Canadia says tower opening delayed

CANADIA Bank on Wednesday again pushed back the likely opening date of what will be the tallest occupied structure in Cambodia, Canadia Tower.

Charles Vann, the bank's deputy general manager, said that banking staff would probably not move in to the bottom two levels of the 30-storey building until after this month. Originally, the grand opening was to be September 9. It was later pushed back, though Vann said recently Canadia staff might move in this month.

"We decided to do a little delay," he said Wednesday, adding that it had been decided the opening should not coincide with Chol Preah Vosar, a period of Buddhist retreat lasting three months, winding down at the end of October.

He also noted that "the interior is not yet finished" on the lower two banking floors; however, he said that banking staff would still almost certainly relocate to the tower before the official grand opening, which he said he still expected to take place before 2010. "We haven't set a concrete date yet," he added.

Phnom Penh Governor Kep Chuktema, who inspected the tower on Tuesday, added feng shui to the list of reasons for delays to the structure, saying Wednesday that Canadia Bank still needed to have the tower assessed on an appropriate day using the Chinese discipline, which takes account of a structure's natural energies.

"We want them [Canadia Bank] to launch as soon as it is ready," he said.

He added that once the building is finished it will show "that Cambodia's economy was progressing, as well as the construction sector".