Monday, 14 January 2008

The Angkor Wat Admission Fee Scandal


Admission to Angkor Wat archaeological park is $20 per day, and I suspect that most visitors consider this a reasonable fee to experience one of the world's great wonders, especially since some of the fee is supposedly earmarked for preservation efforts. Then you notice that many of the monuments are in poor condition, and that those under reconstruction are often signposted as supported by grants from various international organizations, with little evidence that your $20 was involved in the restoration efforts.

Well, guess what? Most of it apparently disappears into the black hole of Cambodian corruption, in this case controlled by one of the country's largest economic consortiums. Cambodia Mirror translates a document that uncovers the scandal that is Angkor Wat admission fees.

“Parliamentarian Son Chhay wrote a letter to Prime Minister Mr. Hun Sen, asking him to reconsider the rights granted the Sokimex company to administer Angkor Wat. In a letter to Prime Minister Mr. Hun Sen on 10 January 2008, Mr. Son Chhay pointed out that the rights granted to Oknha Sok Kong’s company to administer Angkor Wat makes the state lose not less than $50 million each year.

“In 2007 alone, the income from tourists visiting Angkor Wat was approximately US$50 million, but the government gave a contract to Oknha Sok Kong’s company to manage Angkor Wat, through which the state gets every year only US$10 million from the company. As a consequence, Angkor Wat, which is the most important Khmer heritage, easily benefits Sok Kong’s company not less than $50 million each year.

Therefore, Mr. Son Chhay asked the government, especially Prime Minister Mr. Hun Sen, to reconsider the contract given to the Sokimex Company to administer Angkor Wat; otherwise, the government will continue to lose benefits while the company does not do anything to protect or maintain Angkor Wat. This means that the Sokimex Company of Oknha Sok Kong can sleep and still wait to easily receive benefits from the historical heritage of all Khmers.

“But will the government take Angkor Wat away from being managed by the businessman Sok Kong or not? By retaining Sok Kong’s company to manage Angkor Wat, officials get much money into their own pockets, but the government gets little. When the government has little money, it cannot spend much on various services. At the end, only high ranking officials and businesspeople live comfortably from the heritage of our Khmer ancestors who are the ancestors of all.”

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