Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Sok An told
General Electric's Vice Chairman on Monday that Cambodia needs more
investment in building capacity and creating jobs. The government
therefore hopes GE will help Cambodia in these areas.
Dr.
Sok An said, “We are seeking your assistance in training and capacity
building. These are important contributions to developing the country.”
The company said it is considering a one or two-week training course that will focus on leadership.
Dr.
Sok An, who is also Minister in Charge of the Office of the Council of
Ministers, said that the Royal Government has been investing in building
capacity by setting up vocational training centers to equip Cambodians
with the skills to get jobs.
The
Deputy Prime Minister said that every year the country has 350,000
people enter the labor force of which 100,000 are young graduates.
Cambodia
therefore is seeking to have foreign companies, including GE, provide
capacity building because such human assets contribute to the country’s
economic development.
John
Rice, the Vice Chairman of General Electric, said he understood the
government’s intention of creating local jobs and that his team would
look to see what GE could do for local capacity building.
GE
is looking at possibly investing in selling power locally in the
future. This inspired it to consider setting up a pilot project of
bio-fuel produced from rice husks in Cambodia. For that pilot project,
GE would seek cooperation with local banks and others before deciding
whether to invest in the sector.
Other
GE business activities involve energy, aviation, rail, oil and gas,
water, energy financial services and aviation financial services.
GE—which
also is involved in transportation, energy and health care
infrastructure—has already provided Cambodia’s Health Ministry $5
million worth of medical equipment.
Mr.
Rice told H.E. Dr. Sok An that GE will increase its assistance up to $7
million thanks to Cambodia’s good management and cooperation.
The Deputy Prime Minister also told Mr. Rice that Cambodia is rich in cultural heritage for tourism.
Dr.
Sok An said that this Southeast Asian nation has a history even longer
than the Roman Empire. Experts have said along that the kingdom has more
than 1000 historic temples, giving the country great potential for
tourism investment.
The
temple of Angkor, which is the world’s biggest shrine, became a World
Heritage Site in 1992. Cambodia has other world records such as the West
Baray, the world’s largest human-made lake, located west of Angkor
Thom. The Khmer people made the West Baray by erecting four earthen
dikes in an 8 km by 2.8 km rectangle; it can store up to 80 million
cubic meters of water.
The
world’s longest Buddhist statue, 73 meters in length, is placed at the
Baphuon Temple. This and other cultural heritage of Cambodia brought
international attention and the creation of an International
Coordinating Committee for the Safeguarding and Development of the
Historic Site of Angkor, co-chaired by France and Japan.
More
than 60 projects of temple restoration have been implemented in Siem
Reap province, the home of Angkor, with support from 16 countries, said
the Deputy Prime Minister.
Mr. Rice said he is impressed with the effort of Cambodia’s government in safeguarding and restoring the historic sites.
Dr.
Sok An said the famed Cambodian cultural heritage, especially Angkor,
has attracted more than just tourists. A Hollywood movie company is
considering to making a feature movie about the Angkorian Empire.
