Transforming Abandoned Land into Industrial Zone
I am so happy to be able to participate with our people to put into official use further achievements of the Cambodia Brewery Limited (CBL). I thank the reports by representative of Industry and Handicraft Minister HE Cham Prasidh and President of Heineken for Asia Pacific Mr. Frans Eusman. On behalf of the Royal Government of Cambodia, I really appreciate efforts made over the past 20 years (by CBL). Mr. Frans Eusman said it and I remember that twenty years ago I came for the inauguration with Samdech Krom Preah and HE Goh Chok Tong, then Prime Minister of Singapore, in the month of November.
I also take this opportune moment to express to Mr. Frans Eusman my sincere thank for realistically sticking to local partner Oknha Sam Ang and Toch Chhun Leang. The two have made efforts for progress in their business construction here. In the past, it was an abandoned area. Now Roboh Angkanh is no longer abandoned. It has become an industrial and residential area. Let me share the background of this place. Originally we planned to transfer the CPP headquarter here where we will have our media all set up in once place as it was the time of war. However, it was not as secret as we planned to be. People moved it. We then had to transform the planned working zone for leaders into one for factory. That is even better.
Men Need Things to Eat and Drink
I thank everyone for such efforts and we all heard that the factory new capacity would produce three million liters of beers per year. We still have demand for import. Some people insinuated that our society has become one of drinking and eating. I responded that what happens to Germany, to Italy, to France, who produce alcohol? Look, in the plane, they serve French wine. Why do they produce wine or alcohol, and/or other stuff? They are for consumption. It was because of giving little attention to things to drink and eat that in the past people in Moscow had had spend hours standing in a long line (to buy something they need to eat or drink). That was a lack of consideration on supply. The former Soviet Union was the one that placed man in space before anyone else, built heavy machineries. However, it did not have enough things to drink or eat. That is why the former Soviet Union had had to reform into free market economy. People need to eat and drink.
RGC’s Policy Open for Investors
I thank and hope that you all will continue to fortify your investments. As a policy, the Royal Government does not distinguish whether the enterprise to invest is from local or abroad. In reality, we have both local and foreign investors. This is a special point and there is no discrimination on that matter. In addition to that, we offer investment partner from outside to own 100% of their shares. In the first stage of the factory, the company started with distributing imported Heineken beer. I could recall the way it happened as they did so since 1985 under my premiership.
… I was born in 1952 but my birthday has changed to 1951. I was foreign minister when I was 27 and registering one year older would make me more senior. However, we cannot change that back. Talking about my biography, there has been a bad thing recently. There have been people who hacked and changed online information of my biography for a few minutes. They replaced one part of information on Hun Manet saying he is a son of my wife and Le Duc Tho […] they speak politely and in a good manner in English but they are nasty when they talk about it in Khmer. We caught that and were able to fix it soon after. However, they keep doing that. Well, when they committed all this, you may want to think about it, whether I wanted to cause trouble? Their actions are far too extreme./.
