Cambodia to have twin skyscrapers and far ahead Laos

SeeHarHed · Guru

RE: Cambodia to have twin skyscrapers and far ahead Laos

Date: Sep 25, 2008

Wow! what a rmarkable

BruceLaoMan · Senior Member

Thongsai wrote:
Wow! what a rmarkable

I have no doubt based on current development; a capital city of Cambodia will be modernized in approximately 10 years.

-- Edited by BruceLaoMan at 06:54, 2008-09-26

Date: Sep 26, 2008

BruceLaoMan wrote:

Thongsai wrote:
Wow! what a rmarkable
I have no doubt based on current development; a capital city of Cambodia will be modernized in approximately 10 years.

-- Edited by BruceLaoMan at 06:54, 2008-09-26

wow.. impressive camboida's capital is very bright light. nice shots

Date: Sep 26, 2008

Cambodia: The future North Korea or Iran?

Cambodia eyes nuclear plant for electricity

Friday, September 26, 2008
By KER MUNTHIT

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Impoverished Cambodia hopes to build a nuclear power plant to meet its future energy needs and help offset its dependence on imported oil, Prime Minister Hun Sen announced Friday during the first meeting of his new Cabinet.

In outlining his new government's vision, he said one of its priorities will be to expand electrical generation to power its small but growing economy. Increased housing and factory construction will generate more demand for electricity, he said.

Hun Sen offered no hint when Cambodia would actually have its first nuclear power plant, saying it is still "a long distance away for us, but this is our goal."

Building hydroelectricity and coal power plants will be the immediate priority for expanding electricity generation and reducing reliance on imported oil, Hun Sen said.

The government has identified 14 potential sites for hydropower plants and has granted contracts to Chinese companies to build several of them.

Electricity costs in Cambodia are among the highest in the world, and only about 15 percent of the country's 14 million people are connected to the power grid, according to the World Bank.

Date: Sep 26, 2008

I can't believe am seeing this happen! I never knew our neighbor cambodia is doing so good in terms of economic growth! I have to say they deserve it because without the war they would probably be like thailand by now or maybe better than thailand! But am happy to see them making a strong come back! Go cambodia!!!!!

Date: Sep 27, 2008

New building in laos!

eye_sky · Guru

isn't it great how this thread keeps piling up?

regarding the very slow construction of these buildings - and that some or most of them will still finish by year 2011 - i would say it is still better than having no constructions at all. "slow but sure" is still a great epithet for this.

http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com/2008/09/my-dvd-shopping-frenzy-in-bangkok.html

SJCALSBM3 · Senior Member

why is there a laos flag in one of the picture?

boomerang · Veteran Member

I guess it was taken during a Lao PM's visit...

Date: Sep 27, 2008

Just give cambodia two more years and you'll see the big difference from 2008 and 2010! I'm referring to camko city second phase of completion in 2010. BTW!!! BIG NEWS, SIEM REAP IS BOOMING LIKE CRAZYYY!! The first modernized apartments are going to be completed in mid 2009! Malls, hotels, villas, and many more are going to be up!

