Hun Sen Approves Resort in S’ville: Developer

Plans for a $250 million resort in Sihanoukville received verbal ap­pro­val from Prime Minister Hun Sen on Thursday, a company official said.

Ream Resort and Development Co Managing Director Thierry Loustau-Khao said Sunday that he had visited Hun Sen’s Kandal home to present tentative plans for the resort, which is to have about 200 villa and condo units, a PGA-rated golf course, marina, village and five-star hotel.

“We wanted personally to inform Mr Hun Sen of our intention. He was very happy to see this kind of development and happy to have the first golf course in Sihanouk­ville,” said Loustau-Khao.

Ground will break in November on the 140-hectare resort, 5 km from Ream National Park and 10 km from Sihanoukville Inter­nation­al Airport, which Loustau-Khao said was already approved by the Coun­cil for the Development of Cam­­bodia and scheduled to open by 2010.

“I can tell you this is absolutely se­rious, and we will start in Novem­ber,” he said by telephone Sunday. “It’s not just a project on paper.”

Ream Resort and Development CEO Alain Dupuis, a French citizen, is the principal financial backer, Loustau-Khao said.

Two foreign companies are now in negotiations to build the hotel, Lou­­s­tau-Khao said, declining to name the resort’s partners until a mas­­­­ter plan is disclosed later in the year.

Ream Resort Development Co also has rights to the 43-hectare Koh Sranoach island, 400 meters from shore, which Loustau-Khao said will be developed with villas.

Prey Nop district Governor Lin Sorin said this is the fifth resort announced for his district and the company had already begun fencing in the area.

Municipal Governor Say Hak could not be reached for comment.

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