A Cambodian minister threatened other officials with gun during a ministerial meeting

Ly Bun Thoeun

Friday, 20 July 2012
Nokor Wat News
Originally posted at Khmerization

Nokor Wat News, a newspaper considered close to the ruling CPP, reported that during a ministerial meeting on 19 July, Ly Bunthoeun (pictured), Undersecretary of State of Ministry of Tourism, pulled out a gun and threatened the participants, including Tourism Minister Thong Khon and other senior officials.

Sources told Nokor Wat News that Ly Buntoeun seemed to be upset with Minister Thong Khon who probably strongly reprimanded him by something.

Nokor Wat News reported that, after threatening other senior officials with a gun, Ly Bunthoeun rushed out of the meeting and drove away.

When contacted by Nokor Wat News, Minister Thong Khon, Phnom Penh Police Commissioner Touch Naroth and Pol Pithey, Head of Phnom Penh Criminal Police, all said they have not taken any action against Ly Bunthoeun yet as they have not gathered all the facts.

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លេចឮមានករណីអនុរដ្ឋលេខាធិការ១រូបដកកាំ​ភ្លើងគំរាម ក្នុងអង្គប្រជុំទីស្ដី​ការ​ក្រសួងទេសចរណ៍

ថ្ងៃទី 19 កក្កដា 2012
ពត៌មាននគរវត្ត
ភ្នំពេញ ៖ កាលពីព្រឹកថ្ងៃទី១៩ខែកក្កដាឆ្នាំ២០១២ ប្រភព ពីមន្ដ្រីក្រសួងទេសចរណ៍បានឱ្យដឹងថា មាន អនុរដ្ឋលេ ខាធិការ ១រូបឈ្មោះលី ប៊ុនធឿន អតីត អភិបាល រងខេត្ដសៀមរាប បានដកកាំភ្លើងខ្លីមិនស្គាល់ ម៉ាកគំ រាមនៅ ក្នុង អង្គ ប្រជុំដែល មានលោក ថោង ខុន រដ្ឋមន្ដ្រី ក្រសួងទេសចរណ៍ ជា គណៈ អធិបតីអង្គប្រជុំ ។


ប្រភពពីមន្ដ្រីបានបន្ដថា មុនពេល កើតហេតុនៅក្នុងប្រជុំលោក អនុរដ្ឋលេខាធិការ លី ប៊ុនធឿន ដូចជាមានពាក្យ សំដី ខុសពីធម្មតា ខណៈដែលមាន កាសែតក្នុងស្រុកចុះផ្សាយយពីរូបគាត់ ដូច្នេះស្រប ពេលក្នុងអង្គប្រជុំមិនដឹងជា លោករដ្ឋមន្ដ្រី ស្ដីបន្ទោសអប់រំបែប​ណា បែរជាធ្វើឱ្យលោក លី ប៊ុនធឿន កាំភ្លើងគំរាមនៅក្នុងប្រជុំ និងគេចចេញពីកន្លែងប្រជុំ ឡើងរថយន្ដទៅបាត់ ។

Cambodians get tips to stay green

27th October 2009
Anne-Louise Brown
Noosa News (Australia)

Cambodia's tourism minister Dr Thong Khon travelled to Noosa last Thursday to learn about how the Noosa Biosphere Reserve is managed.

Dr Khon was joined by a delegation from Cambodia's tourism department, with the focus of their visit sustainable tourism.

Cambodia has several biospheres of its own and Ben McMullen, project manager for environmental initiatives for the Sunshine Coast council, said the exchange of ideas was central to the visit.

“In the last decade tourism in Cambodia has taken off and what we want to help the tourism department do is learn how to keep profits local,” Mr McMullen said.

“We also want to help the tourism ministry develop sustainable tourism that is mindful of the environment and of preserving the country's biosphere reserves.”

Dr Khon said he had travelled to Australia several times, but had never been to Noosa.

