator in Cambodia, with a licence to run any number of casinos within 200 km (124 miles) of Phnom Penh until 2065.
The company said last week it expected revenue in 2010 to grow by 30 percent as the global economy recovers, and forecast future growth would be driven by a surge in Chinese visitors.
(Editing by Martin Petty)
45 comments:
Have Mr. Kith Meng consider donating some of his profits for building schools and hospitals in Cambodia?
If not, there should be some tax in the country set aside for these two crucial in stitutions for Khmer people.
Maybe he should consider driving a lesser ostentacious car, while the majority of the people live under poverty.
Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime
Members:
Pol Pot
Nuon Chea
Ieng Sary
Ta Mok
Khieu Samphan
Son Sen
Ieng Thearith
Kaing Kek Iev
Hun Sen
Chea Sim
Heng Samrin
Hor Namhong
Keat Chhon
Ouk Bunchhoeun
Sim Ka...
Committed:
Tortures
Brutality
Executions
Massacres
Mass Murder
Genocide
Atrocities
Crimes Against Humanity
Starvations
Slavery
Force Labour
Overwork to Death
Human Abuses
Persecution
Unlawful Detention
Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime
Members:
Hun Sen
Chea Sim
Heng Samrin
Hor Namhong
Keat Chhon
Ouk Bunchhoeun
Sim Ka...
Committed:
Attempted Murders
Attempted Murder on Chea Vichea
Attempted Assassinations
Attempted Assassination on Sam Rainsy
Assassinations
Assassinated Journalists
Assassinated Political Opponents
Assassinated Leaders of the Free Trade Union
Assassinated over 80 members of Sam Rainsy Party.
"But as of today, over eighty members of my party have been assassinated. Countless others have been injured, arrested, jailed, or forced to go into hiding or into exile."
Sam Rainsy LIC 31 October 2009 - Cairo, Egypt
Executions
Executed over 100 members of FUNCINPEC Party
Murders
Murdered 3 Leaders of the Free Trade Union
Murdered Chea Vichea
Murdered Ros Sovannareth
Murdered Hy Vuthy
Murdered Journalists
Murdered Khim Sambo
Murdered Khim Sambo's son
Murdered members of Sam Rainsy Party.
Murdered activists of Sam Rainsy Party
Murdered Innocent Men
Murdered Innocent Women
Murdered Innocent Children
Killed Innocent Khmer Peoples.
Extrajudicial Execution
Grenade Attack
Terrorism
Drive by Shooting
Brutalities
Police Brutality Against Monks
Police Brutality Against Evictees
Tortures
Intimidations
Death Threats
Threatening
Human Abductions
Human Abuses
Human Rights Abuses
Human Trafficking
Drugs Trafficking
Under Age Child Sex
Corruptions
Bribery
Embezzlement
Treason
Border Encroachment, allow Vietnam to encroaching into Cambodia.
Signed away our territories to Vietnam; Koh Tral, almost half of our ocean territory oil field and others.
Illegal Arrest
Illegal Mass Evictions
Illegal Land Grabbing
Illegal Firearms
Illegal Logging
Illegal Deforestation
Illegally use of remote detonation on Sokha Helicopter, while Hok Lundy and other military officials were on board.
Illegally Sold State Properties
Illegally Removed Parliamentary Immunity of Parliament Members
Plunder National Resources
Acid Attacks
Turn Cambodia into a Lawless Country.
Oppression
Injustice
Steal Votes
Bring Foreigners from Veitnam to vote in Cambodia for Cambodian People's Party.
Use Dead people's names to vote for Cambodian People's Party.
Disqualified potential Sam Rainsy Party's voters.
Abuse the Court as a tools for CPP to send political opponents and journalists to jail.
Abuse of Power
Abuse the Laws
Abuse the National Election Committee
Abuse the National Assembly
Violate the Laws
Violate the Constitution
Violate the Paris Accords
Impunity
Persecution
Unlawful Detention
Death in custody.
Under the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime, no criminals that has been committed crimes against journalists, political opponents, leaders of the Free Trade Union, innocent men, women and children have ever been brought to justice.
