UNESCO to demarcate Preah Vihear temple
ខែ តុលា 24, 2008 — khmerism
PHNOM PENH, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) — The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) heritage committee expects to determine the boundary of Preah Vihear temple in late November or early December, officially marking the disputed area as a UNESCO World Heritage site, Cambodian national media reported Friday.
Despite the ongoing border dispute that has left two statues inthe Preah Vihear temple complex damaged by gunfire, the area would be demarcated and signposted as a UN monument as planned, Phay Siphan, secretary of state at the Cambodian Council of Ministers, was quoted by the Phnom Penh Post as saying.
Phay Siphan claimed that Thai soldiers violated international law by intentionally damaging the site during fighting that erupted last week over disputed border territory.
“The Preah Vihear complex and the surrounding areas were invaded by Thais, and the Thai soldiers intended to destroy the temple,” he said.
Phay Siphan said that the Preah Vihear Authority has already complained to UNESCO about the damage done to two naga statues, which were allegedly struck by rounds or shell fragments during the Oct. 15 clash between Cambodian and Thai troops.
The 11th-century temple complex was listed as a UN World Heritage site on July 7 in a decision that angered Thai nationalists and escalated tensions over contested border areas.
Min Sovann, a heritage police officer with the Preah Vihear Authority, confirmed that two naga statues and a stairway at the temple complex were slightly damaged by rounds fired from Thai M79grenade launchers.
The naga statues sustained damage to their heads, necks and bodies, but the pockmarks will not cause the naga statues to collapse, he said.
Editor: Du Guodong
បានដាក់ប្រកាស ក្នុង Development, Sovereignty. ប្លាក៖ UNESCO to demarcate Preah Vihear temple. គ្មានវិចារ »
Oxfam America to Expand Community Finance Program in Mali and Cambodia
ខែ តុលា 24, 2008 — khmerism
Boston, MA - infoZIne - International development and relief organization Oxfam America today announced it received an $11.7 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for Saving for Change, the organization’s unique community finance program. Oxfam will continue to collaborate with Freedom from Hunger and Stromme Foundation to launch an unprecedented expansion of Saving for Change over the next three years.
Oxfam’s innovative approach to community finance breaks with that of traditional microfinance institutions. Saving for Change trains large numbers of savings and credit groups in the poorest regions of the world to save together and make loans to each other with their own resources instead of taking out a loan from a bank, credit union or microfinance institution.
“The first Saving for Change group was trained three years ago. Today, over 150,000 villagers in Mali and Cambodia have already joined savings and lending groups,” said Raymond C. Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America. “With the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, we will reach close to 550,000 villagers in the next three years.”
With this growth, Saving for Change will become the largest microfinance program in these two countries and the only one reaching the rural poor at this scale. Village groups act as their own community banks, providing villagers with a place to save and easy access to loans. As a result, poor people living in remote areas with little or no financial institutions can access self-managed financial services to build assets, increase incomes, and improve the livelihoods of their families.
“Not only is Saving for Change different because it is based on saving instead of borrowing, it also relies on person-to-person training and relationships instead of technology. This helps build trust and ultimately makes the savings and lending groups more sustainable,” said Offenheiser.
Oxfam will use this grant to replicate its community finance model in communities throughout Mali and Cambodia. In addition, it will allow the organization an opportunity to explore further program growth in Latin America.
Millions of people in Asia and Africa live on one dollar a day or less, and few have access to savings or other financial services that can help them increase their financial security and improve their lives. Without places to save, it is difficult for families to build savings to pay for educational fees, medical bills, or emergencies. Others have little or no access to micro loans that could improve their incomes through investments like setting up a small sales kiosk, buying crop fertilizer, or acquiring an animal for breeding.
Funding to expand Saving for Change comes from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Financial Services for the Poor initiative, which works with partners to make savings and other financial services available in developing countries so the poor can better manage life’s risks and take advantage of life’s opportunities.
“The innovative savings and lending approach has been successful at bringing affordable financial services to people with very low incomes living in remote communities,” said Bob Christen, director of the Financial Services for the Poor initiative. “We believe that Saving for Change’s groups will open the door to opportunity and increased household financial security for many poor people.”
The grant also supports program evaluation and research that will help document and fully measure Oxfam’s impact on communities. Researchers will be asking key questions on the affect participating in Saving for Change has including:
Does it affect how-and how much-women save and borrow?
Does it improve risk-coping and food security?
Does it build crucial social networks and businesses?
And, does it improve agricultural production?
“The research component of this grant will help us fine tune our program so that it best meets the needs of the poor,” concluded Offenheiser. “Documenting Saving for Change’s success will also help build momentum for expanding savings-led community finance programs around the world.”
Saving for Change is implemented by Oxfam America in collaboration with Freedom from Hunger and Norway-based Stromme Foundation. Freedom from Hunger’s support includes developing training manuals, and contributing technical assistance for the planning, implementation and evaluation of the program. Stromme Foundation, along with The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, underwrites the costs for the teams training savings and lending groups in Mali.
