Cambodia to Build Luxury Prison for Wealthy Inmates

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Work is now officially underway on a new luxury detention center near the existing Pray Sar Prison outside of Phnom Penh in Cambodia. The new facility is intended to help ease prison overcrowding while at the same time catering specifically to wealthy inmates in search of a more comfortable detention experience. The project is scheduled for completion in late 2018.

Cambodia currently operates 18 prisons and has a total inmate population that exceeds 18,000. However, the Sydney Morning Herald reported on May 10 that Cambodian jails have for years unofficially allowed wealthy inmates special perks such as offering single-occupant cells and ceiling fans or allowing inmates to purchase contraband such as drugs and alcohol. The human rights group LICADHO has even found evidence of inmates paying to be transferred to different facilities.

The new so-called VIP prison is slated to include more spacious cells and areas for worship and exercise. When complete, the new privately operated facility, which Interior Minister Sar Kheng called a “hotel or detention center,” will also serve as a financial generator, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Cambodian officials have stated that fees charged will be at the discretion of Kunn Rekon Holdings, the private Malaysian development firm in charge of building and operating the facility, according to the Sydney Morning Herald. Under a 45-year agreement with the Cambodian government, Kunn Rekon Holdings will share proceeds from the facility.

The project is estimated to cost approximately $4 million USD, and it will house up to 1,200 inmates, though only 400 will be housed there initially. The country’s correctional system is straining to contain those convicted of drug crimes, and many inmates currently in the country’s prisons have yet to be brought to trial.