Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has ordered a casino located on the country’s historic Bokor Mountain to revert to its original name and remove new signage following widespread public backlash over an attempted rebranding.
According to the Phnom Penh Post, the owners of Thansur Bokor Highland Resort – which houses one of Cambodia’s largest casinos – changed the name of the property earlier this month to Sokha Thansur Resort.
But after the name change attracted attention on social media, the Prime Minister overturned the Ministry of Commerce’s original approval – ordering the removal of all new signage over the weekend.
Hun Sen said that “the historic area must keep its original name” and thanked “national compatriots” for raising the issue. Critics of the name change had accused Vietnamese owner Sok Kong of trying to whitewash Cambodian history.
However, there appeared to be some confusion as to Mr Kong’s intentions with many mistakenly believing the name of the national park in which Thansur Bokor Highland Resort resides, Preah Monivong National Park, was also being changed. The park is named after King Sisowath Monivong, who died on Bokor Mountain in 1941.
Speaking to the Phnom Penh Post, Mr Kong said he had simply wanted to change the resort name in order to match his other properties including Sokha Beach Resort in Sihanoukville, Sokha Phnom Penh Hotel and Sokha Siem Reap Resort which are all named after his wife.
“This [place] is Sokha’s. That is Sokha’s also. Is this to forget the history?” he said.
Thansur Bokor Highland Resort opened in 2012.