បានដាក់ប្រកាស ក្នុង Charity/Aid, Development. ប្លាក៖ Oxfam America to Expand Community Finance Program in Ma. គ្មានវិចារ »
Cambodian Army Renovates Mountain Road To Preah Vihear Temple
ខែ តុលា 20, 2008 — khmerism
PREAH VIHEAR (Cambodia), Oct 20 (Bernama) — The engineering unit of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) is rebuilding and expanding the current road to the Preah Vihear Temple, as talks are still pending to solve months-long Cambodian-Thai military face off at the border area.
“They are rebuilding the road single direction first to provide easiness for travelers and will also construct a few small bridges over the streams at the area,” China’s Xinhua news agency quoted Chan Thoern, a receptionist working at a neighbourhood hotel near the temple, as saying here.
As the renovation ends, the road is expected to become double direction and remain as the only way running along the mountain to the temple, Chan told Xinhua, the Chinese news agency, on Monday.
“With the road completed, it will be much easier for us and tourists to access the temple, although there are still some steep places,” said Chan.
Prime Minister Hun Sen, the government and some charitable people have funded the reconstruction, according to the reports of Chinese-language daily newspaper the Commercial News.
Tourists used to reach the 900-year-old temple from the Thai side, as the traffic facilities there are well-built.
In related development, Cambodia and Thailand have postponed their talks from Tuesday (Oct 21) to Friday (Oct 24) to find peaceful solution for their border dispute.
Clashes between both sides near the temple on Oct. 15 killed two Cambodian soldiers and wound more Thai ones. In July, tensions ran high after the ancient Preah Vihear Temple was awarded world heritage by UNESCO, angering nationalists in Thailand who claim ownership of the site.
The tension later turned into a military stalemate, in which up to 1,000 Cambodian and Thai troops faced off for six weeks.
In early October, at least one Cambodian soldier and two Thai troops were wounded during sporadic exchange of gunfire and two other Thai soldiers were seriously injured after stepping on a landmine at the border area.
– BERNAMA
បានដាក់ប្រកាស ក្នុង Development, Sovereignty. ប្លាក៖ Cambodian Army Renovates Mountain Road To Preah Vihear. គ្មានវិចារ »
Cambodia to seek $300 mln from China for development
ខែ តុលា 14, 2008 — khmerism
PHNOM PENH, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) — Cambodia will seek 300 million U.S. dollars from China to develop the country, Prime Minister Hun Sen told the Fourth Asia Forum here Tuesday.
Hun Sen did not mention whether the money was aid, investment or loan.
“I will meet Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in bilateral meeting during the Seventh ASEM Summit between Oct. 24 to 25 in Beijing,” he added.
According to the Chinese Embassy, the bilateral trade volume between China and Cambodia increased from 12.95 million U.S. dollars in 1992 to 933 million U.S. dollars in 2007.
China is currently the second largest investing country and the fourth largest donor country for Cambodia.
Editor: An
បានដាក់ប្រកាស ក្នុង Development. ប្លាក៖ Cambodia to seek $300 mln from China for development. គ្មានវិចារ »
Cambodia eyes nuclear plant for electricity
ខែ កញ្ញា 26, 2008 — khmerism
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Impoverished Cambodia hopes to build a nuclear power plant to meet its future energy needs and help offset its dependence on imported oil, Prime Minister Hun Sen announced Friday during the first meeting of his new Cabinet.
In outlining his new government’s vision, he said one of its priorities will be to expand electrical generation to power its small but growing economy. Increased housing and factory construction will generate more demand for electricity, he said.
Hun Sen offered no hint when Cambodia would actually have its first nuclear power plant, saying it is still “a long distance away for us, but this is our goal.”
Building hydroelectricity and coal power plants will be the immediate priority for expanding electricity generation and reducing reliance on imported oil, Hun Sen said.
The government has identified 14 potential sites for hydropower plants and has granted contracts to Chinese companies to build several of them.
Electricity costs in Cambodia are among the highest in the world, and only about 15 percent of the country’s 14 million people are connected to the power grid, according to the World Bank.
បានដាក់ប្រកាស ក្នុង Development, Electricity. ប្លាក៖ Cambodia eyes nuclear plant for electricity. គ្មានវិចារ »
Sustainable development of Mekong hydropower
ខែ កញ្ញា 26, 2008 — khmerism
The Bangkok Post
JAMES BOND
The Mekong River Basin is nearly the size of France and Germany combined. It flows through six countries and its water and biodiversity resources are second only to the Amazon River Basin.
The region is so large, that the Lower Mekong River Basin - Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos - is home to about 60 million people, almost a third of the countries’ combined populations.
But who are these 60 million people living along the basin? Unfortunately, up to one-third of them are very poor, living on less than US$1 a day. Mainly rural farmers and fishermen and women, these people rely heavily on the resources that the river offers them, both fish and water. Any changes to this aquatic system can have an impact on their lives - whether floods, loss of fishery, impacts to their diet, income and more. So, while the basin has crucial aquatic resources that can offer tremendous benefits to people in Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, changes to its flow and system can impact many of the people living along it.