Kith Thieng and Kith Meng are two different names for the person? In that case, the man is also rich in name.
kith thieng is kith meng brother
Kith Thieng and Kith meng are careless. These 2 guys don't care about the poverty of Cambodian people. All they care GREEDY. The 2 associated with HUN SEN and they got back up otherwise they can't open the casino. Remember some Cambodian mentality never change and for example the Hun Sen's regime they are the former Khmer Rouge anyway. They kill their own peoples in cold blood not like POL POT.
I'm not a Casino or gambling person. I don't even consider going near them. Why not modeling after Disney world in Florida or Hershey Entertainment & Resort. Co. in Hershey. Pennsylvania? A respectable family style of businesses including park, garden, zoo, theater, concert and sport complex. All are umbrella under one company. Cambodia has hundred, if not thousand of our own talent artists. Please show case and pride them instead. Also each division can employee a lot of workers. Think of park alone and depends on what size, would require hundred of workers, because there would be foods/ drink stands, suvenirs shops and game rooms all around the park. How about employ security guards to take care of 10,000 or perhaps 20,000 people during each concert? Hershey Entertainment Company has concert stadium right next to its park. The number of visitors could easily double when both are going on at the same time. Go figure and they also own Hotel and the Lodge to comfort their guests right around the corner. The company also employs many many nursery workers to take care for the appearance of their property. There are plenty of our own men and women who are from the country side that would not hesitate to put on a professional uniform and go digging the ground planting flowers. The list would go on and on....think about it and it's about time that Cambodia has something to really enjoy other than a crapy casico full of hookers and drug dealers. Worse of all, they don't even speak Cambodian. They speak thai or vietnamese. That is really really F******.
Khmer in United Stated
from 12:01am
Signed
Khmer in United States
I feel so sorry! that Pol Pot haven't finished people like these!
Employees nowadays at the casino speak Siem and Yuon. They learning Khmer language every single day from their boss. Someday their boss would let them run more businesses for them because they speak multi-languages.
Look at the posters above. All you guys are just a bunch of laggards and mediocre mind who couldn't find a better thing to do in life beside being jealous and resentful to your own compatriots.
The fact that some Khmers get rich in business will help to motivate other Khmers, create network of businesses among Khmers to attract other business ideas and help to generate local economy ...and so on. Can you see the bright side of things, or only see the glass half-empty for the rest of your life?
This is real life of the Hun Sen government---relying on gambling to run a state. It just is another toy for the Cambodian elite CPPs. I bet this Casino will be run by the Yuon masters.
This sort of casino lifestyle brings corrupt politicians, evil bosses, crimes, and prostitution into Cambodia--social diseases on Khmer.
Good life but short under the Hun Sen government!!!
KHMER Angkor.
1:22
Amen...
good for them, if they give back to the development of cambodia. actually, the rich ones who did not give a damn about cambodia is the one we have o be waried about, really! more power to those who wanted to make a real difference in cambodia. god bless.
it's called life; lives do go on with or without you, really! god bless those who have a vibrant for life.
Hun Sen and his wife have robbed a lot of moneys from Cambodia and have used all these gangsters to run their business for them.
How can these guys make this kind of moneys without assisting from Hun sen?
He is now the son in law of Hun Neng. But he slep with all Hun cousins to spread all his aid virus
Khmers have no right to cut a sigle tree, neither a single wild animal..
BUT Hun Sen and his clan members could cut thousand of trees, thousand of hectares of trees to sell for their pockets..
Cambodia is the property of Hun Sen ?
You talk about justice. Crook!