He was overwhelmed by the region's natural beauty.

“Tourism is Cambodia's major industry and represents 10% of the country's gross domestic product,” Dr Khon said.

“Because every year tourism keeps increasing, we need help to manage the industry correctly, so we are very grateful to come to Australia for assistance and education.”

Biosphere reserves are sites established by countries working with the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme to promote biodiversity conservation and sustainable development, based on local community efforts and sound science.

“As places which seek to reconcile economic development, social development and environmental protection, through partnerships between people and nature, they are ideal to test and demonstrate approaches to sustainable development at a regional scale.”

The Noosa Biosphere Reserve is the only biosphere reserve in Queensland, and one of over 500 which have been established worldwide across 95 countries.

Thong Khon reelected as Cambodia president of NOCC

PHNOM PENH, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia's Tourism Minister Thong Khon was reelected as president of the National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC) for its fifth mandate at a conference held at Phnom penh, local media reported on Thursday.

Officials from 16 National Sports Federations voted unanimously to allow Thong Khon to resume his presidency from 2009 to 2012 andalso voted him president of the executive committee, it reported.

Thong Khon was quoted by the Phnom Penh Post as saying during his address that the conference was arranged in accordance with Asian and Intenational Olympic Committee mandates to evaluate the work done by the NOCC over the previous three-year term.

The minister said the meeting would also "set up goals for the fifth mandate ... as well as amend the committee's charter to comply with the present situation and constitutional law of the International Olympic Committee".

Cambodia asks U.S. to help boost its tourism sector [-Gasp! Thong Khon contradicts Hun Sen and claims Cambodia face global financial crisis?]

PHNOM PENH, March 1 (Xinhua) -- Cambodia has asked U.S. to provide some help to boost its tourism sector, one of the kingdom's pillar industries, Chinese-language newspaper the Jian Hua Daily said on Sunday.

Tourism Minister Thong Khon made this request while meeting with U.S. Ambassador Carol Rodley here earlier this week, said the paper.

Cambodia expects U.S. to help Cambodia establish a training school of vocational skills and promote its eco-tourism, especially in face of the global financial crisis, said the minister.

Rodley expressed her support of the idea, saying that she will relay the message to the U.S. government in order to help Cambodia develop its human resources in the tourism sector and push forward its eco-tourism.

Cambodia received around 2 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2008, a 5.5 percent rise over 2007, but slightly lower than the government's expectation, according to official figures.

Each of the 6 Cambodian athletes for the Olympic receives $200, how much will Thong Khon spend for himself for his trip to Beijing?

Thong Khon (Photo: AFP)

Minister gives each Cambodian Olympic Games candidate $200

PHNOM PENH, June 11 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Tourism Minister and National Olympic Committee (NOCC) President Thong Khon has donated200 U.S. dollars for each of the six Cambodian athletes and trainers heading for the Beijing Olympics in August, national media said Wednesday.

"I just visited them and offered them my personal money," he said, adding that he had asked the committee to raise the stipend for Cambodia's Olympic hopefuls, which is currently set at 50 U.S. dollars each athlete per month for three months prior to the games.

The minister confirmed that Cambodia receives annual funding from the International Olympic committee in Switzerland, but no member of NOCC could tell the amount and spending situation of the funding, reported English-Khmer language newspaper the Cambodian Daily.

Cambodia's two Olympic track and field athletes said last week they had been preparing for the games with little to no support from NOCC.

Cambodia will send a 15-member delegation to participate in the Olympic Games in Beijing in August with focus on swimming and marathon medals. The team will include Thong Khon himself, who will depart for Beijing on August 7

King Norodom Sihamoni and Education Minister Kol Pheng also plan to attend the opening ceremony of the games.

It is not the first time Cambodia has sent athletes to the Olympics.

The first post-war delegation of five Khmers competed in the Atlanta Games in 1996, and Cambodia subsequently sent four athletes to both Sydney in 2000 and Athens in 2004.

