Bloomberg’s Netty Ismail reported this morning that private-equity investors are now targeting Cambodia in Southeast Asia. Ismail wrote:

Leopard Capital and Cambodia Investment & Development Fund are among those planning to put more than $450 million in the second-poorest of 10 Southeast Asian nations. Cambodia Investment is getting advice from Jim Rogers, who predicted the start of the commodities boom in 1999, and Marc Faber, who forecast Asian assets would decline before the regional financial crisis in 1997.

Faber is also a director at Leopard Capital.

Angkor Wat, Cambodia
Photo by Roi Sabarov, stock.xchng

According to the Bloomberg reporter, Prime Minister Hun Sen is relying on oil and mineral resources to attract foreign investment and reduce Cambodia’s dependence on clothing exports and tourism for growth as he prepares for a July election. Rogers noted:

Cambodia does have a lot of natural resources, it does have an ambitious population, and it does have some assets. Most countries that come out of something like they have are inclined to be pretty safe for a while because they’re trying to get money in.

Source:

“Cambodia Draws Interest of Jim Rogers, Private Equity (Update1)”
Netty Ismail
Bloomberg, May 14, 2008

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