The article “Cambodian Firms Linked to US Election Probe” (January 30) included several false representations regarding Toko Kobayashi’s involvement in the financing of a 2016 Massachusetts ballot initiative led by the Horse Racing Jobs and Education Committee.
—Letter to the Editor—
The financiers of this ballot initiative, Mr. Kobayashi included, endeavored to bring thousands of jobs and millions of dollars in new annual tax revenue to Massachusetts. This citizens initiative, which was approved by the attorney general and gained 74,521 petition signatures from the constituents of Massachusetts in support of the initiative, was also strongly endorsed by New England’s’ largest police union.
The “violation of campaign law,” as strongly stated in The Cambodia Daily article, was actually unintentional, and was solely related to advertising material published by the Horse Racing Jobs and Education Committee. The disclosure requirements for Ballot Committees had recently changed and the Horse Racing Jobs and Education Committee was unaware of the new legislation.
The committee worked closely with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance to amend any mistakes promptly and took all necessary steps to ensure that all advertising material was in full compliance with the
law.
Mr. Kobayashi operates a real estate agency in Phnom Penh—NC Max World Co., Ltd., which serves Southeast Asia, Japan, Europe and the U.S. Mr. Kobayashi is committed to bringing positive new developments into Cambodia.
Laurence Hamilton
Vice President
NC Max World Co., Ltd.
