Page 126 - kpi18886

118

financial, and political supporter of Hun Sen’s authoritarian regime. This
was the context in which Cambodia’s special economic zones were
created. Despite expectations to the contrary, the country’s zones are
notable for extremely high levels of social deregulation and a very low
positive impact on the surrounding regions.

The Political Economy of the Zones

Like all special economic zones, those in Cambodia are governed
by contracts between government authorities and a private partner who,
in this case, is required to prove that they have available financial
capital of at least $500,000. Among many other functions, Hun Sen is
the chairman of the Council for Economic and Social Development,
whose main arm is the Council of the Zones where the ministers who
manage the zones are seated. The ministers negotiate directly with
investors and oversee the government outpost inside each zone. Hun
Sen personally signs all public contracts, although their contents are not
part of the public record.

The largest zone, Manhattan, was founded in Bavet near the
Vietnamese border in 2005. It was developed by a Chinese investor
from Taiwan, the manager of a very large firm--the Manhattan
International Corporation—closely associated with Hun Sen. On August
12, 2005, Cambodge Soir published an article entitled “Cambodia Offers
Itself Industrial Paradises,” stating that “the law regulating the
functioning of the special economic zones has not yet been passed by
the government. But the Prime Minister is no concerned about this—he
said that he was ‘happy to give birth to this SEZ outside of the bonds
of marriage, like a midwife, in other words, it would seem, without
passing before the notary.’” 24

After gaining approval from the Council of Zones, a private
partner is free to finance the zone project however they choose in
order to make a profit. The partner has full authority to set the rents

24 www.zoneéconomiquespecialeManhattan.com

การอภิปรายรวมระหวางผูแทนจากตางประเทศ