Dear Friends,
Thank you very much for the interest in my book and for the number of letters I had received from you.
Also, please be advised that the full version of my book "The Kingdom of" will be exclusively posted on the site of Cambodia Business Network at: http://www.cambodiabusinessnetwork.com/ Blog of Gregory Shukhman
Read: The Kingdom of - part ten.
Part Eleven: ABA Bank
Fragment I
My return to New York was very special to me. It could be symbolized by the joyful flight of a free bird that holds a sense of kinship with the land, and achieves its goals regardless of its destination.
With each such return, my affection for all of my loved ones grows and becomes more powerful. That was how I felt when I was reunited with my family and “my” New York. Parting with them has always been painful to me. Meeting with them after a long absence is always a joy to my soul, and produces a wonderful festival of love.
I contacted Mr. Leslie Schwartz, who was in Denmark where he was anticipating the release of his book. Despite his anxiety, the book met with great success, and within months became the most in-demand, number-one bestseller. His lectures at schools and universities took up much of his time, but he managed to convince Copenhagen‘s business elite to consider researching the possibility of investing in Cambodia. I sent them all the available materials about investment projects that I had on hand.
Mr. Armao, at my request, continued discussions with many private equity investors concerning the mining, agriculture sector, tourism and energy opportunities in Cambodia.
The work performed by my partners was certainly impressive. I realize that only their participation and influence made it possible to attract business leaders to consider investing in Cambodia.
The world economy was on the rise at the beginning of 2007, especially in the post-Soviet countries and the Balkan nations. Due to the geographical arrangement, this reflected a favorable outlook for investment despite the potential political and economic instability of these regions. Therefore, the capital of many global investment firms had been involved in that area. I realized that the highly competitive environment was necessary to attract investment and develop necessary infrastructure in Cambodia. Referring to the Global Authority, I was infinitely glad that Robert Armao was ready to lead such a project.
Meanwhile, I was able contact The Trump Organization while in New York. I wanted to ask Mr. Trump to consider a movement called “Trump the World” in order to raise the level of luxury for people who had low incomes. This would also bring the world up to the standards of general needs, which is security and comfort, two signature necessities always followed by Donald Trump.
In addition, I had another very important meeting at the office of Access Industries, Inc., where I was able to presented Cambodia for Leonard Blavatnik, as a safe ground with good prospects for future investment.
Mr. Armao had returned to New York; he called for a meeting to discuss plans and coordinate our involvement in Cambodia.
I had told him about my meeting with the Mr. Keo Rottanak, Minister of Industry, Mines & Energy and advisor to the Prime Minister. I was honored to be meeting with the King. I shared my confusion about the $15,000 that was supposed to have been donated to the hungry, as plans had changed at the last minute.
I told him that this scenario really puzzled me, given Bunnaroeun’s record of honesty.
I was glad that Mr. Armao expressed his doubts as well. He did not think it was possible to be disrespectful, especially in relation to his respect for Bunnaroeun. He gave examples from his own experience to illustrate that bureaucracy sometimes makes a person wait longer before receiving the necessary confirmation of a charity distribution. Regardless, Mr. Armao recommended that Bunnaroeun be reminded about the issue, and requested to be kept informed of further events.
I continued to study every possibility around the globe for business associations that would benefit the Kingdom. I approached and held discussions with large industrial companies in South Korea, Ukraine, Kazakhstan just to name a few. My entire purpose was to generate commerce for Cambodia and business opportunity for my organization.
We constantly kept in contact with Bunnaroeun. He always conveyed greetings from the President and our friends living in Cambodia, whom I had the pleasure of meeting. I also spoke on the phone with Bunnaroeun’s children, and I was honored to be called their uncle. The conversations were always a great pleasure for me. They made progress in English, which they learned at my insistence.
At that time, the cost of the Cambodian company increased, Bunnaroeun’s office was enlarged, the staff’s salaries grew, and I had no choice but to enumerate all the necessary funds.
