Royal Group of Companies Ltd chairman Kith Meng has announced that the development of 70km of concrete roads on Koh Rong Island is about 30 per cent complete, with construction having begun in mid-July and proceeding on schedule since then.
Prior to breaking ground, Royal Group Koh Rong Development Co Ltd and Sinohydro Corp Ltd reached a $35 million deal to undertake the project, Royal Group said in July.
The new roads will be 8m wide and are slated to take 16 months to complete, according to the plan approved by the Council for the Development of Cambodia’s (CDC’s) Inter-Ministerial Committee on October 9, 2010, it added.
In a Facebook post on December 6, Meng said: “We expect this project to be successfully completed as planned … and look forward to the further development of the island and its beautiful attractions.”
Preah Sihanouk provincial governor Kuoch Chamroeun presided over a groundbreaking ceremony in July and described the project as part of wider-ranging government plans for improving the region.
According to the plan, the company will continue to build other necessary infrastructure such as drainage systems, power generation, water supply and an airport.
Chamroeun said: “I believe that there is much needed for the development of Koh Rong. Water treatment, rubbish-recycling and power plants will be especially important to sustain and beautify the island.”
Royal Group signed a 99-year lease agreement for Koh Rong with the CDC on February 28, 2008 with the intent to develop business districts and eco-tourism resorts on the island, according to information the group provided.
The development plans were approved by the CDC on October 3, 2008, and the island was officially handed over to the company on October 9. The company registered the land and received 33 long-term lease certificates.
The Royal Sands Koh Rong, a five-star resort located on the island’s Sok San Beach, officially opened in 2018. The hotel is a joint-venture between Royal Group and Luzi Matzig, chairman of travel group Asian Trails Co Ltd, who invested $40 million.
Koh Rong is the largest of Cambodia’s islands at 78sq km and is located 22km northeast of Sihanoukville, Preah Sihanouk’s provincial capital, taking approximately 45 minutes to reach by speed boat. The island has 28 beaches.
