City Hall backtracks amid White Building outcry

With momentum gathering behind a movement to renovate rather than raze Phnom Penh’s famous White Building, City Hall on Thursday backtracked on its assertion earlier this week that the building was destined for demolition.

On Tuesday, Phnom Penh Governor Pa Socheatvong said the iconic apartment block had been condemned and that “the time has come to knock it down.”

Mr. Socheatvong explained that he was in talks with the Overseas Cambodian Investment Corporation (OCIC) to provide alternative housing on the city’s fringes for the White Building’s residents, who he said are no longer safe in their homes. …

Hul Reaksmey and Chan Cheuk Yin
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/city-hall-backtracks-amid-white-building-outcry-67556/