Once, in a normal conversation about the situation of affairs in New York, I took advantage of a pause and asked Bunnaroeun whether there was any evidence for the transfer of the $15,000 needed for my bookkeeper’s report. He replied with a light aggravation to cover my shame. "Everything is OK. Do not worry, brother. We are very honest people." I felt uncomfortable. Then I recalled the words of Mr. Armao. “Sometimes it takes a long time…”
I never mentioned this, knowing how easily it might offend a person, especially someone so close.
The time went well. It’s a wonderful feeling when we are driven by a purpose and a goal, and inspired by ideas. The idea that we could make the country and the lives in it more beautiful gave me a great amount of energy. I am sure you have experienced that feeling too. More and more influential people learned about Cambodia and its quest for a brighter future. I will never forget the day that Mr. Armao presented me to his board. As we were starting to put a strategy together for a marketing level in investment media, he introduced me. “This is Gregory, a Cambodian man.” I was proud to be, as much as I loved that country, their people and their King.
In late March, at about three o'clock in the morning, my brother phoned, not being much of a drinker. For the time we were together, I knew him well enough to know that he is like the Russian people. If a person is sad they are sober, and sometimes in Russian, the two words are synonymous. That is a joke. My brother who had been drinking was in a good state. He was with his brothers as usual, and he started to drink with everyone on the “Bruderschaft.”
(Eng.) Brotherhood that the tradition also includes the locking and twisting together of each other’s arms while drinking. The arm is to be raised with the elbow at 90 degrees, as befits military bearing. The gesture also includes a kiss on the lips afterward. Soviet political leader L. I. Brezhnev was a big fan of that. Usually Bunnaroeun would feed everyone present, taking some food in his fingers and putting it into someone’s mouth. I understood that he had to see to his family and that I was not supposed to drink more than him. It was always a fun to watch because I understood that he was well, and everyone had fun so they were also well. It was a Russian tradition, which was popular at the time. In addition, it was widely used as the main KGB recruitment strategy. However, I believe that, for Bunnaroeun, it was definitely nothing more than a childish game.
Therefore, my brother, while in this state, called me at about three in the morning. He said that Dr. Ahn, who works for ABA Bank, is our brother and wants to work with us. He gave the phone to another man. His voice was not young. He introduced himself as Dr. Ahn, President and CEO of Advanced Bank of Asia Limited. He soon realized that the time difference was not very favorable for any sort of conversation, apologized, and promised to send more information via e-mail. Beyond hearing that the information would be forwarded, I did not continue to attempt following the conversation. I could not hear the call very well, either.
Meanwhile, Mr. Leslie came back to New York from Copenhagen. His book had been published and he had achieved his goal of proving that truth and evidence are still alive. He had a wonderful feeling of accomplishment.
Just one drop of the truth was needed for good to triumph over evil. Like many others, I often think of the historical wars and catastrophes that have led people to such cruelty. I wonder why such cruelty was needed, and I cannot find the answer.
Once, my friend, who was then a senior investigator in charge of some particularly important cases, said, "We went to the prosecutor investigating the murder. Allegedly, the youth rode a bicycle, and the car’s driver had somehow moved into his way. The young man yelled, of course, before he stopped the driver and killed him brutally. In turn, the young man had testified that when he shouted obscene words at the taxi driver, a passerby said, ‘kill him.’ Kill him the boy did, and he couldn't be stopped, even though his opponent was in better shape, as he was. But the case was not so unique,” continued the investigator. "I have seen many cases with similar merits. The truth was found in the restaurant area, where the tragedy came to pass." He concluded with “imagine this scenario of such affection with some hypnoses, if all of the killings in the Soviet Revolution had happened like.”
I still cannot find a solution to life's tragedies, especially WWII. What had compelled these educated, intellectual slaughterers to commit so much bloodshed?
