CAMBODIA IS THE PLACE OF MONEY LAUNDERING AND LAND BGRABBING

By: SOURN SEREY RATHA

No body will not be interested when they having to listens the public declaration of Hun Sen who claims that the price of one hectare (1 hectare = 2.47 acres) of land in Phnom Penh is now as high as ten million US dollars. For this reason, during these two last years, some Cambodian people living abroad and inside Cambodia were attracted to land speculation in buying cheap and hoping selling later with a high price.

It is because of this reason that’s why the rich and the power’s family whose close relationship to Hun Sen’s family grabbed land from the poor. All most in provinces of Cambodia land grabbing had been increased and poor people were violated by police and military of Hun Sen. Actually, they can’t believe Hun Sen’s management and his leadership because beside to order military force to shoot people and to make people live insecurity; he can’t bring this country to be a development country such in the world.

Cambodia recorded by the international community as a poorest country, corruption country, violence country, country of immunity culture, free drug trafficking, human trafficking, and family of her leader is very popular as a Family’s Tree [GW report].

Real-estate market is going down since after 2008 election but casino and black money that laundered by the high ranking official of government is still working. The central bank of Cambodia has no rights to release cost of rate of international currency but the private money exchange named Ly Hour is playing role and managed this market. It is because of the owner od Ly Hour has relationship close to Hun Sen’s wife and help a lot to laundering black money for mafias whose work for Hun Sen.

In the same time that Cambodian people live under standard of living, their income is less then $1.00 a day but those high ranking officers, general, and family get involve with Hun Sen’s administration are living in very higher standard than other country officers in the region and prosperous countries.

According to the official survey of December 31, 2007, the rate of people living under the poverty line is 45%, the annual central government budget revenues were just $915.5 million while the annual government expenditures were $1.101 billion, and the Trade: Exports were $4.1 billion while the Trade: Imports were $5.3 b billion.

All the above prove that Cambodia budget was in deficit. It implies that Cambodia integrally depends on foreign aids and foreign loans. Cambodian foreign loans raise to $3.98 billion now.

The government claims that foreign investment plays a key role in Cambodian economic development. Hun Sen is bragging that he attracts more and more foreign investment which is translated by the increase of land price in Phnom Penh to $10 million per hectare even more to $5,000 per square meter in certain Phnom Penh corners. At these prices, Phnom Penh land will cost more than the one in New York or Tokyo.

In spite of repeated bragging of Cambodian government concerning foreign investment from China or Korea and other countries, where is the truth? The reality is: Cambodia has no modern industries but only garments, shoes, cigarettes, natural rubber etc which employ 350,000 workers, and which, in majority, is in the last sequence of production for example labeling the products as if the products were entirely made in Cambodia.

Cambodian government was unable to ameliorate the work conditions of the workers, and repeated disputes on the working and heath conditions of workers were never ever solved. Chea Vichea, the Union leader, was assassinated in the certain public knowledge. The real assassins were never arrested, and the justice never rendered.

With such injustice, with such kangaroo court and with such insecurity, who dare to invest in Cambodia? Nobody would dare to invest in Cambodia in such condition.

To explain how he attracts so much foreign investment Hun Sen advances the argument of the high price of real estate and the rapid real estate development, hotels and resorts and residential estate.

But hidden behind the real estate development, as the Mafia had done in Sicily, it was the black market money laundering which helped the corrupted government, the Mafiosi and terrorists to launder their moneys.

The following activities might help to enlighten this Cambodian money laundering affairs:

The Casinos sprang up like mushroom all along Cambodian borders and Central Phnom Penh.

The casinos served as center of money laundering for corrupted officials, drug dealers, extortionists and arms dealers. They served also as money laundering markets for the speculators of real estate under the economic banner of foreign investment of Hun Sen government.

Since after first election 1993, Mr. Theng Bun Ma, President of Thai Bun Rong Group and Mr. Mong Rithy, President of Mong Rithy Group; whom close friend of Hun Sen, were getting involved in drug dealers.

In 20003, AL-QUEDA members were arrested in Cambodia.

In 2004, Indonesia accuses Cambodia as a place where the arms were funneling to the Indonesian rebels.

In 2007, Thailand suspects that Thai Muslim terrorists have received arms from Cambodia.

Long Chhin Investment, in area of Kap Srauv Dam was dissolved by the government only after the firm had finished its money laundering.

For now, Cambodia is might be a safety’s place that high leader of AL-QUEDA hidden.

Then rumors stated that Cambodian corrupted officials stopped to deposit their moneys in foreign banks in neighboring countries. From there, they started to set up a money laundering center inside Cambodia. They attract all dirty money, corrupted money, extortion money, drug money, arm dealers money, and terrorist moneys. The Cambodian money laundering was intended to pick in crescendo around the beginning of electoral campaign 2008 end up toward the end of 2008.

The Cambodian Central Bank had an extreme low deposit of about $410 million while the corrupted money of Cambodian officials, drug money, arms dealer money, and extortion money were about $20 billion.

Presently, there are 29 casinos had been registering but not include an illegal casinos that defended by high ranking officers. Casinos was in charge for money transfer about one million per day, and this not including the money from the daily selling drug by the generals.

Beside land grabbing that grabbed people’s land Cambodia is also the world black market and money laundering center that international community has not yet paid attention because no body can ensure that Hun Sen’s administration does not have any relationship with AL-QUEDA members since his government has more and build strong relation with Muslim countries.