BRAVE NEW WORLD
Vietnamese electricians brave former KR territory to put the final touches on
Pailin's new casino.
PAILIN - The unthinkable just one year ago will soon happen in this city infamous
for strident militancy and intolerance toward vice: the nearly-complete Caesar International
Casino will open its doors within the next month.
The building will be the largest commercial establishment in the city, where owning
property was once considered theft and carrying a deck of cards was grounds for re-education.
Foreign ownership in the venture is unclear, but the Cambodian partner is MSP Development,
owned by Koh Meng Sreng who is proprietor of the Sharaton Hotel in Phnom Penh and
the son of Cambodia Chamber of Commerce president Teng Bunma.
MSP also operates the duty free concession in Pailin and another casino on the Thai
border 15km west of the city, which draws hundreds across the frontier each day.
There are already 18 gaming tables and 36 security cameras in the new building. Another
14 tables will come from the open-air casino at the border, which is scheduled to
close when the new venue opens.
Meng Sreng and Pailin Governor Ee Chhean declined to comment after they met here
July 12.
MSP representatives, who declined to be named, say that their company is banking
on Thais making the journey from the border, so they plan to repair the road.
Security along the route has not been as good as in the past. Two people - one
of them a Pailin municipal official - were killed last month in a daylight hold-up.
"When the casino opens, we will provide armed escorts for the Thais," said
Pailin deputy police commissioner Bou Sarin.
It is unclear whether the casino has received official sanction from the government.
Sarin says that he is not familiar with the details, but as a policeman he is familiar
with the law.
"The casino must be approved by Phnom Penh," he said. "We are not
an autonomous zone."
Interior Minister Sar Kheng visited Pailin on July 14, distributing 87 tonnes of
government rice. Interior spokesman Khieu Sopheak said that the delegation did not
visit the casino or speak about it.
"Issuing casino licenses is not under the Ministry of Interior," he explained.
"It is up to the government to decide."
Dealers, cashiers and restaurant staff were recruited from a nondescript office across
the street from Phnom Penh's Sharaton Hotel. The promise of salaries of between $180
and $300 per month drew scores of applicants willing to brave living in the former
guerrilla stronghold.
The bravest - or craziest - workers of all are the Vietnamese crew brought in to
complete the carpentry, electrical work and plumbing. The seven men tend to keep
to themselves, but report no overt intimidation despite widespread anti-Vietnamese
sentiment.
"We are happy to be working here, but we look forward to finishing the job,"
said an electrician who declined to be named.
In all, MSP Development plans to employ 60 people in the casino. The company operating
the adjoining restaurant has taken on an additional 30.
"We didn't want to get involved with the restaurant because we didn't want any
problems with customers running up bills," said the MSP source. "F&B
[food and beverage] is a completely separate operation."
While he says that Thais will constitute the bulk of the clientele, Khmer nationals
will not be barred from entering. "What can we say?" he asks. "If
the people around here with money want to come in, we will welcome them."
