Princess has $40,000 toilet built for three-day Cambodia trip

Thai Princess Gets $40k Toilet Built for 3-Day Visit to Cambodia
Thai Princess Gets $40k Toilet Built for 3-Day Visit to Cambodia



A member of Thailand's royal family who is visiting Cambodia has laid out some rather unusual and specific demands.

Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn asked for her own personal toilet to be installed while she was visiting the country - at a cost of $40,0000 (£29,000).

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The average factory worker in Cambodia makes £100 a month and the rural area that the princess is visiting is home to people who don't even make that much.

The cost of creating this unique toilet is around 66 times the average annual salary in Cambodia.

A cement company from Thailand was tasked with building a 26 square foot, air conditioned toilet.

It took them 19 days to build, all for the royal's three-day visit to the area.

What makes the story even more bizarre is that when Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn leaves the country, the toilet will be destroyed and the building will be converted into offices.

According to the Guardian, the toilet can be found in the Ratanakiri province which is the princess' first stop on her official visit.

Tim Luong, chief of the nearby Yeak Lom commune, told local news outlets: "I would estimate that they spent about $20,000 to $30,000 for the bathroom's construction because all of the materials are very modern."

Author and former journalist Andrew MacGregor Marshall said: "The royals are totally out of touch with the world of ordinary Thais and Cambodians."



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