This is why it is crucial to have wide stakeholder discussions around these issues, such as the dialogue being held in Laos from Sept 25 to 27, to discuss hydropower development and the role of the Mekong River Commission (MRC).
In order for any developments in the Lower Mekong River Basin to be developed sustainably, there are five considerations that I would suggest.
The first focuses on weighing benefits and impacts. For any management of the river basin to take place, careful considerations need to be taken. It is essential to establish what the impacts are, how extensive they are, who they impact, and what the ultimate benefits are. We cannot “jump the gun” and say that any developments in the region would have a negative or a positive impact. We need to have information and facts to base any judgements on a solid analytical foundation. Unless careful studies and assessments are conducted, the full extent of the benefits and detriments of developments in the basin cannot be properly evaluated.
My second proposition focuses on the importance of keeping a regional perspective on the basin’s development and the political and economic issues at stake in all the Mekong countries. Any development project taking place in the basin cannot be considered in isolation. The studies that need to take place must take into consideration the effects any development will have on the whole lower river basin. Moreover, they also need to take into consideration the regional effects that the development can have, with the aim of ensuring that the benefits of the developments can be widely shared.
The third consideration is properly mitigating the impact on the environment and the people affected. While stakeholder participation and engagement is important throughout all the processes that I have mentioned, it is especially important when social and environmental impact is being managed. Communities need to have a say in this process, as well as civil society organisations and partners. Best practice programmes need to be implemented and this is when it is useful to tap the global and local knowledge that is available.
For example, Laos can draw on the lessons that have and are emerging from the Nam Theun 2 project. The preparation of NT2, with the numerous studies conducted and the at-length consultation processes, paved the way for more participatory, transparent and improved hydropower developments in Laos. These lessons can be evaluated and replicated in future projects so the best social and environmental programmes are put in place in order to effectively manage impact.
Fourth, a key player in all of these developments and considerations is the private sector. There is a need to attract responsible partners that can help the governments appropriately implement social and environmental programmes. While the lure of the construction may be foremost in developers’ minds, the importance of developing socially and environmentally sustainable and responsible hydropower projects must also be at the top of the priority list.
In order to bring all these elements together, my last consideration is the importance of the MRC. Sustainable hydropower developments in the Mekong Basin will not be possible unless there is an institution that can liaise and coordinate between the varying interests of all the countries. The MRC can add great value to the whole process of hydropower development, from enhancing the impact assessments that are done, leading the way on cumulative impact assessments, providing policy advice to the various countries, keeping in mind the regional considerations, disseminating information, sharing best practices, engaging stakeholders, ensuring transparency of processes, developing capacity and more. The MRC clearly needs to exercise its role of helping countries cooperate and promote sustainable development of its water as it takes forth its Hydropower Programme.
I believe that these five considerations can help Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos think about developments in the Lower Mekong Basin in a more sustainable fashion. We must all ensure that any developments are truly for the benefit of these countries’ populations.
James Bond is Chief Operating Officer of the World Bank Group’s Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency. The above article is based on his speech, made yesterday, at the Mekong River Commission consultation on hydropower.
បានដាក់ប្រកាស ក្នុង Development, Environment, Poverty. ប្លាក៖ Mekong hydropower, Sustainable development. គ្មានវិចារ »
Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia Triangle Focuses on Tourism
ខែ កញ្ញា 23, 2008 — khmerism
VIENTIANE, Sept 23 Asia Pulse - Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia have agreed on the need to develop tourism as a spearhead in boosting economic growth and reducing poverty in the three countries development triangle.
The agreement, which also included the creation of favourable conditions for the triangular region that comprises 10 border provinces of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, was reached at the third meeting addressing trade, investment and tourism promotion in the Development Triangle, held in Champassak, Laos, on September 22.
Vietnamese Minister of Planning and Investment Vo Hong Phuc joined Lao Minister of Planning and Investment Soulivong Daravong and Cambodian Secretary General of the Development Council Soun Sitthy in chairing the meeting, which brought together both state officials and businesspeople of the 10 localities in the Development Triangle.
Minister Phuc described the three countries policy to develop their shared triangle as a right decision that has contributed largely to promoting each country’s socio-economic growth and reinforcing friendship between the three nations.
Following the second meeting of its kind in February this year, the three countries have taken their own initiatives to spur the development of the triangle. In the meantime, mechanisms and policies to facilitate the cross-border flow of people and commodities, investment and trade in the area are being discussed, Minister Phuc added.
At this meeting, the participants focused on assessing what has been done since the two previous meetings and discussed ways to solve difficulties that arise in the process of implementing the reached agreements.
They informed each other of their own countries’ current policies, investment environments and related legal regulations in addition to the potential and priorities of the localities located in the development triangle and worked on orientations for cooperation in the future.
