Though the government isn’t happy with its work restoring Olympic Stadium, Yuan Ta Group is renting out part of the stadium’s land it acquired in a controversial contract with the government to establish a new market.
Phsar Sampouv will be located east of the stadium and will house 300 kiosks for vendors who have been selling goods on the streets around the stadium for years.
Subcontractor Sok Khoeun said vendors in the area are paying for the market’s construction and will pay Yuan Ta $4,000 per month in rent to use the space.
But interviews with vendors around the Olympic Stadium showed no one knew about the market. “I don’t know anything,” one vendor said. “But we have heard rumors we will be moved.”
Som Sovann, deputy governor of Prampi Makara district, said the vendors would not be forced to relocate. “The vendors shall move to sell there voluntarily,” he said. Ministry of Education Secretary of State Pok Than said he did not know the market was being built.
Ministry of Education officials said in February they were not happy with renovations to the Olympic Stadium and ordered $300,000 in additional work to be completed by this month.
Pok Than could not say how the additional renovations on the stadium were progressing.
Employees at Yuan Ta’s office declined comment Monday.
