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...hefty $10-billion price tag for the two developments underscore the vast ambitions of Singapore's leaders seeking to similarly transform the island's image from that of a staid, buttoned-up society into a fun, adventurous city. And while that may be fine for foreign tourists, analysts say the high fee to be imposed on Singaporeans who visit the casinos reflects the city-state's underlying unease at the thought of its conservative citizens turning into hard-partying gamblers - and making it difficult for operators to start profiting off their massive investments. (See pictures of hard times...
...help discourage gambling addicts from throwing their salaries away. But they are also likely to be a hurdle in building up the number of local gamblers and will likely force casino operators to depend more on foreign "high-rollers" to turn a profit. That strategy has its risks, analysts say. Noel-Johnson, for instance, points out that 72% of visitors to Genting's resort in the Malaysian highlands are local "day-trippers," and more than half the visitors to Macau's casinos are gamblers from Hong Kong and Guangdong province who bet with limited cash. "If you look...
...Resorts World Sentosa executives, for their part, say they were aware of the local entrance fees before they bid for the casino. They counter that they have a diverse range of entertainment offerings, including the Universal Studios theme park as well as fine dining and hotels, and so are not solely reliant on gaming. (Local families who elect to only visit Universal Studios and not gamble, for instance, would not have to pay the casino entrance fee.) "Resorts World is on track to reach its target of 13 million visitors in its first year of operations," says Robin Goh, Assistant...
...mountain. It is using bauxite trucked in from other sites until the Niyamgiri mine is available, and was built on land that was relatively uninhabited. "When you talk of a rehabilitation package, it means only for the plant-affected people - about 100 or so families who have been displaced," says Pramodini Pradhan of the Orissa chapter of the People's Union for Civil Liberties, a group based in New Delhi. Activists say, however, that the refinery has adversely affected nearby land and water. But because people on that land were not displaced, very few of them are eligible...
...undeveloped forest. While they are largely self-sufficient, living on what they can grow and hunt, they do sell some of their produce to traders in neighboring towns. Gautam Navlakha, a volunteer with the People's Union for Democratic Rights, another civil-liberties group based in New Delhi, says that while the Dongria and other tribal populations are disillusioned with the government's resettlement schemes, they would welcome real help. Ponds and other simple irrigation projects would make their livelihood less dependent on the monsoon and make their agriculture more productive, allowing them to grow two or three crops...