ពួកអ្នកឯងសរសេរនៅទីនេះសុទ្ធសឹងជាពួកអាវង្វេងបឹងទាំងអស។វាយ៉ាងដួចម្តេចបានជាពួកងាវង្វេង
ទាំងអស់នៅក្នុងទំព័ទនេះគ្មានភាពជាខ្មែរបន្តិចសោះប្រហែលពួកវាចង់បានដួចចៅហ្វាយរបស់ពួកវាហើយរកដីដើរពុំបាន។ព្រលឹងខ្មែរដែលលោកបានស្លាប់ទៅនៅជុំនាន់ពលពតលោកនឹងតាមយាយី
ពួកអាត្មិរទាំងនេះចោលឲ្យអស់ពីប្រជាជនកម្ពុជា។ខ្មែរនៅមានទឹកដីដ៏តួចនេះគឺដោយសារពួកអាប្រឆាំងគ្មានក្បាលកន្តុយនេះហើយដែលបានធ្វើឲ្យដីខ្មែរតួចដួចសព្វថ្ងៃនេះ។
Cambodia is currently under great poverty. We don't need casino. Casino will only make the matter worst.
This crook drive Rols Roys while million citizens under great poverty.
If him and his clans rich from honest businesses we all happy to see but obviously rich from corruptions.
Cambodia don't need casino. Casino is not good for the community. I would rather see immusement or theme park which bring joy and happiness for visitors and the societies.
I bet if he were to turn in his rolls-royce for a Camry or Honda accord would make help alot...the money could really make a difference on poor Khmers with schools and hospitals in several villages...
2.5 hectares of land could convert into a border 'Home Depot' instead of casino...which many countries are trying to get rid of because the negative effects on society.
Casinos are open to attract touristes and other nationals including the yuons and siam gamblers? Why can't people understand that? Come to Canada and you'll see how many Casinos were open during the past fifteen years, in addition to many lotteries and so on...
Stop dreaming about the world but face it as it is!
Hey! Lotteries are for Red Cross, dude!
And Cambodia Red Cross use to help soldier at the frontier, dude!
Sorry poor Cambodian you have NGOs! And ah Kwack want to controle NGO too!
Funny. One guy wrote about Canada, the other guy misread it as Cambodia. It looks like some folks could not see clearly even with two eyes....
Folks,this ROLLS-ROYCE is not mine.It's for showing off only.If you still have questions just ask my buddy HUN SEN.
kith Meng.
ពួកអា CPP សុទ្ធសឹងជាពួកអាវង្វេងបឹងទាំងអស។
វាយ៉ាងដួចម្តេចបានជាពួកវាវង្វេងទាំងអស់
នៅក្នុងទំព័រនេះគ្មានភាពជាខ្មែរបន្តិចសោះ
ប្រហែលពួកវាជា YUON ហើយ។
ព្រលឹងខ្មែរដែលលោកបានស្លាប់ទៅ
នឹងតាមយាយីពួកអាទាំងនេះចោល
ឲ្យអស់ពីកម្ពុជា។
Just remind you people, while sihanouk think that he was a smart man by opening giant casino to support his fuken gov reast yum, then he finish by creating too much troubles that he ended by asking lon nol to lead false coup so he can jump to join Vietcong to bring genocide against Khmer people who criticized his proviet policy and refused to join his vietcongs clan
I am going to reserve my judgement at this time because there are plenty of casinoes long Khmer-Siem border and what have become of those Casinoes and did it bring any positive things for Cambodia as a whole? Since the Siem-Khmer border conflict and everything go down the drain! But what if Khmer-Youn have border conflict in the future and what will become of this $100 million casino?
It seems that Svay Rieng province will be another guinea pig and I will be looking at the negative and positive impact on Svay Rieng province such the crime rate,employment, housing, education, health...
Cambodia is full of young people. A Theme Park would provide jobs for them after school and during vacation months. Many can earn good money. Their parents too can produce foods, sweets or goodies to sell as well. Wouldn't that be great? and no more kids' sex trade in Cambodia!
It would cost more than $100 million to build a Theme Park! Building Casino is the cheapest way to go!
Here is what local people can do to help themself in the meantime.
