CAMBODIA – Monks begin long march to Sihanoukville
Demanding demolition of a casino shut down on environmental concerns
Local media reports that a group of Cambodian monks and environmental activists are taking part in a nine-day march to Sihanoukville to demand the demolition of a casino that has been shuttered on environment concerns.
According to Radio Free Asia, the activists want the demolition of the Jin Ding Casino, which was closed in May for operating without a license and releasing untreated sewage into the sea. They say, “simply closing the property is not enough as it will be reopened at a later date.”
Speaking to RFA’s Khmer Service, Buddhist monk Keut Saray said that authorities in Kompong Speu province, which lies along the protesters’ route of march to the coast, had ordered local monasteries to refuse shelter to the group. The RFA also cited Preah Sihanouk provincial deputy police chief Kol Phally as saying that the number of Chinese in the town had declined significantly.
Early in September, the Council for the Development of Cambodia approved two Chinese backed new hotel projects in Sihanoukville worth US$379 million, despite the current exodus of Chinese nationals from the city. The two five-star hotels by Xigang V-Continent International Investment Co Ltd and Hai Gang Grand Hotel Co Ltd have a combined total of 2,911 rooms, said the CDC.
In recent years Sihanoukville has seen unprecedented levels of Chinese investment in the province, with numerous casinos having opened throughout the city. This has caused a demographic change in the city’s ethnic make-up, with thousands of mainland Chinese workers, developers and investors settling in the city, much to the dismay of locals.
Sihanoukville is a province in southwest Cambodia known for its beaches, tropical islands and the mangrove jungles of Ream National Park. Set around a deep-water port on a peninsula jutting into the Gulf of Thailand, the provincial capital of Sihanoukville has palm-fringed beaches, seafood restaurants and late-night bars. Overlooking the capital is the hilltop Buddhist temple of Wat Leu.