I am sincerely happy that Leslie Schwartz was alive and able to perform his duty. The more I know about Leslie, the more I admire the feats of his day-to-day life. He always comes with help for others. This rather modest man always finds a way to give the most. People who know him are constantly asking him for different favors as I asked him for help in Cambodia. He had recently received a call from the well-known, honored Rabbi Arthur Schneier of the Park East Synagogue in order to help promote the authorities in Germany, where Leslie was waiting for his second book to be published in both German and English. He sought permission to exhume 120 Jews and transport them to Israel. They were buried in a mass grave on German soil, having died of tuberculosis caused of a Nazi concentration camp. This is Leslie, his life and his happiness. He always strives to do right by the people. He is a survivor. He was never afraid of death, and he always fought for life.
At that time, Mr. Leslie Schwartz was a senior advisor for Great Court Capital, Inc., a leading strategic development & investment company. Mr. Schwartz had introduced me to President Ivan Berkowitz and CEO Mark Isaacson. Besides that, I was able to meet with other nice, noble people like Michel Freed of Depfa Bank, Barry Tucker, who is a Senior Vice President for Investments at UBS as well as the founder and president of the Richard Tucker Music Foundation. He is the eldest son of the great American tenor, Richard Tucker. I was fairly well-known within the New York business community as a big Cambodian promoter.
My participation gave me a lot of positive energy. I had thought and believed that Cambodia is both promising and profitable for investment projects. I had a perfect opportunity to attract investment capital; I was guided by the potential benefits for both sides.
On every visit to Cambodia, I saw a rapidly growing economy. We must give credit for this to the government of the country who provided foreign investors with favorable conditions.
I saw a growing new generation whose members were eager for education. Many Cambodians, who obtained their educations in Europe, Australia or America and became professionals, were happy to come back and work tirelessly for their country. That makes me believe that Cambodia has a bright future, because I was able to see the army of givers. Even now, I have received numerous letters in response to my book from people who love their country unconditionally. Allow me to publish one of them, as this letter really touched my heart with the sincerity with which it was written.
For security reasons of that person, I will not show the full name of the letter’s author.
Dear Gregory, Thanks for revealing the secret and the truth in your book, “The Kingdom of.” I had actually been reading less and less since 2008. But my reading energy re-emerged when I saw the name of Dr. Bunnaroeun An and his tactics for lobbying high-profile foreign investors. The way you describe things grabbed my attention. Even though I do not know you, I believe that the substance of your writing reflects the reality in my country, Cambodia. The facts presented in your book have hooked my attention. Today, I have spent the entire day reading from your introduction to the end of part 10. I wish I could read every chapter of “The Kingdom of” on your blog. I would love to motivate you to continue writing this book, and I look forward to reading it. Best regards, P.L.
I was thinking of that letter as a movement of goodness for the country. “If thou shall not burn, if I am not going to burn, and if we are not going to burn, then who will warm the world?” That was my heart’s desire: to burn in order to warm the planet.
At some point Alex Kotlarsky, a Russian-American businessperson approached me. He had heard a presentation of my vision for the future of Cambodia, and he expressed his desire to participate in this process. He told me that the father of his best friend, who lives in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, is a very influential person in the business community. Of course, I was very pleased to hear this unexpected news.
First, literally my long-standing at both the neighborhood and friendly relations with the Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the United Nations, has always been reflected a respectful attitude towards this country. Because of Ambassador’ extraordinary personality, as she was highly educated, kind and extremely intelligent. Her tireless work on behalf of her country, the prosperity of the world, and the prospect of world peace certainly merits her respect from her country and all who have had the honor of being acquainted with the Ambassador.
Thus, a proposal from Mr. Kotlarsky, it seemed very promising; progress was made with investors from Kazakhstan, and I saw potential for a great relationship with Cambodia. I saw the serious need for future relations between the two countries, so I proposed that Kazakhstan’s businesspersons pay a friendly visit to Cambodia. He was happy to lead this process; all that remained was to identify and coordinate a day for arrival in Phnom Penh.
Meanwhile, David Chi Hun Ahn had sent me a proposal for the sale of the ABA bank and all of its Cambodian branches. The asking price was $20 million.
Part Eleven: ABA Bank
Fragent II
To be continued:
Thank you very much for the interest in my book and for the number of letters I had received from you.
Also, please be advised that the full version of my book "The Kingdom of" will be exclusively posted on the site of Cambodia Business Network at: http://www.
Read: The Kingdom of - part ten.
Part Eleven: ABA Bank
Fragment I
My return to New York was very special to me. It could be symbolized by the joyful flight of a free bird that holds a sense of kinship with the land, and achieves its goals regardless of its destination.
With each such return, my affection for all of my loved ones grows and becomes more powerful. That was how I felt when I was reunited with my family and “my” New York. Parting with them has always been painful to me. Meeting with them after a long absence is always a joy to my soul, and produces a wonderful festival of love.
I contacted Mr. Leslie Schwartz, who was in Denmark where he was anticipating the release of his book. Despite his anxiety, the book met with great success, and within months became the most in-demand, number-one bestseller. His lectures at schools and universities took up much of his time, but he managed to convince Copenhagen‘s business elite to consider researching the possibility of investing in Cambodia. I sent them all the available materials about investment projects that I had on hand.
Mr. Armao, at my request, continued discussions with many private equity investors concerning the mining, agriculture sector, tourism and energy opportunities in Cambodia.
The work performed by my partners was certainly impressive. I realize that only their participation and influence made it possible to attract business leaders to consider investing in Cambodia.
The world economy was on the rise at the beginning of 2007, especially in the post-Soviet countries and the Balkan nations. Due to the geographical arrangement, this reflected a favorable outlook for investment despite the potential political and economic instability of these regions. Therefore, the capital of many global investment firms had been involved in that area. I realized that the highly competitive environment was necessary to attract investment and develop necessary infrastructure in Cambodia. Referring to the Global Authority, I was infinitely glad that Robert Armao was ready to lead such a project.
Meanwhile, I was able contact The Trump Organization while in New York. I wanted to ask Mr. Trump to consider a movement called “Trump the World” in order to raise the level of luxury for people who had low incomes. This would also bring the world up to the standards of general needs, which is security and comfort, two signature necessities always followed by Donald Trump.
In addition, I had another very important meeting at the office of Access Industries, Inc., where I was able to presented Cambodia for Leonard Blavatnik, as a safe ground with good prospects for future investment.
Mr. Armao had returned to New York; he called for a meeting to discuss plans and coordinate our involvement in Cambodia.
I had told him about my meeting with the Mr. Keo Rottanak, Minister of Industry, Mines & Energy and advisor to the Prime Minister. I was honored to be meeting with the King. I shared my confusion about the $15,000 that was supposed to have been donated to the hungry, as plans had changed at the last minute.
I told him that this scenario really puzzled me, given Bunnaroeun’s record of honesty.
I was glad that Mr. Armao expressed his doubts as well. He did not think it was possible to be disrespectful, especially in relation to his respect for Bunnaroeun. He gave examples from his own experience to illustrate that bureaucracy sometimes makes a person wait longer before receiving the necessary confirmation of a charity distribution. Regardless, Mr. Armao recommended that Bunnaroeun be reminded about the issue, and requested to be kept informed of further events.
I continued to study every possibility around the globe for business associations that would benefit the Kingdom. I approached and held discussions with large industrial companies in South Korea, Ukraine, Kazakhstan just to name a few. My entire purpose was to generate commerce for Cambodia and business opportunity for my organization.
We constantly kept in contact with Bunnaroeun. He always conveyed greetings from the President and our friends living in Cambodia, whom I had the pleasure of meeting. I also spoke on the phone with Bunnaroeun’s children, and I was honored to be called their uncle. The conversations were always a great pleasure for me. They made progress in English, which they learned at my insistence.
At that time, the cost of the Cambodian company increased, Bunnaroeun’s office was enlarged, the staff’s salaries grew, and I had no choice but to enumerate all the necessary funds.