City becomes cool by design

Written by Peter Olszewski
Thursday, 11 September 2008
While many deride Siem Reap for its rows of homely hotels, architects are busy giving the city a new look that mixes tradition with cutting-edge flair PETER OLSZEWSKI Artist Sandy Shum (left) poses with Narisara Murray, who worked closely on renovating the McDermott Gallery in Siem Reap’s Old Passage. SIEM Reap is shaking off its image of a city ruined by tourism - with its oft-referenced row of ticky-tacky hotels - and re-emerging architecturally as a new capital of cool. Recent conventional wisdom among travel writers has been that the travel industry has killed the olde-worlde charm of Siem Reap, even though what constituted this olde-worlde charm has never been defined. People who have lived here for any length of time describe early Siem Reap as a collection of dusty villages with bad roads - albeit with some charm - that developed into a town that's something of a sprawl. Proeun Phav, managing director of Angkor Territorial Adventure Travel, said he can remember that, during the Khmer Rouge madness, the downtown Pub Street tourist haven was mostly a pile of noxious rat-infested rubble. Transformation But the city is now being transformed into an urbane cosmopolitan centre with character, and while some hotel developments are tawdry and tacky, others are sophisticated and have added beauty to the city, with graceful architecture and grand gardens. Typical of the newly emerging attitude towards Siem Reap was the prediction in June by PR.Inside.com that, by 2020, Siem Reap would become the "foremost jewel of Southeast Asia tourism". This was tipped to happen not just because of the famous temple complex but also because of "the beautiful city, where a thriving population conducts business in harmony with the environment." One of Siem Reap's hip social doyens, Narisara Murray, wife of new-wave entrepreneur and internationally-hailed photographer John McDermott, said that while bad architecture has certainly been perpetrated upon Siem Reap, there was also some superbly creative work and a modern Siem Reap ‘look' has emerged. There are some cookie-cutter hotels, but there are also some big hotels that are actually beautiful. "Some of the buildings that are going up now are gorgeous, and I think they will become future classics," Murray said. "People will look back on this era as a period and look to the sort of signature style that's been developed. "It's exciting to see people experiment with architecture. There are some cookie-cutter hotels, but there are also some big hotels that are actually beautiful," she added. "A lot of the entrepreneurs who come here want to make something special, whether it's a hotel, a restaurant or a gallery." Artist Sandy Shum, whose latest work is on show at the McDermott Gallery, is a regular visitor to Siem Reap and said, "I've been coming here since 1998 and there have been a lot of changes over the years, but they are changes I've really enjoyed. "The reviltalisation of the Old Market area has just been fantastic with those beautiful old buildings really lovingly being brought back to life. I've been watching that happening over the years and it's been wonderful." The creative opportunities in Siem Reap attracts internationally hailed architects, the most recent being New York's Cook+Fox, which designed the new Centre for Friends Without A Border building. In May this received an Honour Award from the Boston Society of Architects/American Institute of Architects. A futuristic temple One of the highpoints of Siem Reap architecture is Hotel de la Paix which, when swathed in light at night, resembles a futuristic temple. This was designed by Bangkok-based, Harvard-educated architect Bill Bensley, referred to as the "king of exotic luxury resorts" by Time magazine. He has also left his trademark look in Siem Reap at other hotels, such as Shinta Mani. But the in-vogue architects of the moment are two locals - Ivan Tizianel and Lisa Ros of Asma Architects. They designed a group of three intertwined businesses in the Old Passage, incorporating a bar, hotel, restaurant and gallery, and the current issue of Sarika airline magazine raves about this clutch. Epicentre of chic The magazine refers to the buildings as a "cool cluster" and its description of the architecture is littered with adjectives such as "oh so slick", "hip", "cool quotient", and "epicentre of chic". One of the businesses in this cluster is the McDermott Gallery, and Murray worked closely with architect Lisa Ros on the renovations. She said, "I think Asma, the architects who designed this group of buildings, are conceptually brilliant. The work they've done is beautiful. It uses local materials, and it's respectful of the original architecture. "Asma has just completed renovations for us. A couple of times I wanted to do something and Lisa Ros would just look at me and say, ‘But this is part of the original building, you have to keep this.' "They changed quite a lot - a glass atrium at the back is a big change, but they respected the shape of the original building and you can see this in detail. "Often when there was something I wanted to take out, Lisa would push to leave it, saying it's a small clue that shows people that this was once a courtyard, that this was once the interior, this was once the exterior. She has such respect for the Cambodian elements and that, of course, also comes from her being part Cambodian." And perhaps that goes some way to defining the new signature look of Siem Reap architecture: a melange of international cutting-edge cool with traditional Cambodian and colonial influences.

Date: Sep 27, 2008

Why is this topic still on the Web????? Should replace with some thing else by now...

sunnybounxeoui · Veteran Member

beautiful architecture

Date: Sep 27, 2008

Well, I think it is time for us to as our self, why we are so far behind the neighbor??? we have been living in peace more more than 30 years???

I am not jealous of any one, but my self.

