Cambodia announces that ticketing to Angkor, which is managed by a private company, will be revamped once the contract expires at the end of the year and replaced by a newly-established public institution.
Gov’t takes Angkor ticketing back from powerful Sokimex
Phnom Penh Post, 07 November 2015
Government to Take Control of Ticketing at Angkor Wat
Cambodia Daily, 07 November 2015
Angkor ticket sales revamped
Bangkok Post, 06 November 2015
Cambodia ends privatization of Angkor Wat Temple: PM
Xihua, via Shanghai Daily, 06 November 2015
Sokimex Says Contract Termination Is Government Decision
Cambodia Daily, 09 November 2015
The government will next year take full control of ticketing at the Angkor Wat Archeological Park, 17 years after the contract was outsourced to the politically connected Sokimex group, an arrangement long plagued by accusations of irregularities.
Prime Minister Hun Sen announced the end of the conglomerate’s tenure at the world heritage site at a cabinet meeting yesterday morning, revealing an inter-ministerial body would replace the company, owned by tycoon Sok Kong.
Denying that alleged corruption was a factor in the decision, government spokesman Phay Siphan said, because the company’s latest five-year contract finished next year, it was simply time for the government to take over and boost state revenue collected from the park.
“When the business started, the government needed a partner. At that time the government had no ability to invest in that sector, so we looked to the private sector,” Siphan said.
Full story here.