Once, in a normal conversation about the situation of affairs in New York, I took advantage of a pause and asked Bunnaroeun whether there was any evidence for the transfer of the $15,000 needed for my bookkeeper’s report. He replied with a light aggravation to cover my shame. "Everything is OK. Do not worry, brother. We are very honest people." I felt uncomfortable. Then I recalled the words of Mr. Armao. “Sometimes it takes a long time…”
I never mentioned this, knowing how easily it might offend a person, especially someone so close.
The time went well. It’s a wonderful feeling when we are driven by a purpose and a goal, and inspired by ideas. The idea that we could make the country and the lives in it more beautiful gave me a great amount of energy. I am sure you have experienced that feeling too. More and more influential people learned about Cambodia and its quest for a brighter future. I will never forget the day that Mr. Armao presented me to his board. As we were starting to put a strategy together for a marketing level in investment media, he introduced me. “This is Gregory, a Cambodian man.” I was proud to be, as much as I loved that country, their people and their King.
In late March, at about three o'clock in the morning, my brother phoned, not being much of a drinker. For the time we were together, I knew him well enough to know that he is like the Russian people. If a person is sad they are sober, and sometimes in Russian, the two words are synonymous. That is a joke. My brother who had been drinking was in a good state. He was with his brothers as usual, and he started to drink with everyone on the “Bruderschaft.”
(Eng.) Brotherhood that the tradition also includes the locking and twisting together of each other’s arms while drinking. The arm is to be raised with the elbow at 90 degrees, as befits military bearing. The gesture also includes a kiss on the lips afterward. Soviet political leader L. I. Brezhnev was a big fan of that. Usually Bunnaroeun would feed everyone present, taking some food in his fingers and putting it into someone’s mouth. I understood that he had to see to his family and that I was not supposed to drink more than him. It was always a fun to watch because I understood that he was well, and everyone had fun so they were also well. It was a Russian tradition, which was popular at the time. In addition, it was widely used as the main KGB recruitment strategy. However, I believe that, for Bunnaroeun, it was definitely nothing more than a childish game.
Therefore, my brother, while in this state, called me at about three in the morning. He said that Dr. Ahn, who works for ABA Bank, is our brother and wants to work with us. He gave the phone to another man. His voice was not young. He introduced himself as Dr. Ahn, President and CEO of Advanced Bank of Asia Limited. He soon realized that the time difference was not very favorable for any sort of conversation, apologized, and promised to send more information via e-mail. Beyond hearing that the information would be forwarded, I did not continue to attempt following the conversation. I could not hear the call very well, either.
Meanwhile, Mr. Leslie came back to New York from Copenhagen. His book had been published and he had achieved his goal of proving that truth and evidence are still alive. He had a wonderful feeling of accomplishment.
Just one drop of the truth was needed for good to triumph over evil. Like many others, I often think of the historical wars and catastrophes that have led people to such cruelty. I wonder why such cruelty was needed, and I cannot find the answer.
Once, my friend, who was then a senior investigator in charge of some particularly important cases, said, "We went to the prosecutor investigating the murder. Allegedly, the youth rode a bicycle, and the car’s driver had somehow moved into his way. The young man yelled, of course, before he stopped the driver and killed him brutally. In turn, the young man had testified that when he shouted obscene words at the taxi driver, a passerby said, ‘kill him.’ Kill him the boy did, and he couldn't be stopped, even though his opponent was in better shape, as he was. But the case was not so unique,” continued the investigator. "I have seen many cases with similar merits. The truth was found in the restaurant area, where the tragedy came to pass." He concluded with “imagine this scenario of such affection with some hypnoses, if all of the killings in the Soviet Revolution had happened like.”
I still cannot find a solution to life's tragedies, especially WWII. What had compelled these educated, intellectual slaughterers to commit so much bloodshed?