Established in 2004 by a decision signed by the three countries prime ministers, the Development Triangle comprises Vietnam’s central highlands provinces of Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Dak Lak and Dak Nong,
Laos’s provinces of Attapeu, Sekong and Saravanh, and the Cambodian provinces of Rattanakiri, Strungstreng and Moldonkiri.
The governments of the three countries have high hopes for the effects of promoting the development of the region, which has been highly evaluated for its great potential in the areas of hydro-power industry, mining, industrial crop growing and processing and tourism, to improve the living conditions of local people, the majority of whom belong to ethnic minorities.
(VNA)
បានដាក់ប្រកាស ក្នុង Development, Tourism. ប្លាក៖ Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia Triangle Focuses on Tourism. គ្មានវិចារ »
Development evicts 4,000 in Cambodia
ខែ កញ្ញា 15, 2008 — khmerism
ABC Radio
Developers have forced more than 4,000 residents around Boeung Kak Lake in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, to leave their homes.
Radio Australia’s Connect Asia program reports the lake is being filled with sand to make way for development, forcing water into surrounding homes.
A $US79 million contract gave the green light for Shukaku Inc to develop a 133 hectare commercial property on the lake and its surrounds in February 2007.
International non-government organisation, Bridges Across Borders, says if the development goes continues without the agreement of Boeung Kak residents, it will cause the largest forced eviction in Cambodia since 1975.
David Pred, Cambodian country director of Bridges Across Borders Southeast Asia, told Radio Australia work began two weeks ago and has already had a dramatic impact.
“The waters of the lake are rising as the sand is going in and this is starting to flood people’s homes,” Mr Pred said.
“So the people who are living in and around the area where the sand is being pumped are basically being forced out, drowned out, of their homes.
“Almost all of them in that vicinity have accepted the compensation that’s been offered to them basically under extreme force and intimidation,” he said.
Opposition Sam Rainsy Party MP Son Chhay says it’s not just the flooding that is causing immediate grief for residents.
He says people are also concerned about a shocking smell coming from the water.
“The families who live nearby have come together and complained to the governor’s office for a few days now, but have no solution to the problem,” he said.
Need for transparency
Son Chhay says the government must make public any documents that assess the potential impact of filling the lake.
“We have tried to question the officials from the ministry of environment and according to our regulations any kind of lake filling must have some approval from the ministry of environment but so far we have not seen any document or report,” Mr Son said.
David Pred maintains the lease agreement between the the Municipality of Phnom Penh and Shukaku Inc. is illegal under Cambodian law.
He says there’s currently a court case underway, filed by community plaintiffs, requesting the court to issue an injunction to stop the filling of the lake.
Mr Pred says there’s widespread anger at the development.
“This is wholesale theft, grand theft what’s happening in Phnom Penh today.
“The rich and the powerful seem to think they can get away with this type of massive injustice because there’s no rule of law in Cambodia.
“But the people who are living in Boeung Kak and many of us who live in Phnom Penh and support them are standing together in solidarity and saying no, you can’t get away with this, we’re not going to let this happen.”
Son Chhay agrees and says the compensation plan has fundamental flaws.
He says some families who agreed to the compensation offer, which involves being resettled to the outskirts of Phnom Penh, have now changed their minds.
“The place that they moved to has no electricity, no water, no school and when it rains there’s water all over the place,” Mr Son said.
“The families in the area are very unhappy, they didn’t get a good deal from the government.
“More and more people are willing to join in and fight this project,” he said.
បានដាក់ប្រកាស ក្នុង Business/Trade, Development, Human Rights. ប្លាក៖ Boeung Kak lake, Cambodia, Development, Phnom Penh. គ្មានវិចារ »
GOLD RUSH FOLLOWS THAKSIN
ខែ កញ្ញា 14, 2008 — khmerism
The Bangkok Post
Thaksin Shinawatra’s reported investment in Koh Kong has led to a land-grabbing frenzy, writes Piyaporn Wongruang and Nareerat Wiriyapong
Embattled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has packed up and moved to London, but Koh Kong residents like Kamnan Tit are hoping he returns and brings economic prosperity to the Cambodian province.
For the past few months, rumours of the ex-prime minister’s possible involvement in a mega-tourism project in Koh Kong have fuelled a land grab and sent prices soaring, creating a buzz of activity in the once sleepy area.
”We heard the news that Mr Thaksin would come to invest in Koh Kong, so we even rushed to buy land on nearby Koh Kapi,” said Kamnan Tit, who recently introduced the principle of sufficiency economy to his village of Peam Krasaob.
THE MEETING
Fueling the excitement was Mr Thaksin’s meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen at the Siem Reap golf course in early April this year.
The golf outing came shortly before former foreign minister Noppadon Pattama (also formerly Mr Thaksin’s lawyer) showed up at the state opening ceremony for the upgraded Road No 48, which links Thailand’s border town of Had Lek, in Trat province, with Koh Kong.
The road, about 150 kilometres long, was financed by the Thai government with a low-interest loan of about 500 million baht, plus another 300 million baht in aid for four connecting bridges.