Date: Sep 28, 2008

Facts OF LAOS

·       Full name: Lao People's Democratic Republic ·
         Population: 5.9 million (UN, 2007) ·
         Capital: Vientiane ·
         Area: 236,800 sq km (91,400 sq miles) ·
         Major languages: Lao, French (for diplomatic purposes) ·
         Major religion: Buddhism ·
         Life expectancy: 63 years (men), 66 years (women) (UN) ·
         Monetary unit: 1 new kip = 100 ath ·
M     Main exports: Clothing, timber products, coffee, gold, copper, electricity ·
        GNI per capita: US $440 (World Bank, 2006) ·
        Internet domain: .la ·
         International dialling code: +856

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/country_profiles/1154621.stm

Facts Of CAMBODIA

·       Full name: Kingdom of Cambodia ·
        Population: 14.4 million (UN, 2007) ·
       Capital and largest city: Phnom Penh ·
        Area: 181,035 sq km (69,898 sq miles) ·
        Major language: Khmer ·
        Major religion: Buddhism ·
        Life expectancy: 57 years (men), 62 years (women) (UN) ·
   M   Monetary unit: 1 riel = 100 sen ·
         Main exports: Clothing, timber, rubber ·
         GNI per capita: US $380 (World Bank, 2006) ·
         Internet domain: .kh ·
        International dialling code: +855

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/country_profiles/1243892.stm

Please make yourself conclusion!

Date: Sep 28, 2008

ASIA nominal per GDP ranking - 2007 the CIA World Factbook list of countries by per capita GDP (nominal)

1th Qatar 70,754$

2th United Arab Emirates 43,864 $

3th Japan 34,104$

4th Kuwait 32,259$

5th Singapore 30,084$

6th Hongkong 29,081$

7th Bahrain 22,109$

8th South Korea 20,020$

9th Republic of China (Taiwan) 16,431$

10th Saudi Arabia 13,568$

11th Oman 12,643$

12th Kazakhstan 6,246$

13th Malaysia 6,149$

14th Lebanon 6,114$

15th Turkmenistan 5,055$

16th Iran 3,920$

17th Thailand 3,187$

18th Maldives 2,594$

19th People's Republic of China 2,458$

20th Iraq 2,016

21th Indonesia 1,748$

22th Philippines 1,582$

23th Syria 1,516$

24th Mongolia 1,306$

25th Sri Lanka 1,232$

26th Yemen 1,023$

27th Papua New Guinea 1,020$

28th India 965$

29th Vietnam 779$

30th Uzbekistan 726$

31th Kyrgyzstan 660$

32th Pakistan 645$

33th Laos 615$

34th Cambodia 593$

35th Bhutan 500$

36th Tajikistan 474$

37th Bangladesh 469$

38th Timor-Leste 435$

39th Nepal 333$

40th Afghanistan 311$

41th Myanmar 289$

khonthakek · Guru

Laos 618 $

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nominal)_per_capita

Date: Sep 28, 2008

Wo wo, you can not take only GDP as the only source to prove dude.

Get back to see Bruce's comparison.

Look at FDI

Look and Business attractiveness

Look at Corruption ranking

After all, it is good to ignore all of those factores and our country's wakness.

Ok let Mr. Government do their daily job as they have been doing for more than 3 decades.

Date: Sep 28, 2008

Date: Sep 28, 2008

With plenty of evident to prove that our neighbors are progressing far behind us.

It is great to take only GDP factor to defend, or we have nothing to prove.

My point is, wake up, wake up! ask our selve why and why???.

It is useless to ignore our own mistakes, we can hide to ourselve, but not to the world. We live in this world actualy.

Date: Sep 28, 2008

Hi folks,

Stop debating. let see the link below, it is Wikipedia, one of the most reliable source in this planet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laos
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambodia

Lao

Government		Socialist republic
-	President	Lt. Gen. Choummaly Sayasone
-	Vice President	Bounnhang Vorachith
-	Prime Minister	Bouasone Bouphavanh

GDP (PPP)

2006 estimate

-

Total

$13.75 billion (129th)

GDP percapita $2,200 (138th

Cambodia

Government		Constitutional monarchy
-	King	Norodom Sihamoni
-	Prime Minister	Hun Sen

GDP (PPP)		2006 estimate
-	Total	$36.82 billion (89th)
-	Per capita	$2,600 (133rd)

Date: Oct 1, 2008

What about the FDI in Lao right now?? it will improve very soon or what?

