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Cambodia's Ministry of Culture and Arts says the $350 million non-gaming resort near the UNESCO World Heritage site Angkor Wat in Siem Reap is "unworkable" in connection with the developer's proposal. The plan is being pursued by NagaCorp Ltd., a Hong Kong-listed casino investor.
Naga Corp. runs the Naga World casino complex in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. It has an exclusive license to operate casinos there and around the city.
In November, Nagakov said it had been granted a 50-year lease about 500 metres south of Angkor Wat's development restricted zone.
The casino company said the new resort, temporarily called Encore Lake of Wonder, includes a hotel and water theme park, as well as an indoor high-tech theme park, water cruise attractions, cultural attractions, and food streets. The first phase of the project was scheduled to open in 2025.
In February, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) voiced concern over Nagakov's proposal following discussions at a late-January meeting of the International Anchor Coordinating Committee (ICC-Ankor), a multinational body that will oversee the preservation and development of Angkor.
"The technical opinions of experts in conservation and sustainable development were clearly at a disadvantage," UNESCO said of the project near Nagakov's heritage site at the time.
UNESCO also said that the size, scope, and concept of planned activities, as well as the proximity of Naga Corp's project to a protected buffer zone at the Angkor Wat site, could actually affect the outstanding universal value that Angkor is listed on UNESCO's World Heritage List
"We shared the opinion of ICC-encore and its special experts that Naga Group's proposed 'weird encore' project could not be implemented in this context," the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. The ministry did not elaborate on why.
GGRAsia has reached out to a representative for Naga Corp for comment.
The ministry's review took into account Naga Corp's proposals and those mentioned on Jan. 27 during the ICC-Encore plenary meeting and two other special sessions held on Feb. 22 and March 4, respectively, according to the statement. 파워볼사이트 추천
The ministry's statement was first reported by the Phnom Penh Post newspaper.