Casino Complex Set To Open

[george]

CASINO COMPLEX SET TO OPEN

RANONG: -- Two Treasure Islands, the new casino-cum-entertainment complex Burma is building, will open its door to tourists later this month. Located in the Bay of Bengal, the complex is 15 minutes boat ride from the Thai coastal province of Ranong.

The Burmese government commissioned Singapore-based DP Group of Companies to build the facility which boasts the 352-room Treasure Island Resort, a casino, a large marina capable of accommodating 50 yachts, horse- and dog-racing circuit, a duty free shop, water sports, deep-sea fishing and dive sites and a golf course.

The group invested over 3,500 million baht to develop the complex complete with an immigration desk to process visa for tourists.

Fifty-two rooms will open for guests later this month under the first phase, while the remaining will be completed by December.

To get there, travellers can take a boat from the Ranong pier.

--Bangkok Post 2005-06-16

[sriracha john]

Sounds like quite a place. Thailand must be drooling with envy. How soon before they follow suit and have casinos?

Certainly has the potential for a very pleasant choice for visa runs from the surrounding area.

Also very interesting that the resort was able to finally get off the ground. Quite a dramatic past, as well, for the young Singaporean owner of this casino.

The Straits Times , FEB 3, 2004

By Selina Lum

A SINGAPORE businessman who made headlines in 1998 with his ambitious plan to open a US$90 million (S$153 million) casino-cum-holiday resort in Burma, is suing a company here, blaming it for the project.

Mr. Drake Poh Teong Kang, managing director of Victoria Entertainment Resort Club, a company set up in Burma, has taken construction company Esasia Engineering to court for breach of contract.

Victoria, which owns the casino-resort project, said the development has not been able to open on schedule because Esasia did not deliver four generators it had ordered. The machines were to supply power to run the resort on the island.

In the breach-of-contract suit it filed last April, it asked the court to order Esasia to deliver the generators, which it had ordered in March 2002 when the development was nearly completed.

It is also seeking unspecified damages for loss of profits and manpower costs.

The 44-year-old Mr Poh is the husband of the late Madam Angie Ng, 34, who was allegedly murdered by their Indonesian maid at their Bukit Merah Central office on May 28, 2002.

Madam Ng's body was found with that of her three-year-old daughter, Crystal, in the charred remains of the office. A verdict on the case is still pending.

Mr. Poh, who is also the managing director of the Singapore-based DP group of companies, was in Burma at the time and rushed back to Singapore when he heard the news.

DP started as a manpower supply company, but later diversified into construction and property.

In 1997, the Burma government agreed to lease Mr Poh two islands off the southern coast for 30 years, to develop a casino-cum-holiday resort.

He had chosen two, which he named Treasure Island 1 and Treasure Island 2 - near the border with Thailand, to target both wealthy Burmese people and Thais.

The islands had no power, water, phone lines, roads or jetty.

In 2001, when work to provide such basic infrastructure as well as a casino and chalets on Treasure Island 1 was nearly completed, Mr Poh wanted generators to supply power to the resort.

His company signed a contract with Esasia in March 2002 to manufacture and supply the customised machines worth more than US$220,000.

Victoria, represented by Mr Chia Boon Teck, now claims the casino-cum-resort is unable to open for business on schedule, and this has resulted in a loss of profits.

It also claims that because Esasia was unable to ship the generators to Burma before the import permit expired on April 9 last year, Victoria will have to pay hefty taxes when the generators, and items such as jackpot machines, eventually arrive.

On top of that, it says, it incurred unnecessary manpower costs as it was unable to deploy its 70 employees effectively on site. It has since cut that number to about 30.

In its defence, Esasia denies breaching the contract. It maintains it was not obliged to deliver the items as Victoria had breached the contract by not making a stipulated payment despite several reminders.

It has counter-sued Victoria for losses of about $102,000 on unsold equipment, as well as damages for storage and maintenance.