via Radio Free Asia, 23 November 2020: Residents in Siem Reap express apprehension over the recent announcement of a massive resort to be built near the city and the Angkor Archaeological Park.
A theme park project to be built on the outskirts of Siem Reap city in Cambodia by a Hong Kong-listed casino operator poses risks to the nearby iconic Angkor Wat temple complex and the local culture, residents and civil society groups warned as the plan was unveiled.
Last week, NagaCorp, which is registered in the Cayman Islands and operates NagaWorld casinos in the capital Phnom Penh under an exclusive license from the government, revealed plans to construct a 75-hectare (185-acre) “Angkor Lake of Wonder” theme park it has compared to California’s Disneyland.
The resort—the first phase of which is expected to cost some U.S. $350 million and be completed in 2025—will include a “China Town” and water park, as well as an indoor theme park, and will be built by an as-of-yet unnamed Chinese state-owned enterprise, the company said in a press release.
Source: Planned Theme Park Poses Risks to Cambodia’s Angkor Wat, Culture: Residents, NGOs
