Casino building part of ‘secret strategy’ to protect Cambodia borders
Hun Sen, the prime minister of Cambodia, has said allowing the construction of a spate of casinos on the border was part of a “secret strategy” to protect the country’s territory from its neighbours. In a five hour speech addressing border demarcation issues with Vietnam, he told parliament: “I don’t like casinos, but the biggest goal for giving permission to build casinos is to protect the border. … Cambodia’s border with Vietnam and Thailand is dotted with dozens of casinos and accompanying hotels catering mostly to foreign gamblers since Cambodians are not legally allowed to gamble. … Cambodia and Vietnam officially began demarcating their 790-mile border in September 2006 after decades of territorial disputes stemming from French colonial times. According to Hun Sen some 434 miles have been demarcated so far.