Date: Oct 1, 2008

OCIC tower as of August 2008

Date: Oct 1, 2008

I saw another post named Lao vs Cambodia. It looks like that Lao is really good in number by CIA world fact book ( not wikipedia). But in the reall world I can see a very slow economic improvement. And nothing to be proud of, cause Lao has been in peace for more than 30 years.

I dont mean lao has to follow cambodia, but taking the fact that we have been living in peace for more that 30 years, with more resources and less population, But the economic development is just the contrast.

If there is a true reform in our governemtn, lao peoples are really capable to push economic foreward quickly.

I really dont understand why we just pretend that we are in good condition, let look at vietnam and thailand, where are they now?

Date: Oct 1, 2008

Does Lao has this kind of examples to show? or just a copy unrealistic number?

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Cambodia in August, and investment from Saudi Arabia and Iran has

grown substantially. Dubai Group from the United Arab Emirates is

expected to invest heavily in Cambodia through the Leopard Fund.

Selzer said his government's efforts are not intended to counter Arab and

Iranian investment in the Kingdom.

"We hope to become one of the top-10 investors in Cambodia," he said.

Israeli-Cambodian trade and investment is small, and only about 30

Israelis live in Cambodia, said the embassy.

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ink investment agreements on double taxation and protection of

investment.

Date: Oct 1, 2008

Does Lao has this kind of examples to show? or just a copy unrealistic number?

http://www.leopardasia.com/PDF/080926033822Phnom%20Penh%20Post%20-%2026.09.08.pdf
http://www.leopardasia.com/PDF/080926033822Phnom%20Penh%20Post%20-%2026.09.08.pdf

Ignore the previous message, and chick this out instead.

Date: Oct 2, 2008

Rabbit Island set for five-star development early next year! Written by Cheang Sokha and Thomas Gam Nielsen
Wednesday, 01 October 2008
Kep governor says the tiny island will become Cambodia's next big tourism destination, but local residents insist they will not leave unless the government offers fair compensation Dan Kreis Rabbit Island’s beach may not be undeveloped for much longer as permission has been granted for a five-star resort to be built. AFIVE-STAR resort and golf course is slated for the idyllic 600-hectare Koh Tunsay, or Rabbit Island, off the coast of Kampot province's sleepy seaside town of Kep. Construction is slated to begin early next year, officials say. Kep Municipality Governor Has Sareth told the Post on Tuesday the Council for the Development of Cambodia has granted permission to the Pol Cham Group. "I think this project is good, as it will provide jobs and income to local people, and it will make Kep one of the most attractive tourist destinations," he said. Pol Cham Group representatives were unavailable for comment on Tuesday, but Has Sareth said construction will begin early next year. Currently, visitors to Koh Tunsay can reach the island only by a 40-minute boat ride with local fishermen. It is home to just 14 families who run small restaurants and bungalow guesthouses that lack running water, steady electricity supplies and proper sewage systems. The principal trade of Rabbit Island residents is fishing and farming, as it was when the first families took up residence in 1954. The island, like all islands in Cambodia, technically belongs to the state, and none of the islanders have papers to show ownership of their land. Compensation claims One resident, 29-year-old Kensi Mach, told the Post that nine families were moved from the island in 2006 after only a brief residence. They were given less than US$900 in compensation. ...IT WILL MAKE KEP ONE OF THE MOST ATTRACTIVE TOURIST DESTINATIONS. Another resident, Chea Om wants much higher compensation than the families that have already been relocated. "I do not object to the development project, but if they offer only a small compensation, I don't know how I will survive," she said. The 65-year-old has lived on the island for more than 20 years and does not want to leave. "I live here in happiness," she said. "And I run a good business." All families that remain say they will demand significant sums to leave their homes. A man from one of the island's oldest families, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said his family would demand $20,000 in compensation. Has Sareth acknowledged that the remaining families have lived for years on the island and that the municipality and the Pol Cham Group would need to resettle them with a fair compensation agreement. "We are looking at the price of the land," he said, adding that "the villagers will agree, as we are developing [the island] for their benefit."

