What now for Sihanouville (part2)

What is left now in the city are a plethora of Chinese businesses with no clientele to service. I read a story today that stated 56 of 75 licensed casinos in Sihanoukville have already closed their doors. With massive unemployment and no other industry ready to replace the Chinese ones that are quickly dying, it is near impossible to predict what might happen next. It is possible that both expats and locals may return and reopen businesses that once were successful. But this scenario seems unlikely given that most would probably fear that the same thing would just happen all over again. Let's not forget that this online ban was at the behest of the Chinese government and they have pledged billions of dollars in exchange for Cambodia's cooperation. Thus the likelihood that the Chinese are done in the Kingdom of Wonder is unlikely, especially since so many of them already inhabit other cities such as Phnom Penh. But we here in the capital city have experienced very little of what Sihanoukville has seen in terms of crime with the arrival of the Chinese. That can be attributed to the fact that the Chinese in Phnom Penh are not here for any reasons associated with gambling and that their interests are more mainstream and legitimate. I do believe that once Sihanoukville is built back up they should experience much of the same in terms of their relations with the Chinese.

So what in the meantime? I believe that the next 1-2 years is very crucial for the future of both Sihanoukville and the country at large. It is very possible that if the correct steps are not taken that the exact same thing or something close to it can happen all over again. So I propose something radical and look to one of our neighboring countries in Southeast Asia for a possible solution. I have always wanted to travel to the island of Boracay in the Philippines but when planning a trip in 2018 was dismayed to learn that the entire island was closed to tourists. This was done after President Duerte had declared the island a "cesspool" in light of all the pollution that had desecrated the region. I find many parallels with what has happened in Sihanoukville and so perhaps the best solution is to just close the city for one year. This would allow the city to fix its horrendous sewage system, clean up much of the pollution that has been caused by the many building projects and clean up the beaches that were once a tourist destination. Many of the projects in the city have already been stopped anyway and the money that the Chinese government has pledged to Cambodia can be used towards the many necessary fixes and to subsidize the people and businesses that will remain during such a closure. This would also give the government time to set up a proper governing body or commission to overlook activities such as gambling so that the same mistakes do not occur again.

There are those that say that you can never go home again. I think this is the case in Sihanoukville as those hoping for a return for what the city was a few years back will probably never come back. There is just simply too much money invested already and more to come for that to ever happen. What the town will eventually become depends heavily on what decisions are made and what occurs in the next 1-2 years. This whole thing started with an under-reaction, letting just about anyone come in to set up businesses that were ripe for ill repute if not done correctly. And now we are at the result of a complete over reaction in which nearly everyone has departed and left in the remains a broken city. While it may never be what it once was, Sihanoukville can be a great city in the future that is welcoming to all groups. Here is to hoping that the right steps are taken in this not so distant future in order to ensure a happier ending than the one we have now.