People are still trying to explain the change at the Ministry of Tourism in Cambodia

Minister of Tourism 'reshuffled'

By Vong Sokhneg and Charles McDermid

The National Assembly on Thursday made official the highly publicized
sacking of ex-Minister of Tourism Lay Prohas and voted to appoint a
member of the ruling party in his place.

Prohas was replaced by CPP stalwart Thong Kon, 56, a one-time Deputy
Chairman of the municipal People's Revolutionary Party of Kampuchea,
and a high-ranking Ministry of Tourism (MOT) official since 1993.

Nhiek Kim Chhon, brother of Funcinpec Secretary-General Nhek Bun
Chhay, was named deputy minister.

Just a week ago, Lay Prohas stood at the helm of the $2-billion dollar
tourism industry. Today, he is unemployed: his political party won't
comment on his whereabouts and his wife told the Post he has "not
carrying a mobile phone anymore."

It's been a rapid fall for the media-savvy 42-year-old, and political
analysts are scrambling to explain what went wrong. A source close to
the government, who declined to be named, told the Post that Prohas'
dismissal was caused by his inability to get along with members of the
CPP.

Hun Sen, however, couched Prohas' replacement in terms of what was
best for the ministry and the Kingdom. Poverty reduction and national
progress drove the decision, not politics, said the Prime Minister.

Hun Sen also tried to dismiss speculation that the coalition
government between the CPP and Funcinpec had finally come completely
unglued.

"If we put an end to the alliance between the CPP and Funcinpec,
perhaps all the Funcinpec ministers, secretaries and undersecretaries
would walk out," Hun Sen said. "You see now - ministers and
secretaries and undersecretaries and the deputy Prime Minister-are all
still here."

Members of Funcinpec hardly sounded so sanguine about the latest turn
of events.

Funcinpec Vice-President Prince Sisowath Sirirath told the Post on May
17 that these days, Funcinpec could do little more than maintain
smooth cooperation with its ruling partner.

"We respect that all the power is in the hands of Samdech Hun Sen,"
Sirirath said. "There is no quota in the coalition government now."

Prohas was appointed as tourism minister in 2004. The number of
foreign tourists to the kingdom has grown to 1.7 million in 2006, a 20
percent rise over 2005.

Ky Lum Ang, Funcinpec parliamentarian said that it was difficult for
her to make comment about the removal of Prohas in the circumstances
of the political situation at the moment.

She said that the Prime Minister told Funcinpec senior officials that
Lay Prohas may be appointed as an advisor of the government.

Sam Rainsy, President of the Sam Rainsy Party (SRP), said that the
reshuffle was an internal issue of the CPP and Funcinpec, which the
SRP was not interest in.

"We have seen that the role of Funcinpec in the coalition government
is being weak," Rainsy told the Post. "I don't believe that the
reshuffle will help to improve the working system of the government."

Thong Khon told reporters that he is determined to strengthen the
tourism industry by enhancing cooperation with the private sector.

"We want Cambodia to become one of the tourism destinations for the
region and for the whole world," he said, adding that he will work
harder to get the tourism management law to be passed by the National
Assembly.

Khon said that in the first quarter of this year, Cambodia attracted
about 500,000 foreign tourists, while infrastructure, the road
systems, the airports and the government continue to be improved.


Phnom Penh Post, Issue 16 / 10, May 18 - 31, 2007

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