Surely £28,500 is around about right, yes?
A luxury loo custom-built for a Thai princess’s visit to Cambodia was left unused despite its $40,000 price tag, local officials have said, in a country where most rural dwellers do not have access to a toilet.
It was built for a visit by Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn to Yeak Lom lake in Cambodia’s north-east. But her two-hour visit ended without her ever having used the lavish facility, community leader Ven Churk told AFP on Tuesday. “She did not go inside the bathroom, she just looked at it from outside and took some pictures,” he said.
The toilet was later “removed” and the adjoining bathroom will now be turned into a security post for tourists visiting the lake, he added.
The building took more than two weeks to construct and cost an estimated $40,000 (£28,500). “I have never seen such a bathroom,” Ven Churk said.
Provincial governor Nhem Sam Oeun confirmed the toilet was unused, adding that it was “very modern, very good … it can’t be kept because it is for royals”. He said the Thais paid for it to be built.
Local reports said it was put up by the Siam Cement Group, a Thai construction company partly owned by the Crown Property Bureau, which manages the Thai royal family’s investments. SCG could not be reached for comment.
The incident has not been reported in Thailand, where a severe lese-majesty law punishes any perceived criticism of the royal family with up to 15 years in prison.
[via The Guardian]
