Prime Minister Hun Sen Clarifies About Sok Kong’s Company (Collection of Tourists Entrance Fees to Angkor Wat)

Local and international tourists visiting AngkorWat.

11th March 2008
By Mayarith
Radio Free Asia

Translated from Khmer to English by Khmerization

Courtesy of Khmerization : http://khmerization.blogspot.com

Prime Minister Hun Sen has written a letter in response to accusations involving Oknha Sok Kong’s company and the revenue collections from tourist entrance fees to Angkor Wat in Siem Reap.

The Prime Minister’s March letter, was written in reply to MP Son Chhay’s January letter which stated that the Sokha Hotel Group belonging to Oknha Sok Kong had, in 2007, collected $60 million in revenues from the tourist entrance fees to Angkor Wat.

MP Son Chhay wrote that the revenues from the Angkor Wat entrance fees were only allocated to relevant institutions after the revenues had been fraudulently misappropriated without going through the State Treasury or the Ministry of Finance.

MP Son Chhay further said that allocated revenues had been misspent without transparent reports or proper accountings.

In his clarification letter, the prime minister wrote that, in 2007 the revenues collected from tourism sector amounted to approximately $33 million.

The prime minister had also stressed that all revenues and expenditures had been properly audited and accounted for.