In 1974 and starting on April 14th, the city of Battambang created a fun fair park that involved all kind of games, movies, singing comptetion, live musical bands, motorcycles climing up the wall and more to entertain the whole city for three days and nights at the Garden Children or Soun Koma ( Soun Konthea Bopha before 1970 ). Everybody was having a great time. In fact children and young adults were having the best time of their lives!. Then came Khmer Rouge the same month in 1975. Well it was f. up, but this can be recreated. It deosn't cost much. It just need good people with a good heart to do it. Watch there will be plenty of people that would jump in and help out. Of course they want to sell their food, products and show businesses etc.... please pass the word. Also find those people and give them the assignments. Sick of seeing our people being poor depressed and jobless.
As a teenager in 1974, my most memorable and fun memory during that time was throwing a round plastic band into the duck's heads and there were at least fifty ducks moving up and down. Shit! i lost almost all of my money, but it was worth it and the food, it was everywhere! I want to eat them all! :) People say there is nothing better for a child then to put them in a candy store. It's so true and it's better when they are at the park. It was an amazing experience and unforgettable memory indeed.
I think better not to have casino in srok Khmer at all. They should build theme park instead, it is good opportunity for our people for the job to grow once the tourist increase. They should franchise these theme park like Disneyland, Knott Berry Farm, Magic Mountain, Universal studio, Adventureland, Busch Gardens, Disney World, Water World, Hersheypark, Raging Water, Wild River, Sea World, zoo and etc.
problem is themepark does not make business sense in the "impoverished" Cambodia. who has US$100m to burn?
Kith Meng is an Austrian citizen, my question how is Kith Meng filed his income tax with Australian govt since he is living and investing in Cambodia?
Correction:
Kith Meng is an Australian citizen,
whatever, can't please everyone all of the time, you know! yes, develop thick skin if some comments are useless!
we should be proud for one khmer richest in the forbe magazine. keith meng, at least, worked so hard to get close to hunsen for doing all business. he doesn't steal no one properties, all his profits have to be shared with all corrupted CPP. the casino, is creating job, for khmer pple and attract more tourists, mostly viet for costumers, don't u know viet love gambling, it's not khmer problem.
Kit meng ripped off so many khmer people in australia through scams, and he used this money to run his business, in the millions, i mean. his accomplice was Cheang Kim. So many lost money through cheang Kim's sweet talk. Cheang Kim now is in jail for 3 years for fraud, along with her son Johny Cheng.
Recreational facility! and more recreational activities! is what Cambodian are screaming for and yet no one hear them. None have any ability to it. For a country of 14 millions, Oh God, let's pray that Cambodia will find and have our own philanthropist in the near future.
Vietnam is a Communist country. Surprise! and what do we see? Their country men are going around visiting Casinos like a loose gun. Can you see that happen during Pol Pot's year or in North Korea? Shame on Vietnam.
hey, don't you know khmer people love to take their children and family to theme park. i think someone should build a huge theme park in cambodia, it will be good business for selling food, beverages, put on cultural shows, recreation, rides, etc..., not to mention thousands of jobs for khmer people. i think someone with a lot of money should look into building a huge theme park in cambodia. and it's won't just attract people in cambodia, probably from all over the world as well. the great thing about cambodia right now is that it is inexpensive to start a conglomerate like this, really, plus, cambodia is going to have a stock market soon, so this is good to put it on the local stock market as well, really. be recreative and clever. everything has to start somewhere somehow, especially in beautiful cambodia. look at the khmer culture themepark in siem reap, it already attracted a lot of curious visitors, even myself have the urge to take a peek there when in siem reap! please think about it, it is good business, really!
yes, great idea; cambodia is not the same anymore. it is growing both economically and in population as well, and the standard of living is much much better and will be better and better all the time, really!
themepark is also a good place to promote your products too! remember too that people in cambodia now have money and they did to have fun, so a themepark is a good place for them to go to enjoy and relaxation on the weekends, etc... i think it is good business with a themepark. and don't forget, the climate is hot in cambodia, so have ice cream shop, water slide, water splashing rides, etc, etc... in hot climate country like cambodia, people love to play with water!
There's 83 million in VN and they all like to gamble, so why not come to Cambodia and spend their money.
the key is to have diverse businesses, ok! everything one can think of, ok!
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