The aim of the project is to improve access to inner Cambodia and connect Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam under the economic framework of the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) scheme.
The White Paper produced by Thailand’s foreign ministry noted that Mr Noppadon was there to discuss the heritage listing of the disputed Preah Vihear temple.
Speculation from many sources links the two incidents, in the belief that the people involved had compromised Thailand’s interests in exchange for Mr Thaksin gaining a personal advantage.
According to several Thai agents, as well as officials working in foreign affairs, Mr Thaksin discussed the possibility of investing in a tourism-related project on Koh Kong with the Cambodian government during that period.
One high-ranking foreign affairs official, who was briefed by a source close to Hun Sen, said that a discussion had taken place, in which they agreed that the investment should go to Koh Kong.
An internal information analysis by one Thai foreign affairs unit noted that the targeted area for Mr Thaksin’s investment would be the 10,000-hectare Koh Kong island, the biggest of 23 islands off Koh Kong province’s coast.
It further noted that the Cambodian government had already approved the lease of the whole island for the development of hotels, casinos and other businesses to stimulate the tourism industry.
A road and a series of bridges are also planned to link the project to the mainland. Road No 48 will be 10 kilometres long and cut through the plots of some senior Cambodian military officials.
THE CONNECTION
”Khun Phat is among the people taking part in this project, and possibly Mr Thaksin too,” said another high-ranking foreign affairs source.
”Some Cambodian senior military officials here said the land prices will increase if Mr Thaksin really invests there.”
Khun Phat is the owner of Koh Kong International Resort Club, near the border. A senator for the ruling Cambodian People’s Party and widely known as the ”King of Koh Kong”, Khun Phat has been accused by international human rights groups of forcing locals off their land by getting police to use force against them.
Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh was quoted as saying during the opening of the road that Khun Phat ”was discussing the prospective investment in Koh Kong with Mr Thaksin”.
The defence minister also stated that Mr Thaksin was one person Hun Sen trusted and wished to invite to be an advisor on the development of Koh Kong, which the Cambodian government wants to turn into a special economic zone.
In a telephone interview, Khun Phat confirmed he is among the investors in the planned project. But he said it will be a joint investment between himself and a few European investors.
According to Khun Phat, these investors were introduced to him by Mr Thaksin. Khun Phat insisted Mr Thaksin will not invest in the project. He said he only introduced the investors.
”[Mr Thaksin] has a lot of friends,” he said, adding that the project has received an unofficial green light from the Cambodian government.
They only need to discuss in detail what the project will look like, as well as how the benefits will be shared between the investors and the government.
”We are serious about this, but we have to wait for the new government first,” said Khun Phat, who is known to be a close aide of Hun Sen.
After Mr Thaksin became Thailand’s prime minister in 2001, he met Hun Sen at least eight times to discuss opportunities between the two countries.
It was Mr Thaksin who proposed the Economic Cooperation Strategy in early 2003, which later turned into a new regional economic framework known as the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy, or ACMECS, at the end of that year.
Under the framework, 46 common projects plus 224 bilateral projects were lined up for implementation over 10 years following the first declaration. These included Road No 48.
The road project came about after Mr Thaksin met Hun Sen during the GMS meeting on Nov 3, 2005.
According to the foreign ministry’s letter to the secretariat of the cabinet, the foreign ministry of Thailand reasoned that Road No 48 would help improve the economy of both countries.
It would also help to elevate Thai-Cambodian relations, and was in line with Thailand’s regional transport link strategy under the GMS.
As well as the road upgrade, other development projects, including the development of the linkage between tourism sites in Cambodia and Thailand, were also in the pipeline.
THE DOWNSIDE
Cambodia stands to gain a lot if these investments come true, and especially if Mr Thaksin is involved. However, there may be a downside as a consequence of the land grabs and speculation.
With rumours over Mr Thaksin’s involvement buzzing around from Koh Kong to Phnom Penh, many local residents have been quick to buy up land with the hope of hitting the jackpot.
Land prices are indeed increasing, according to the president of Koh Kong Chamber of Commerce, Bun Tun.
He said land changes hands easily, sometimes even within a day, due to high prices offered for further land speculation. The price of a beachfront property, for instance, was once about US$5 per square metre. It has now increased to $150 per sq m, about 30 times the previous price.
Koh Kong, which is one of Cambodia’s prime seaside cities, has about 1.2 million hectares of land and contains about 24,000 households.
Ever since the end of the Cambodian war in the late 1970s, the government has been trying to resurrect its economy through various means. The Koh Kong project is the latest of these efforts.
Besides relying on foreign aid for economic development, Cambodia, which had a per capita GDP of about $460 in 2006, relies heavily on foreign investment.
In 1994, Cambodia’s new investment law was promulgated. The Council for the Development of Cambodia then approved more than $4.27 billion worth of foreign direct investment, according to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific 2008 business report.
Available data, last updated in 1999, reveals more than 700 foreign projects were approved, with hotels and tourism being the most popular choices for foreign investors, making up nearly 45 per cent of all foreign investment projects.
