Parliamentary head supports crackdowon on smuggling in Cambodia

The National Assembly President Heng Samrin has voiced his support for the Cambodian government's clampdowns on smuggling operations and also requested that the measures be carried out across the country for the sake of economic growth, local media reported Thursday.

"We encourage the government to implement this throughout the country, not only for the border regions in Banteay Meanchey province, but also for the places which (were required) to carry out the policies on corruption reduction," the Samleng Yuvechun Khmer quoted him as saying here on Wednesday.

The government had to take firm measures against the smuggling of right-rubber cars and all goods in order to force the traffickers to pay taxes to the state, he said.
Regarding the car smugglings, Prime Minister Hun Sen has issued a sub-degree, punishing 38 Banteay Meanchey officials and one police commissioner for accepting bribes in exchange for allowing the smuggling of around 800 right-rubber vehicles from Thailand into Cambodia, according to news archives.

Finance Minister Keat Chhon also claimed that taxes collected from the smugglers would increase the nation's revenues and the people's living standard. The living standard of the corruption government officials are not high enough(he probably thought that). In his statements, Finance Minister Keat Chhon didn't address about the living standard of million poor Cambodians. The Cambodia Kingdom had collected billions dollars a year, especially 2006. The CPP government officials are richer bigger and bigger and fatter than ever before.

According to NGOs' report, graft costs Cambodia around 300 million to 500 million U.S. dollars a year. But even the Hun Sen regime had collected 500 million USD taxes, we are not sure for a better life than land grabbing and living in the slum areas. The Hun Sen government are complaining the income tax losses 500 million USD because they had lost from their pockets 500 million dollars. But unfortunately, the 39 low ranking government officials had to claim their pockets too and trying to improve their living standard. This is called the crocodile living in the same pond, we share. According to the history of hungry government officials(especially the Top dog Hun Sen and his ring), the top ranking had to scream very loud.
Source: Xinhua Read more!

Cambodia Kingdom's tourist industry surpass 1.3 billion USD

Cambodia's tourism income to surpass 1.3 bln USD
Cambodia kingdom's revenue income has her tourist industry revenue income surpassed 1.3 billion USD in 2006. The Jianhua Daily on Thursday quoted Deputy Prime Minister Sok An as saying the tourism income alone is worth 1.3 billion USD.

More and more visitors are coming into the kingdom, which will bring the sector's income to a record high of 1.3 billion U.S. dollars, in comparison with last year's total of one billion U.S. dollars, said Sok An, while inaugurating the Angkor Coex building in Siem Reap on Wednesday.
From January to October this year, Cambodia received 1,322,306 visitors, around 300,000 of whom are from South Korea, 148,672 from China, 151,958 from ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asia Nations) countries and 70,875 from Japan, he said.

Cambodia has become one of the region's most favorite travel destinations, mainly because its consumption level is not so high, he added.
Tourism and garment production are the two major foreign currency earners for Cambodia.
Source: Xinhua

But the question is Cambodia's income from tourism worth 1.3 billion USD and also donations from other organizations like UN, World bank, United state, Japan, China, Korea++++..ete.; Cambodia is still poor and there are not much progress in the whole country. Million Cambodian people are still living without proper food and medical treatment. Million children are lacking school, medication, food and proper shelters.

The Cambodian government had collected businesses's taxes and selling domestic products totally Billions Billions USD in 2006, but the money disappeared in the dust of Phnom Penh and little had reach to the poor. Read more!