sunnybounxeoui · Veteran Member

koh tonsay

sunnybounxeoui · Veteran Member

phnom penh on high rise parisian style buildings in phnompenh new apartments in phnom penh NICEE NICEE business park in cambodia

New development of business park

sunnybounxeoui · Veteran Member

Cambodian tourism karaoke sponsored by angkor beer.

Date: Oct 2, 2008

Congratulation Cambodia!

You just woke up from one of the most horrible war in the human history, but you proove very well and clear that you can stand on your feets.

From Forbe Asia last month issue, Cambodia will be a 100 billion dollars economy in the next 15 years.

Date: Oct 2, 2008

What about Lao economy, what will it be in the next 5 years?

Date: Oct 2, 2008

British investors eye Cambodia investment

Written by May Titthara
Thursday, 02 October 2008
The real estate sector was the major focus for a recent British delegation of business leaders BRITISH investors are eager to get a slice of Cambodia's booming real estate sector with multiple delegations of businessmen arriving to scout out local partners in anticipation of expanding trade ties. According to the chairman of the British Business Association of Cambodia (BBAC) Senaka Fernando, the most recent delegation to arrive was eyeing the energy, agro-industry, trade and real estate sectors. They were particularly interested in Cambodia's skyrocketing real estate sector, where land values have risen 1.5 times in a year, Fernando told the Post Wednesday. Brits abroad Cambodia has attracted substantial British investments since 1995, and the BBAC currently has 77 members, Fernando said. No exact figures on British investment in Cambodia could be obtained. "Investors from any foreign country can come to Cambodia and invest confidently and without restrictions," he said. "More foreign companies should consider investments here because of our rich natural resources and the availability of a low-cost labour force," Fernando said. Representatives for the CDC could not be reached for comment on Wednesday. Ex Seng, a lecturer at Cambodia Mekong University, said a conference on the trade and investment climate in Cambodia last month attracted more than 40 Cambodian and British business representatives. "We want to enlarge our relationship with British investors because we have so few of their businesses in the country so far," Ex Seng said. "As we found at the conference, they are looking for local partners and evaluating investment potential." Ex Seng said a partnership between the Mong Reththy Group and a British pig breeder, announced last month, shows the potential for creative developmental partnerships. "We are proud of our country, and we have many Western investors with large-scale and long-term investments who feel the same about emerging investment opportunities," Ex Seng said. He added that British investment representatives expressed growing interest in future partnerships during last month's conference, and they expect to return to Cambodia later in the year to study the agribusiness sector.

Date: Oct 2, 2008

How the hell are we going to let cambodia pass us like that!!!!! This is the most embarrasing moment of my life!

Date: Oct 2, 2008

Plan for new national air carrier put on hold: official
Written by Chun Sophal and Hor Hab
Thursday, 02 October 2008

Negotiations continue with Indonesian partner Rajawali Group; govt wants to proceed slowly to ensure success

Heng chivon

Phnom Penh International Airport.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
$50m
The initial funding
earmarked for the new airline
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The government would hold a 51 percent stake in the new national airline, which is yet to be named. No launch date has been announced by planners.

PLANS for a new Cambodian national airline, announced in May, have been put on hold as a result of difficulties with ongoing negotiations with an Indonesian investment group, government officials say.

Deputy Prime Minister Sok An was tapped to spearhead the deal in partnership with the Rajawali Group, but discussions with the Indonesian investors have not yet been finalised, he told the Post last week.

"We don't want our new national airline to fail like its predecessor Royal Air Cambodge," he said. "We need more time to discuss the project with our partners."

Prime Minister Hun Sen last year announced plans to re-establish a national flag carrier to compete with other private carriers and attract more foreign tourists to Cambodia.

