Sunday, March 28, 2010

In Special Economic Zones, a Long Way To Go

By Ros Sothea, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
25 March 2010

Cambodia has slowly developed a number of special economic zones, but poor infrastructure, insufficient telecommunications, and complicated customs are hampering their full potential, according to a senior government official.
The zones, first created in 2005, are designed to cluster investment in factories for garments, electronics and foods, all for export. Investors are offered tax incentives and one-stop service by zone administration in exchange for setting up production in the zones.
Cambodia has laid out at least 19 of these zones, mostly along the borders with Thailand and Vietnam and along the coast. But only five of them are in operation, and the zones lack road, water, electricity and skilled labor, Sok Chenda, secretary-general of the Council for the Development of Cambodia, told an economic outlook conference last week.

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