Two international media stories about the Saipan casino have been making the rounds on social media recently. Forbes has a story, One Of Hong Kong's Richest Women, Cui Lijie Is Losing Her Bet On Saipan Casino. It basically says things aren't going well for the casino, and that they aren't making any money or progress on construction. Bloomberg's explosive piece is titled, A Chinese Casino Has Conquered a Piece of America." This story is packed with so many accusations that I decided to make a list. These are the highlights I was able to gleam from the story:
- Workers knew they were working illegally under tourist visas, hence why they invented a story for the accident at the worksite.
- The casino is a backdoor to the U.S. financial system.
- The casino hasn't been following safety protocols, from workers not being provided safety goggles or proper foot wear, to lack of training.
- The casino is a giant money laundering scheme.
- Laws have been changed to suit the casino's needs.
- Contracts requirements have been ignored to suit the casino's needs.
- The governor's family has received millions of dollars in payments from the casino.
- The governor and other politicians formerly opposed the casino, but changed their tune after a "fact finding trip" to Hong Kong and Macau which was paid for by individuals linked to the casino.
- Imperial Pacific had no experience in casino construction or operation prior to their bid to operate the casino.
- Government officials did not do their due diligence in selecting the Imperial Pacific proposal.
- People listed as casino consultants had not had serious discussions with the casino prior to being listed as consultants.
- The $15 million annual fee rescued the CNMI economy from the brink.
- The casino is a junket operator whose purpose is to move hard currency out of China. Wealthy individuals borrow money from the operator, and then cash out in non-Chinese currency. The debt is collected back in China in Chinese currency. The operator gets a cut.
- Cui Lijie, a Chinese billionaire is behind everything. The Forbes story says her son is the "mastermind." She used to operate in Macau, but the Chinese government cracked down on the junket operations there. The article insinuates that her 650 high rollers have simply moved operations from Macau to Saipan.
- Mark Brown was hired as a front person.
- Shen Yan was arrested in 2011 for carrying a gun to the Hong Kong Airport.
- Shen Yan was hired to bring on prominent Americans to serve on an advisory board. The former governors of Pennsylvania and Mississippi were paid $5,000/month to be on the board.
- The VIP bets at the casino were "unprecedented, verging on impossible, or at least not legally possible."
- Workers were encouraged by an executive and board member to submit incomplete and misleading know-your-customer declarations.
- The casino helps players structure transactions to avoid reporting requirements.
- The governor lied about who paid for his trip to Hong Kong.
- The sprinkler system inside the casino doesn't work, and three firefighters have to be on site at all times.
- The basement of the casino has repeatedly flooded with ankle deep sewage.
- The government allowed the casino to open despite a report that it was structurally unsafe.
- A supervisory body which made recommendations not to open the casino because it was unsafe was dismissed.
- The casino's lawyers are the governor's brothers.
- The governor's family is flipping land: Purchasing it at low prices and then leasing it to the casino for large profits.
- Legislation supported by the casino passes 100% of the time.
- The rate of injuries at the casino construction site greatly exceeds the national average.
- A worker with a broken back was sent back to China instead of being hospitalized on Saipan.
- Casino contractors were charged with immigration violations, some pleaded guilty.
- Imperial Pacific has said that it had no knowledge of safety violations or workers being employed illegally.
- A worker was electrocuted in September.
- Illegal workers accused the casino of purposely employing illegal workers.
- The Commonwealth Casino Commission glances over important issues, including safety issues.
- The executive director of the CCC is the governor's uncle and father to his chief of staff.
- CCC employees have little to no experience with casinos.
- The casino was smuggling hard currency from Saipan to Hong Kong on a yacht.
- Imperial Pacific and the government employ the same lobby firm.
- The casino used the governor's brother's law firm to get Changwei Xu -- wanted on a Nevada arrest warrant -- out of jail on Saipan.
Saipan has a long history of attracting unflattering international press. In the 1990s it was related to the garment factories. In the early years of this century it was still the garment factories. And then there was that time when the former governor broke an accused human smuggler out of jail to give him a massage.
I often find agreement with the critics in regards to what they find wrong about the CNMI. But I also often find that I am in disagreement in the prescribed remedy. Many of these problems are rooted in colonization, and this is the ultimate evil which is never discussed when these issues are brought to the fore. The solution is to end colonization, not to enforce it with decisions from afar.
The federal government does not take interest in the economic development of the CNMI because their main concern in our islands is empire, military expansion, and national defense. The indigenous people have been steamrolled in favor of the greater good. We are a minority of a few thousand with no voice in a nation of 330 million people.
The casino, and the garment industry that preceded it, and all the evils that came with both could have been avoided if the United States took a real interest in the sustainable development of the islands. The casino was a last ditch effort to save the islands from going over the edge of economic desperation. The solution is not to go after the symptoms, but the underlying causes. I would like to see the casino go away. But what will replace it?
I often find agreement with the critics in regards to what they find wrong about the CNMI. But I also often find that I am in disagreement in the prescribed remedy. Many of these problems are rooted in colonization, and this is the ultimate evil which is never discussed when these issues are brought to the fore. The solution is to end colonization, not to enforce it with decisions from afar.
The federal government does not take interest in the economic development of the CNMI because their main concern in our islands is empire, military expansion, and national defense. The indigenous people have been steamrolled in favor of the greater good. We are a minority of a few thousand with no voice in a nation of 330 million people.
The casino, and the garment industry that preceded it, and all the evils that came with both could have been avoided if the United States took a real interest in the sustainable development of the islands. The casino was a last ditch effort to save the islands from going over the edge of economic desperation. The solution is not to go after the symptoms, but the underlying causes. I would like to see the casino go away. But what will replace it?