"Our new national airline will be very competitive with other companies as tourism in Cambodia continues to grow," Sok An said during a signing ceremony with Rajawali in Phnom Penh in April.

"The new carrier is expected to be profitable because of the rising number of travellers coming to the Kingdom," he added.
The Ministry of Tourism projects that Cambodia will receive nearly three million tourists from overseas by 2010.

National need
Ho Vandy, president of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, said the government should not delay the project too long if it wants to avoid greater competition from the private sector.

"I want to see the government move on the new airline as quickly as possible," he said, adding that the absence of a national carrier could give potential visitors the wrong idea about development in Cambodia.

The new airline will be funded by an initial investment of US$50 million, and the government of Cambodia will hold a 51 percent stake, with the balance held by Rajawali.

Cambodia's previous national carrier, Royal Air Cambodge, was established in 1994 through a joint venture with Malaysian company Naluri.

The government held a 60 percent stake before the airline went bankrupt in October 2001 after losses that year of $30 million.

Is it the right time?
The Cambodian government had initially sought a Chinese partner to establish the new airline, but talks collapsed.
Soaring aviation fuel prices, a softer international tourism market and stiff competition have also complicated efforts to establsh the new national carrier.

The International Air Transport Association earlier this year reported that the airline industry is facing one of its worse crisis in history.

The IATA represents airlines around the world.

Date: Oct 2, 2008

I feel happy for Cabodian people for having a big buiulding builted in their country, no jealous at all.

Date: Oct 3, 2008

Those news above are fake.

Our government is very capable. They will bring lao to become an industrialize country by 2020.

Date: Oct 3, 2008

Lao People Army wrote:

Those news above are fake.

Our government is very capable. They will bring lao to become an industrialize country by 2020.

How real can those post get dude? There's pictures and evidence to prove that those development projects are real! Maybe we need to get real with our government first lolz!!!

Date: Oct 3, 2008

I never know laos people were jealous on us, Cambo, why we have a big building, but it has nothing to do with laos people at all.

hahahahaha, I cant stop laughing my arse off, You people must have too much time on your hand. go get a life you lao people.
Stop talking about who we are and what we have.

Thanks.

SJCALSBM3 · Senior Member

I don't think lao are jealous of cambo soup at all. it's good that cambo soup can built all big and tall buildings, good for khmer people. please built them nice and beautiful because thai will go there and take it once it finished just like the ankor wat ... lolz.

Date: Oct 5, 2008

Yeah, that is why lao dont do it, cause we afraid of thai and viet

Date: Oct 5, 2008

LOL
Laos jealous of Cambodia? What is there to be jealous of? Provoking the Thai and the Vietnamese is not enough for you? You want Laos to join in the fight, too? Tell you what, Laos sure could use some access to the Sea. I'm thinking of the port of Sihanouksville.

COMBo_laugher wrote:

I never know laos people were jealous on us, Cambo, why we have a big building, but it has nothing to do with laos people at all.

hahahahaha, I cant stop laughing my arse off, You people must have too much time on your hand. go get a life you lao people.
Stop talking about who we are and what we have.

Thanks.

Date: Oct 5, 2008

Hello my lao friends! I'm cambo and I just want to suggest that us cambo and laotian people been living together in peace for years now and I don't want to break that relationship between us two. We should unite together!! For the trolls on this site just ignore them. Long live Cambodia and Laos!!

BruceLaoMan · Senior Member

Anonymous wrote:
Hello my lao friends! I'm cambo and I just want to suggest that us cambo and laotian people been living together in peace for years now and I don't want to break that relationship between us two. We should unite together!! For the trolls on this site just ignore them. Long live Cambodia and Laos!!

I have been suspicious of him for quite some time and I know he is a troll. He also posted his comments that he trusted Thai over Cambodia along with the news of conflict between Vietnam and Khmer Rouge. smile

Date: Oct 5, 2008

Someone has provoked bad relationship between Cambodia adn Lao in this forum.

Cambodia is your good neighbor for a very long time, we never have any problem with each other. So you should focus on others who really impose a big problem on your country instead.