I am sincerely happy that Leslie Schwartz was alive and able to perform his duty. The more I know about Leslie, the more I admire the feats of his day-to-day life. He always comes with help for others. This rather modest man always finds a way to give the most. People who know him are constantly asking him for different favors as I asked him for help in Cambodia. He had recently received a call from the well-known, honored Rabbi Arthur Schneier of the Park East Synagogue in order to help promote the authorities in Germany, where Leslie was waiting for his second book to be published in both German and English. He sought permission to exhume 120 Jews and transport them to Israel. They were buried in a mass grave on German soil, having died of tuberculosis caused of a Nazi concentration camp. This is Leslie, his life and his happiness. He always strives to do right by the people. He is a survivor. He was never afraid of death, and he always fought for life.
At that time, Mr. Leslie Schwartz was a senior advisor for Great Court Capital, Inc., a leading strategic development & investment company. Mr. Schwartz had introduced me to President Ivan Berkowitz and CEO Mark Isaacson. Besides that, I was able to meet with other nice, noble people like Michel Freed of Depfa Bank, Barry Tucker, who is a Senior Vice President for Investments at UBS as well as the founder and president of the Richard Tucker Music Foundation. He is the eldest son of the great American tenor, Richard Tucker. I was fairly well-known within the New York business community as a big Cambodian promoter.
My participation gave me a lot of positive energy. I had thought and believed that Cambodia is both promising and profitable for investment projects. I had a perfect opportunity to attract investment capital; I was guided by the potential benefits for both sides.
On every visit to Cambodia, I saw a rapidly growing economy. We must give credit for this to the government of the country who provided foreign investors with favorable conditions.
I saw a growing new generation whose members were eager for education. Many Cambodians, who obtained their educations in Europe, Australia or America and became professionals, were happy to come back and work tirelessly for their country. That makes me believe that Cambodia has a bright future, because I was able to see the army of givers. Even now, I have received numerous letters in response to my book from people who love their country unconditionally. Allow me to publish one of them, as this letter really touched my heart with the sincerity with which it was written.
For security reasons of that person, I will not show the full name of the letter’s author.
Dear Gregory, Thanks for revealing the secret and the truth in your book, “The Kingdom of.” I had actually been reading less and less since 2008. But my reading energy re-emerged when I saw the name of Dr. Bunnaroeun An and his tactics for lobbying high-profile foreign investors. The way you describe things grabbed my attention. Even though I do not know you, I believe that the substance of your writing reflects the reality in my country, Cambodia. The facts presented in your book have hooked my attention. Today, I have spent the entire day reading from your introduction to the end of part 10. I wish I could read every chapter of “The Kingdom of” on your blog. I would love to motivate you to continue writing this book, and I look forward to reading it. Best regards, P.L.
I was thinking of that letter as a movement of goodness for the country. “If thou shall not burn, if I am not going to burn, and if we are not going to burn, then who will warm the world?” That was my heart’s desire: to burn in order to warm the planet.
At some point Alex Kotlarsky, a Russian-American businessperson approached me. He had heard a presentation of my vision for the future of Cambodia, and he expressed his desire to participate in this process. He told me that the father of his best friend, who lives in Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, is a very influential person in the business community. Of course, I was very pleased to hear this unexpected news.
First, literally my long-standing at both the neighborhood and friendly relations with the Ambassador, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the United Nations, has always been reflected a respectful attitude towards this country. Because of Ambassador’ extraordinary personality, as she was highly educated, kind and extremely intelligent. Her tireless work on behalf of her country, the prosperity of the world, and the prospect of world peace certainly merits her respect from her country and all who have had the honor of being acquainted with the Ambassador.
Thus, a proposal from Mr. Kotlarsky, it seemed very promising; progress was made with investors from Kazakhstan, and I saw potential for a great relationship with Cambodia. I saw the serious need for future relations between the two countries, so I proposed that Kazakhstan’s businesspersons pay a friendly visit to Cambodia. He was happy to lead this process; all that remained was to identify and coordinate a day for arrival in Phnom Penh.
Meanwhile, David Chi Hun Ahn had sent me a proposal for the sale of the ABA bank and all of its Cambodian branches. The asking price was $20 million.
Part Eleven: ABA Bank
Fragent II
To be continued:
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