To encourage investment, the government allowed all sectors of the economy to be opened to foreign investors. In 1999 a sub-decree placed investment restrictions on certain areas, including the media.
The allocation of land is a crucial part of investment. Although only Khmer legal entities and those of Khmer nationality have the right to own land outright, foreign investors are allowed to lease land for up to 70 years.
The primary concern among social advocates and activists in Cambodia is that the present land allocation system may not support sustainable land utilisation or prevent land conflicts arising as a result of new development projects.
The Asian Development Bank’s 2004 environmental report noted that although the new Land Law is a landmark in the formal recognition of the land rights of ethnic minorities in Cambodia, enforcement, property rights definitions and titling remain a challenge.
At present, many locals are being evicted from their land, either forcefully or from the lure of attractive land prices.
A government-approved large-scale entertainment project on Koh Yor, which is also part of Koh Kong province, is already suffering a backlash.
”At present, investors are pouring in and land prices are skyrocketing, but it is the poor people or farmers who are lured to sell the land,” said Bun Tun. ”They might get a lot of money at first, but they spend it without much thought. If this trend goes on, all the land could be sold out over the next five years, and we will end up with a lot more poor people here.”
What’s more, a zoning map acquired by an agent source shows that a Cambodian military facility at the top end of the island will be moved down south to make way for planned development.
The island is now divided into zones, including one at the top end which is believed to be Khun Phat’s stake.
OPPOSITION CLAIMS
Sam Rainsy, the leader of Cambodia’s opposition Sam Rainsy party, claims there is an official document showing Mr Thaksin and Hun Sen’s joint development plan for Koh Kong province. His party is preparing to ask the Cambodian parliament to provide a copy of the document.
Sam Rainsy claims the two met occasionally when Thailand’s former prime minister made trips from Europe and Hong Kong to discuss and conclude the deal for the investment in Koh Kong.
Sam Rainsy claimed Mr Thaksin has an ulterior motive in building up his base and facilities in Koh Kong _ his real intention is to continue his political activities in Thailand.
”Cambodia is the base for Mr Thaksin to get in touch with his supporters in Thailand,” he said.
Mr Thaksin’s close aides, including Pongthep Thepkanchana, his personal spokesman, as well as Mr Noppadon, could not be reached for comment.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Auditor General of Thailand has launched an investigation into Thailand’s financial assistance for Road No 48. According to a high-level source at the office, the cabinet’s approval of the project bypassed certain state auditing procedures.
”The project involved state funds worth millions of baht, but it was not audited by a responsible agency. We want to learn what they based their decisions on,” said the source.
ខែ តុលា 24, 2008 — khmerism
PHNOM PENH, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) — The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) heritage committee expects to determine the boundary of Preah Vihear temple in late November or early December, officially marking the disputed area as a UNESCO World Heritage site, Cambodian national media reported Friday.
Despite the ongoing border dispute that has left two statues inthe Preah Vihear temple complex damaged by gunfire, the area would be demarcated and signposted as a UN monument as planned, Phay Siphan, secretary of state at the Cambodian Council of Ministers, was quoted by the Phnom Penh Post as saying.
Phay Siphan claimed that Thai soldiers violated international law by intentionally damaging the site during fighting that erupted last week over disputed border territory.
“The Preah Vihear complex and the surrounding areas were invaded by Thais, and the Thai soldiers intended to destroy the temple,” he said.
Phay Siphan said that the Preah Vihear Authority has already complained to UNESCO about the damage done to two naga statues, which were allegedly struck by rounds or shell fragments during the Oct. 15 clash between Cambodian and Thai troops.
The 11th-century temple complex was listed as a UN World Heritage site on July 7 in a decision that angered Thai nationalists and escalated tensions over contested border areas.
Min Sovann, a heritage police officer with the Preah Vihear Authority, confirmed that two naga statues and a stairway at the temple complex were slightly damaged by rounds fired from Thai M79grenade launchers.
The naga statues sustained damage to their heads, necks and bodies, but the pockmarks will not cause the naga statues to collapse, he said.
Editor: Du Guodong
បានដាក់ប្រកាស ក្នុង Development, Sovereignty. ប្លាក៖ UNESCO to demarcate Preah Vihear temple. គ្មានវិចារ »
Oxfam America to Expand Community Finance Program in Mali and Cambodia
ខែ តុលា 24, 2008 — khmerism
Boston, MA - infoZIne - International development and relief organization Oxfam America today announced it received an $11.7 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for Saving for Change, the organization’s unique community finance program. Oxfam will continue to collaborate with Freedom from Hunger and Stromme Foundation to launch an unprecedented expansion of Saving for Change over the next three years.
Oxfam’s innovative approach to community finance breaks with that of traditional microfinance institutions. Saving for Change trains large numbers of savings and credit groups in the poorest regions of the world to save together and make loans to each other with their own resources instead of taking out a loan from a bank, credit union or microfinance institution.