I want to see lao economy in good shape very soon, so cambodia can trade with a good neighbor.

sonyan · Newbie

COMBo_laugher wrote:

I never know laos people were jealous on us, Cambo, why we have a big building, but it has nothing to do with laos people at all.

hahahahaha, I cant stop laughing my arse off, You people must have too much time on your hand. go get a life you lao people.
Stop talking about who we are and what we have.

Thanks.

I'm Cambodian. I don't think this is what Cambodian people mean. This guy must be a troll. We are good neighbours.

Date: Oct 13, 2008

Khmer cartoons go commercial

Written by A
Monday, 13 October 2008
Anne-Laure Porée Battambang Province With the country's first independent animated film now in production, a local studio is blazing a new trail for a domestic film industry crippled by illegal DVD sales Photo by: VANDY RATTANA An animator at Cambodia’s first animation studio works on a commercial project – a public awareness short for a local NGO. ANIMATORS in Battambang have begun work on Cambodia's first independently-funded animated film, scheduled for completion next year. Since it opened in January 2007, the small animation studio at the Phare Ponleu Selpak Association (PPSA) - a few minutes from the centre of Battambang town - has built a commercial reputation by producing animated public service announcements for NGOs and other organisations. Their success has inspired the studio to start work on its first independently-funded short film. Situated on the campus of PPSA, better known for producing local artists and acrobats, the animation studio is growing in stature on the reputation of director Poy Chhunly, 27, who won a number of awards last year for his short public awareness film Little Boy Drinking Bad Water. The new film, a pre-colonial tale of two children travelling the country to seek a cure for their mother's illness, has no official completion date, but PPSA coordinator Jean-Christophe Sidoit expects the 10-minute feature to be completed in around 18 months, with the storyboard to be finalised in late March 2009. A message that matters Poy Chhunly is training a team of seven to complete the film, the script of which he co-wrote with the school's head drawing instructor, renowned artist Srey Bandol. The story's setting, which will alternate between the 13th and 17th centuries, necessitated that the authors approach local experts for advice in order to make the animation as true to life as possible. "We want this animated film to be accurate in terms of culture and history," Sidoit said. We want this animated film to be accurate in terms of culture and history. The Royal Academy of Fine Arts sent historian Ros Chantrabot to the studio to answer questions pertaining to the period's culture and society. But for Ros Chantrabot, the commercial success of the film will depend on the message, not just the historical details. "I believe that we share the same ideas on the main messages we have to pass to children - for example, to convince them to be persevering and courageous," Ros Chantrabot said.

Date: Oct 24, 2008

Lavish entertainment club targets upscale Cambodians

Thursday, 23 October 2008
Written by Peter Olszewski
The Phnom Penh Post

Like to boogie? With Egyptian-cum-Angkorian architecture, the elaborate new Pyramid Club steps up the nightlife options on the outskirts of Siem Reap

IT stands out like a mercurochromed thumb on the outskirts of Siem Reap, and it can't be ignored because it's so huge, so garishly coloured, so bizarrely architectured.

It's King Tut meets King Jayavarman, and it's the newest thing in town: the million-dollar Pyramid Mega Entertainment Club, a one-hectare-plus nightlife and leisure complex that will comprise a 350-person-capacity uber-flash disco with 16 VIP rooms, a bistro, a seafood restaurant, a beer garden and the ubiquitous karaoke lounge. Plus a first, not only for Siem Reap but also for Cambodia: an outdoor paintball centre.

As part of this year's rapid urbanisation of Siem Reap, the Pyramid complex is the first new kid on the block off and running in what is shaping up as an entertainment venue surge.

As for the King Tut-King Jayarvan architecture, Pyramid general manager Ray Kirit explains, "There is a law in Siem Reap that you cannot have a building without a touch of Cambodian culture in the design.

"We first started building it with an Egyptian pyramid theme, with the sphinxes, the King Tut mummies. We even brought papyrus scrolls from Egypt to copy for all the murals on the walls.