Cambodian tourism can combat poverty, says minister

Apr 28, 2008
DPA

Phnom Penh - Cambodian authorities will canvas beggars in popular tourism spots to determine why they beg and what it will take to stop them, Tourism Minister Thong Khon said Monday.

One of the world's poorest countries with thousands of beggars, Cambodia is trying to turn tourism dollars into a means of fighting poverty and enhancing the tourism industry at the same time, Thong Khon said by telephone.

'We want to research beggars at the tourism areas and find out why they need to beg and how we can help them,' he said. 'If there are problems we can solve, such as providing education or jobs, tourism revenue will go towards that.'

Although rights groups have said they doubt the government's sincerity, the plan is already working at some popular tourist sites, according to the government, and it has encouraged support from private companies to continue the trend.

For instance, the Choueng Ek 'Killing Fields' museum, controversially leased to a little-known Japanese company in 2005, now offers scholarships for students in need and is training former beggars to grow and sell flowers for visitors.

'This is how tourism can cut down poverty,' Thong Khon said.

Cambodia expects more than 2 million foreign tourists in 2008, and tourism is a staple of the narrowly based Cambodian economy.

The minister's comments came out of a meeting earlier this month when tourism experts met in the northern tourism capital of Siem Reap to discuss ways to combat endemic begging in tourist areas which the government says is damaging the lucrative industry.

Cambodia tourist arrivals top two million in 2007

Thursday, January 3, 2008
AFP

PHNOM PENH -- Tourist arrivals to Cambodia topped two million in 2007, Tourism Minister Thong Khon said Wednesday, adding that the country hopes to attract more visitors this year by expanding its attractions.

"We hit our target" for tourist arrivals last year, he told AFP, saying the two-million mark represented a jump of nearly 20 percent over 2006 figures.

While most foreigners still flock to Cambodia's famed Angkor temples, officials are seeking to create more destinations for visitors, he said.

Government Plans to Re-Open Official Airline

Mean Veasna, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
12 September 2007

Cambodia has long been without an official airline, but officials said Wednesday they hope to change this.

Authorities hope a new national carrier will cash in on the country's growing tourism industry, which is one of its most important economic engines.

Tourism Minister Thong Khon said Wednesday that the Cambodian government was preparing to renew efforts for an airline.

"But it is searching for a suitable partner," he said.

National carriers in the past have been plagued by inefficiency and perceived safety hazards.

The last national carrier, Royal Air Cambodge, claimed bankruptcy in October 2001. The company reportedly owed a Malaysian share partner $30 million.

In one memorable mishap, a Royal Air Cambodge flight scheduled to fly former king Norodom Sihnouk out of the country was over-fueled. The wide puddle of jet fuel left on the tarmac was a lasting image for many would-be fliers.

To Hun Sen, Funcinpec is no longer indispensable, but rather disposable; Nouv Sovathero still pins the blame on Ranariddh past mistake

Hun Sen Puts CPP Member in Top Tourism Post

Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
09/05/2007

Prime Minister Hun Sen fired the Funcipec Minister of Tourism Tuesday and replaced him with a member of the ruling party, in a sector that is fast becoming one of Cambodia's most important.

Lay Prohas, minister since 2003, was replaced by Thong Khon, a Tourism secretary of state, according to a letter sent by Hun Sen to the National Assembly.

Tourism, driven by an increasing number of visitors to Angkor Wat, is competing with garment manufacturing as Cambodia's main economic driver. The minister's post had been held by two successive members of Funcinpec, the Cambodian People's Party coalition partner.

Funcinpec spokesman Neou Sovatharo said the party was suffering from mistakes made by its former president, Prince Norodom Ranariddh, who fled Cambodia last year.

He blamed the prince for supporting the passage of a law that enabled Lay Prohas' removal, a claim a spokesman for the prince denied.