“The first Saving for Change group was trained three years ago. Today, over 150,000 villagers in Mali and Cambodia have already joined savings and lending groups,” said Raymond C. Offenheiser, president of Oxfam America. “With the support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, we will reach close to 550,000 villagers in the next three years.”
With this growth, Saving for Change will become the largest microfinance program in these two countries and the only one reaching the rural poor at this scale. Village groups act as their own community banks, providing villagers with a place to save and easy access to loans. As a result, poor people living in remote areas with little or no financial institutions can access self-managed financial services to build assets, increase incomes, and improve the livelihoods of their families.
“Not only is Saving for Change different because it is based on saving instead of borrowing, it also relies on person-to-person training and relationships instead of technology. This helps build trust and ultimately makes the savings and lending groups more sustainable,” said Offenheiser.
Oxfam will use this grant to replicate its community finance model in communities throughout Mali and Cambodia. In addition, it will allow the organization an opportunity to explore further program growth in Latin America.
Millions of people in Asia and Africa live on one dollar a day or less, and few have access to savings or other financial services that can help them increase their financial security and improve their lives. Without places to save, it is difficult for families to build savings to pay for educational fees, medical bills, or emergencies. Others have little or no access to micro loans that could improve their incomes through investments like setting up a small sales kiosk, buying crop fertilizer, or acquiring an animal for breeding.
Funding to expand Saving for Change comes from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s Financial Services for the Poor initiative, which works with partners to make savings and other financial services available in developing countries so the poor can better manage life’s risks and take advantage of life’s opportunities.
“The innovative savings and lending approach has been successful at bringing affordable financial services to people with very low incomes living in remote communities,” said Bob Christen, director of the Financial Services for the Poor initiative. “We believe that Saving for Change’s groups will open the door to opportunity and increased household financial security for many poor people.”
The grant also supports program evaluation and research that will help document and fully measure Oxfam’s impact on communities. Researchers will be asking key questions on the affect participating in Saving for Change has including:
Does it affect how-and how much-women save and borrow?
Does it improve risk-coping and food security?
Does it build crucial social networks and businesses?
And, does it improve agricultural production?
“The research component of this grant will help us fine tune our program so that it best meets the needs of the poor,” concluded Offenheiser. “Documenting Saving for Change’s success will also help build momentum for expanding savings-led community finance programs around the world.”
Saving for Change is implemented by Oxfam America in collaboration with Freedom from Hunger and Norway-based Stromme Foundation. Freedom from Hunger’s support includes developing training manuals, and contributing technical assistance for the planning, implementation and evaluation of the program. Stromme Foundation, along with The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, underwrites the costs for the teams training savings and lending groups in Mali.
បានដាក់ប្រកាស ក្នុង Charity/Aid, Development. ប្លាក៖ Oxfam America to Expand Community Finance Program in Ma. គ្មានវិចារ »
Cambodian Army Renovates Mountain Road To Preah Vihear Temple
ខែ តុលា 20, 2008 — khmerism
PREAH VIHEAR (Cambodia), Oct 20 (Bernama) — The engineering unit of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) is rebuilding and expanding the current road to the Preah Vihear Temple, as talks are still pending to solve months-long Cambodian-Thai military face off at the border area.
“They are rebuilding the road single direction first to provide easiness for travelers and will also construct a few small bridges over the streams at the area,” China’s Xinhua news agency quoted Chan Thoern, a receptionist working at a neighbourhood hotel near the temple, as saying here.
As the renovation ends, the road is expected to become double direction and remain as the only way running along the mountain to the temple, Chan told Xinhua, the Chinese news agency, on Monday.
“With the road completed, it will be much easier for us and tourists to access the temple, although there are still some steep places,” said Chan.
Prime Minister Hun Sen, the government and some charitable people have funded the reconstruction, according to the reports of Chinese-language daily newspaper the Commercial News.
Tourists used to reach the 900-year-old temple from the Thai side, as the traffic facilities there are well-built.
In related development, Cambodia and Thailand have postponed their talks from Tuesday (Oct 21) to Friday (Oct 24) to find peaceful solution for their border dispute.
Clashes between both sides near the temple on Oct. 15 killed two Cambodian soldiers and wound more Thai ones. In July, tensions ran high after the ancient Preah Vihear Temple was awarded world heritage by UNESCO, angering nationalists in Thailand who claim ownership of the site.
The tension later turned into a military stalemate, in which up to 1,000 Cambodian and Thai troops faced off for six weeks.
In early October, at least one Cambodian soldier and two Thai troops were wounded during sporadic exchange of gunfire and two other Thai soldiers were seriously injured after stepping on a landmine at the border area.
– BERNAMA
បានដាក់ប្រកាស ក្នុង Development, Sovereignty. ប្លាក៖ Cambodian Army Renovates Mountain Road To Preah Vihear. គ្មានវិចារ »
Cambodia to seek $300 mln from China for development
ខែ តុលា 14, 2008 — khmerism
PHNOM PENH, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) — Cambodia will seek 300 million U.S. dollars from China to develop the country, Prime Minister Hun Sen told the Fourth Asia Forum here Tuesday.