"But then we learned that we had to adhere to Siem Reap law, and that's why a different roof was built, to respect the culture. After we added Cambodian roofing and other touches, we discovered we even had to change the fencing in front of the complex."

Pretty scary

The complex is now almost ready for phase one of its launch, and October 31 has been earmarked for the disco and karaoke hall grand opening, with a golden Halloween costume party.

Ray Kirit, who served a two-year stint as general manager of Phnom Penh's Riverhouse Restaurant and Lounge, said the centre has cost "over US$1 million to date and that will probably double by the time it's completely finished".

The complex is owned by five Cambodian brothers, led by chairman Rithy Sear, who also owns Thai Cargo at Phnom Penh's Hong Kong Centre. Youngest brother Tony is the CEO.

Target market is mainly the young Cambodian professional class, a recently-emerged sector in Siem Reap that's once again linked to urbanisation and the swing away from Siem Reap being just a tourist town. Ray Kirit wants to attract add-on niches at both ends of his core market.

"One of our niche markets is one that only we are catering to in Siem Reap - Cambodian rich people. There aren't many places for them to go in Siem Reap. There are a few high-end restaurants, and after that it is just karaoke. They don't have a classy disco where they can hang out. Plus we will also provide VIP comfort. These people want their privacy, and they don't want to mingle. They want to be pampered.

"And even though that rich market is limited, mainly businessmen and officials, I think it's a market worth attracting."

At the other end of the spectrum, Kirit wants to attract "colours" - expats of different nationalities, including backpackers.

"Yes, even backpackers although they only want discounted drinks or will sit on one ****tail for three hours. But they know how to party, they know about disco clubs.

"And this is attractive to Cambodians who like to be in a party atmosphere where there are different colours, different cultures."

Fun and games

When it comes to new entertainment centres in Siem Reap, that's not all folks.

Also on the drawing board is the $75 million Hollywood-style The Kingdom of Dreams, an Angkor-themed water park and night-time entertainment venue that's a joint venture between Cambodian-based Creative Entertainment Ltd and US-based Bridge Capital LLC.

Soon tourists can come to Siem Reap to not only see Angkor the temples, but also to view Angkor the movie via an "Angkor Special Wide Screen Film Experience" in a 400-seat air-conditioned theatre. The $10 million "IMAX-type" movie, an historical opus, will be produced by Brad Krevoy's Motion Picture Corporation of America, best known for feature comedies a la Dumb and Dumber.

The theatre will be part of a 35-hectare complex that will feature yet more hotels - a five-star, 400-room hotel and a three-star, 200-room hotel - plus yet another shopping gallery, an indoor and outdoor foot massage area, a bar, a food court, a ten-screen multiplex cinema and the Lost City of Angkor Water Park. By day, this will be a "river' that takes tourists through Angkor-themed caves and stone carving outcrops, and at night a digital laser that will be projected onto the water.

Ground breaking for this venture is scheduled for January 2009.

Date: Oct 31, 2008

[S. Korea] FTA with Cambodia to go into effect in November

SEOUL, Oct 31 (Yonhap) -- A free trade agreement (FTA) between South Korea and Cambodia will go into effect as of November, the government said Friday.

The Ministry of Strategy and Finance said the moves follows notification by Phnom Penh on Thursday that all domestic administrative and legal processes have been completed for the open trade regime, which is expected to greatly increase two-way trade.

Under the agreement, Seoul will immediately ax import duties on 10,658 manufactured goods made in the Southeast Asian country including those for various clothing and shoes. Tariffs on 108 farm and fisheries goods including bananas, pineapples, rice, beef and pork are to be excluded because of possible impact on the local economy, the ministry said.

"Importers that provide country-of-origin verification papers issued by Cambodia's commerce ministry could import goods free of duties starting Saturday," a official said.

Bilateral trade reached US$300 million last year, with South Korea posting a surplus of $270 million.

Date: Oct 31, 2008

Anonymous wrote:

New building in laos!

[spoiler]

Is this one of the government officials' mansion?

Anyway, good job Cambodia! Keep on doing what you're doing. Hopefully Laos start having that ambition to start heading the direction Cambodia is going.