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LOLEI
TRAVEL (CAMBODIA) Office:
N°91, str. 141, Sangkat Beoung Prolit Kh 7 Makara. 12252 Phnom Penh. Mail:
P.O. Box: 1395, 12202 Phnom Penh. Kingdom of Cambodia
Tel./Fax (855 23) 21 00 89, Mobile: (855
12) 80 60 33, E-Mail: [email protected] Newsletter March 2000
PHNOM PENH Press
Release of the Ministry of Tourism, about the boat hijacking.
Ministry of Tourism, 24th
March 00 On Wednesday morning March
22, 2000 seven men hijacked one of the passenger speedboat on its way to Siem
Reap about one and half hours northwest of Phnom Penh. 88 passengers and crew
members. This is the first time that
incident of this kind happen on the speedboat. The Ministry of Tourism is
shock and is very concerned for the safety of all passengers both
international as well as domestic. “We regret that the hijacking took place
on our waterway, suppose to be a peaceful route from Phnom Penh to Angkor Wat
through the Great Lake of Tonle Sap in broad day light.” On behalf of my
Government and the Ministry of Tourism, I would like to extend my sincere
apology for the inconvenience the hijackers caused mentally, physically and
materially to all the passengers and crew members. “Said HE Mr. Veng
Sereyvuth, Minister of Tourism”. So far, the authorities are investigating
and apprehending one of the suspects. We are confident that all the suspects
will be caught and brought to justice. To prepare for the future
incident such as this, the Ministry of Tourism is discussing with other
Ministries, Municipalities, Provinz Officials and Private Sectors to draft up
proper Plans of Actions and measures to prevent such problem in the future. We
hope that the hijacking incident such as this will be the last and to ensure
the safety of the water transportation which is among an important mean of
travel not only for foreign tourists; but also the Cambodians traveller. PHNOM PENH2 Boat Hijacking Suspects under Surveillance Cambodia Daily 25th
March 00 Police are stacking out the
homes of at least two suspects in connection with Wednesday’s tour boat
hijacking, a top police official said Friday. Lek Vannak, deputy municipal
police chief, said police have found the Phnom Penh addresses of two suspects,
and they believe at least one other is hiding in the capital. Police have the houses under
surveillance, but “I suspect they are living in a hotel or some other secret
place, “Lek Vannak said. The Ministry of Tourism,
meanwhile, issued a staetment Friday of regret the incident occurred and
promised to work with other government ministries to “draft up proper
plans” to prevent such incidents in the future. One of the suspect, 28 year
old Chom Phal, has been under arrest and at least six others remain at large
after a bold and well-organized robbery Wednesday of a boat travelling from
Phnom Penh to Siem Reap. About 90 passengers, including 44 foreigners, and
crew were bound and gagged during the two-hour hijacking. The so-called fast
boats are a popular means of travel for budget tourists and locals. Military police commander Sao
Sokha also said on Friday that no additional arrests had yet been made. Police also have not set up
checkpoints, conducted house to house searches or posted photographs pf any of
the suspects, Lek Vannak said. Rather, they are using intelligence work to
find the suspects, he said. Additional from Lolei Travel:
Within yesterday the police arrested one more suspect. On the ferry stations
in Phnom Penh and Siem Reap the police set up check points to control each
passenger (Cambodians) who is boarding the boat. BANGKOK Thailand’s other National Airlines Seeks Suitable Suitors Cambodia Daily, 6th
March 2000 Like flag carrier Thai Airways International, Thailand’s little-known
second national airline is looking for a strategic partner. Angel Air was licensed in 1997 and began service in September 1998, when
the effects of 1997’s regional economic crash were still Unexpectedly, the timing turned out to be opportune, said Somchai
Bencharongkul, the airline’s president. “Big airlines cancelled flights because it was no longer profitable to
fly certain routes, opening the way for us to enter,” he told to The
Associated Press. The Bencharongkul family, owners of Thailand’s UCOM telecommunications
group, hold a controlling stake of 50 percent in the airline, which was
capitalized with US$ 78,9 million. Turnover for the first year of operation was US$ 7,89 million, but
Somchai refused to give profit-loss figures, pointing out that starting an
airline is a long-term investment. He said that Angel Air hopes to reach the break-even point in five
year’s time. “Actually, we are concentrating on the load factor; in the first year
we achieved a 50 percent load average, which was our target,” he said. Angel Air is looking for a strategic partner, and so far, two parties
have approached the airline, one from Asia and the other from Europe, said
Somchai. “There is one party that contacted us from the US, but he is an
investor rather than a strategic partner,” he added. The country’s main airline, Thai Airways International, is also looking
for a strategic partner as it prepares for a partial privatisation later this
year. Its suitors reportedly include British Airways, Qantas and Singapore
Airlines. “We don’t compete with THAI, we support them in an area they are
lacking – were they don’t fly or do so infrequently,” Somchai said. THAI flies to neither the Laotian city of Luang Prabang or Siem Reap –
promising frontier destinations for upmarket Western tourists – and within
the region there are airports that can not accommodate its big jets, he
pointed out. As a designated national airline, Angel Air must meet certain capital and
operation requirements, but it is also granted landing privileges at some
major destinations not open to some competitors. Aside form Chiang Mai and Phuket, Angel Air flies to Udorn Thai, Khon
Kaen and Chiang Rai within Thailand, and Singapore, Luang Prabang and the
Chinese cities Kunming and Chendu. Angel is holding talks with the governments of Cambodia and Burma to get
landing rights for Siem Reap and Mandalay. The routes to Kunming and Chendu in south-western China are particularly
promising, Somchai said. “Don’t forget China’s huge population – even if you have over a
hundred planes, it won’t be enough,” he said. Two other small Thai airlines compete for the fringe destination niche
market: PB Air and Bangkok Airways. PB Air – its initials come from the name of its owner, Piya
Bhirom-Bhakdi, of the Singha beer-brewing family – is not considered a rival
to Angel Air, as the executives of the two airlines have worked together
before and have close relations. PB Air was set up in 1996 as a charter service intended to serve the
owner’s other companies. Last year it was granted its first scheduled traffic rights, and now its
flies to the Thai cities of Khon Kaen, Chiang Mai, Chumporn, Krabi and Roi Et. PHNOM PENH Phnom Penh Hotel Opens Under Best Western Name The Cambodia Daily 10th March 00 The giant US-based hotel
chain Best Western is opening its first franchise hotel in Phnom Pen. Best
Western Cangi Hotel on Monivong Boulevard near the Phsar Thmei (Central
Market) will officially open in a few weeks, said Chinese-Canadian owner
Richard Cheung. The three-star, full-service hotel will feature 89 rooms.
“Cambodia is the … last frontier for investors. It will grow faster,”
said the veteran hotelier, adding more visitors from the Americas and Europe
are expected in the near future. Cheung bought the former Singapore-owned Ho
Wah Genting hotel for US$ 100 in January, assuming US$ 600,000 of dept. He
said US$ 1,4 million has been invested in the renovation. Best Western is the
largest single brand hotel chain in the world, Cheung said, with 4,000 hotels
worldwide. PHNOM PENH National Museum Gets Smuggled Items
Back
Cambodia Daily 22th
March 00 / Deutsche Presse-Agentur One of Cambodia’s largest
hauls of stolen artefacts in years was added to the National Museum this week
after being recovered in a military raid that killed three suspected
smugglers, officials said Wednesday. The 97 carvings and statues
include Buddha figures and an original bust of the ancient Khmer King
Jayavarman VII. They are the largest addition
to the museum since 1993, deputy director Oun Phalline said. “This is a victory for our
efforts to recover artefacts and preserve our national heritage,” she said. The size of the cache is
eclipsed only by the 122-piece load seized in Thailand last year and scheduled
to be returned this month. Cambodian military officials
carried out the raid in the remote northern province of Preah Vihear in
December after getting a tip that smugglers were planning to take artifacts
across the border for sale in Thailand, according to Vong Vorn, chief of
Ministry of Culture’s national heritage department. Three of the suspected
smugglers were killed in the raid and a fourth escaped, he said. The pieces
were stored in Preah Vihear until they were moved to Phnom pen this week. The antiquities, dating back
to the Ninth-15th century Angkor empire, are believed to have been
looted from the remote Preah Khan Kompong Svay temple in Preah Vihear. With the end of the long
civil war making more remote temples accessible, Cambodia has been fighting an
uphill battle against the looting of its national treasures and the sale of
artefacts in foreign antiques shops. Thai authorities last year
seized 122 looted items from the Banteay Chhmar temple across the border. PHNOM PENH Royal Air Cambodge Transfers
Air-port, Ground Services to New Joint Division
Cambodia Daily 22th
March 00 Dept-ridden Royal Air
Cambodge (RAC) has finally transferred its lucrative ground services at
Pochentong Airport to the newly formed Airport Dedicated Services, a joint
division of RAC and Societe Concessionaire de l’Aeroport (SCA). Philippe Rose, commercial and
development manager for the company, said recently that passenger
transportation and baggage handling services at Phnom Penh
airport have been managed by the joint division since earlier this month. The transfer was completed
eight months after the two companies signed an amendment to 10 year airport
development agreement between the government and SCA signed in 1995. Officials from both companies
refused to disclose financial details of the agreement, but Rose implied then
that the airline gave up its monopoly on ground services partially in exchange
for forgiveness of dept to SCA. RAC had been collecting about $2 million in
revenue a year from the ground-services operation, according to airline
officials. But officials today emphasize
the handover is aimed at upgrading airport services to world standard. “No, no, no. It’s not a
trade of solve the financial issues,” Pan Chantra, RAC chairman, said
Monday. “It’s a joint venture deal between RAC and SCA in order to improve
the airport. According to the agreement,
SCA will invest in the necessary equipment and human resources training to
upgrade ground services, and the revenue generated through the services will
be split between SCA and RAC – with SCA getting 60 percent of the profit and
RAC the remaining 40 percent. SCA is initially investing $2
million to purchase new equipment and train staff, Rose said. A sub-contractor
called Cambodia Airport Management Services will carry out actual operations. Pan Chantra acknowledged
Monday that RAC still has more than $20 million of dept, mainly in aircraft
leasing. It also owes the government about $5 to 6$ million including taxes
and navigation fees. But he added the government also owes the airline about
$3.5 to $4 million for flight services including chartering its aircraft. Phnom Penh, 29th
March, 2000
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