'Indecent' Kazantip festival cancelled in Cambodia

http://www.theguardian.com/travel/2015/feb/20/indecent-kazantip-festival-cancelled-cambodia

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Kazantip festival – an international dance music event that originated in the Crimea – should have been in full swing, with thousands of revellers making the trip to Koh Puos, an island on Cambodia’s central coast, for 10 days of carefree partying.

However, festivalgoers arriving on Wednesday found the bridge to the island blocked by police after Cambodian authorities decided to cancel the event due to fears over “indecent tourism”.

The decision comes after weeks of wrangling between local authorities and the national tourist board over whether the festival should be approved. Although it was initially given the green light from the tourism and culture ministries, local politicians became less impressed as they learned about the festival’s hedonistic reputation.

Speaking to Cambodia Daily, provincial deputy governor Chhin Seng Nguon said: “Our focus is on eco-tourism and cultural tourism and we don’t need indecent tourism.” Previously, local governors had raised concerns about “sexy activities”.

The news is a blow to Kazantip, which has been forced to leave its home territory due to political unrest and violence in Ukraine. Last year, the festival took place outside of Ukraine (in Anaklia, Georgia) for the first time since it was founded in 1992. This year, organisers had planned to take the festival even further afield, hoping to appeal to travellers drawn to Cambodia’s tropical coastline.

The festival concept involves creating a “republic” for which festivalgoers purchase “vizas” to get access to the site. Thousands of, predominantly Russian, tourists had travelled to Sihanoukville for the event, which has seen DJs including Carl Cox, Tiesto and Skrillex headline in the past.

Although the festival organisers are yet to release a full statement about the cancellation, the website has been updated to say: “I hope no one doubts the the Republic is able to move in space rapidly and create colonies within a few months.”