But a chance encounter with a non-profit organization in Cambodia - a country better known for its war legacy than economic efficiency - resulted in a change of plans.

After a friend hooked him up with Development Technology Workshop, a charity working with the handicapped to build industry in one of the world's poorest countries, the holidaying Elliott handed them the work instead.

``We didn't choose Cambodia to have our aquariums made because it was cheaper or more convenient, or for any other reason than the people here need the jobs,'' he said.

``We also saw that people were disabled and my father was a war amputee ... We thought, okay we'll do it, we'll overcome the obstacles even though we could probably get a cheaper product in China.''

Elliott's decision - despite it not being based on the bottom line for now - was a breakthrough for DTW's Mick Stimpson and what he had wanted to encourage by setting up the business incubator park a year ago.

``It's really what we've been looking for for a long time, for companies to invest in Cambodia,'' he said. ``We saw DTW as a way to facilitate relationships between companies and NGOs [non-government organizations] here that want to start income generation projects.''

Stimpson estimates that around 200 NGOs work on such projects across the kingdom.

DTW, which employs 45 Cambodians, around 20 of whom are handicapped, and six expatriates, has been involved in the research and development of numerous prototypes, with plans for them to eventually be spun off as businesses.

Its biggest success story has been the ``Tempest,'' an all-terrain remote-controlled vegetation cutter that clears areas and trip-wires as a precursor to mine clearance and is also made as basically as possible.

Twenty-six of the machines, worth around US$140,000 (HK$1.09 million) each, have been sold as far afield as Angola and Bosnia.

For the 1,000 aquariums Elliott plans to order each year - an annual order worth about US$473,000 - DTW employed four extra staff and had to import an acrylic bender, a basic piece of industrial equipment.

Despite frustrations, Elliott has no regrets: he says the time they have spent on refining his aquarium has resulted in a superior product. And there is the additional reward of seeing his investment in action.

``I'm really grateful for the opportunity to be able to help, to make a difference. If I go to China, I'm not going to make any difference at all, honestly. But here it's a big deal,'' he said.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE