National Radio Site Swapped With Land Developer
The Ministry of Information has swapped an 11-hectare plot of land in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district, which was previously the site of National Radio AM 918, with a property development firm in exchange for the construction of a new radio tower and transmitter on a 20-hectare plot of land about 25 km outside the city. Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said Thursday that there was no public bidding for the state land, but instead he personally called “all the land developers” and decided to grant the land to the Khun Sea Development Group, who in return is building a new radio facility in Kandal province’s Kandal Stung district. Asked why his ministry had skirted public advertisement and competitive bidding regulations for state assets and contracts, Mr. Kanharith said, “This is an exception because nobody wanted to have this land.” … The Khun Sea Group, owned by local businessman Khun Sea, outbid other firms vying for the ministry’s land by promising to cover all costs for the new AM 918 infrastructure as well as compensation for the station’s 40 employees, a cost that Mr. Kanharith estimated at well over $9 million, more than other firms who were offering up to $8 million for the piece of real estate, he said. … The most astonishing example of the trend was the move of the entire provincial government of Siem Reap in 2010, when staff were relocated from downtown office buildings in Siem Reap City to a desolate 42-hectare site in Ampil commune, some 16 km from the city center. Little-known firm J&R Import, Export and Construction Company was awarded a contract to build 60 new office buildings for the Siem Reap provincial government in Ampil commune and, in return, J&R took control of centrally-located land belonging to the provincial government, including the provincial hall and 26 departments in prime areas of the city center. …
Kuch Naren and Colin Meyn
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/national-radio-site-swapped-with-land-developer-45419/
