Investments in Preah Sihanouk to Enjoy Special TreatmentsUnification minister slams N.K. war rhetoric backers as ‘anti-state’

The government has set out special incentives for investments in Preah Sihanouk province to attract more investors to the coastal tourism and economic province, especially its city Sihanoukville. Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet outlined the incentive mechanisms in his speech the launching ceremony of the Special Programme to Promote Investment in Preah Sihanouk Province 2024, held in Sihanoukville on Jan. 31. Any investments on the unfinished buildings in the province will enjoy various tax holidays and exemption, free and favourable arrangements for business processing and operation, and beyond. Investments, including the small and medium sized enterprises, not related to the unfinished construction and business expansion will be awarded with some tax exemptions and business processing and operation. 'These incentives for investors aim to build Preah Sihanouk as a model province to promote investment and industrial development of Cambodia,' he underlined. According to De puty Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance H.E. Dr. Aun Pornmoniroth, there are 362 unfinished building and need roughly US$1.1 billion worth of investments to complete the constructions in Preah Sihanouk. There are also 176 constructed buildings but not operational, he said. Preah Sihanouk is a potential province for tourism and a multi-purpose economic zone of Cambodia with favourable conditions for investments in range of sectors. The government has invested in additional infrastructure and facilities to ease business operations, investments, and trade in the province. Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse SEOUL, Unification Minister Kim Yung-ho on Wednesday condemned some liberal South Koreans supportive of North Korea's war rhetoric for having an "anti-state" mindset that could undermine the foundation of the South. The minister made the remark at the start of a screening session of "Beyond Utopia," a U.S. documentary film depicting North Korean defectors' desperate escape from their home country. Citing a news report that some liberal experts said during a forum at the National Assembly last week that they can accept North Korea's perspective of war for the purpose of peace, Kim criticized them for following North Korea's propaganda. "Their remarks made in the name of academic freedom carries an anti-state view that undermines the achievements and identity of the Republic of Korea. This cannot be tolerable," he said. At the latest parliamentary meeting, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for revising the country's constitution to define South Korea as its "primary foe" and to codify a commitment to "completely occupying" South Korean territory in the event of war. The minister also condemned North Korea's bellicose rhetoric and its latest weapons tests as an "act of political provocation" designed to drive a wedge in South Korean society. "Our people and the government should be united in realizing North Korea's true nature and repelling the North's deception and propaganda tactics," Kim said. Meanwhile, after watching the documentary, the minister said in a meeting with around 200 young people that North Korea has been squandering scarce resources on weapons development while turning a blind eye to its people's livelihoods. The film, directed by Madeleine Gavin, features an arduous journey by North Korean defector families who risked their lives to escape the repressive regime before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and related rescue efforts by South Korean pastor Kim Sung-eun. It hit local cinemas Wednesday. "The issue of North Korea's human rights cannot be separated from the country's nuc lear and missile problem," he said. Pastor Kim, a human rights advocate who has rescued more than 1,000 North Korean defectors over the past 23 years, called for attention to North Korea's grave human rights violations. "North Korea has touted itself as the world's best country, but more than 34,000 North Koreans have risked their lives to escape that nation and defect to South Korea," he said. "I hope this film could give you a chance to realize how precious our freedom is and why we need to protect it. Also I want you to share the pain of North Korean defectors," the pastor added. Source: Yonhap News Agency