Hun Sen did not mention whether the money was aid, investment or loan.
“I will meet Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao in bilateral meeting during the Seventh ASEM Summit between Oct. 24 to 25 in Beijing,” he added.
According to the Chinese Embassy, the bilateral trade volume between China and Cambodia increased from 12.95 million U.S. dollars in 1992 to 933 million U.S. dollars in 2007.
China is currently the second largest investing country and the fourth largest donor country for Cambodia.
Editor: An
បានដាក់ប្រកាស ក្នុង Development. ប្លាក៖ Cambodia to seek $300 mln from China for development. គ្មានវិចារ »
Cambodia eyes nuclear plant for electricity
ខែ កញ្ញា 26, 2008 — khmerism
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Impoverished Cambodia hopes to build a nuclear power plant to meet its future energy needs and help offset its dependence on imported oil, Prime Minister Hun Sen announced Friday during the first meeting of his new Cabinet.
In outlining his new government’s vision, he said one of its priorities will be to expand electrical generation to power its small but growing economy. Increased housing and factory construction will generate more demand for electricity, he said.
Hun Sen offered no hint when Cambodia would actually have its first nuclear power plant, saying it is still “a long distance away for us, but this is our goal.”
Building hydroelectricity and coal power plants will be the immediate priority for expanding electricity generation and reducing reliance on imported oil, Hun Sen said.
The government has identified 14 potential sites for hydropower plants and has granted contracts to Chinese companies to build several of them.
Electricity costs in Cambodia are among the highest in the world, and only about 15 percent of the country’s 14 million people are connected to the power grid, according to the World Bank.
បានដាក់ប្រកាស ក្នុង Development, Electricity. ប្លាក៖ Cambodia eyes nuclear plant for electricity. គ្មានវិចារ »
Sustainable development of Mekong hydropower
ខែ កញ្ញា 26, 2008 — khmerism
The Bangkok Post
JAMES BOND
The Mekong River Basin is nearly the size of France and Germany combined. It flows through six countries and its water and biodiversity resources are second only to the Amazon River Basin.
The region is so large, that the Lower Mekong River Basin - Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos - is home to about 60 million people, almost a third of the countries’ combined populations.
But who are these 60 million people living along the basin? Unfortunately, up to one-third of them are very poor, living on less than US$1 a day. Mainly rural farmers and fishermen and women, these people rely heavily on the resources that the river offers them, both fish and water. Any changes to this aquatic system can have an impact on their lives - whether floods, loss of fishery, impacts to their diet, income and more. So, while the basin has crucial aquatic resources that can offer tremendous benefits to people in Laos, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, changes to its flow and system can impact many of the people living along it.
This is why it is crucial to have wide stakeholder discussions around these issues, such as the dialogue being held in Laos from Sept 25 to 27, to discuss hydropower development and the role of the Mekong River Commission (MRC).
In order for any developments in the Lower Mekong River Basin to be developed sustainably, there are five considerations that I would suggest.
The first focuses on weighing benefits and impacts. For any management of the river basin to take place, careful considerations need to be taken. It is essential to establish what the impacts are, how extensive they are, who they impact, and what the ultimate benefits are. We cannot “jump the gun” and say that any developments in the region would have a negative or a positive impact. We need to have information and facts to base any judgements on a solid analytical foundation. Unless careful studies and assessments are conducted, the full extent of the benefits and detriments of developments in the basin cannot be properly evaluated.
My second proposition focuses on the importance of keeping a regional perspective on the basin’s development and the political and economic issues at stake in all the Mekong countries. Any development project taking place in the basin cannot be considered in isolation. The studies that need to take place must take into consideration the effects any development will have on the whole lower river basin. Moreover, they also need to take into consideration the regional effects that the development can have, with the aim of ensuring that the benefits of the developments can be widely shared.
The third consideration is properly mitigating the impact on the environment and the people affected. While stakeholder participation and engagement is important throughout all the processes that I have mentioned, it is especially important when social and environmental impact is being managed. Communities need to have a say in this process, as well as civil society organisations and partners. Best practice programmes need to be implemented and this is when it is useful to tap the global and local knowledge that is available.
For example, Laos can draw on the lessons that have and are emerging from the Nam Theun 2 project. The preparation of NT2, with the numerous studies conducted and the at-length consultation processes, paved the way for more participatory, transparent and improved hydropower developments in Laos. These lessons can be evaluated and replicated in future projects so the best social and environmental programmes are put in place in order to effectively manage impact.
Fourth, a key player in all of these developments and considerations is the private sector. There is a need to attract responsible partners that can help the governments appropriately implement social and environmental programmes. While the lure of the construction may be foremost in developers’ minds, the importance of developing socially and environmentally sustainable and responsible hydropower projects must also be at the top of the priority list.
In order to bring all these elements together, my last consideration is the importance of the MRC. Sustainable hydropower developments in the Mekong Basin will not be possible unless there is an institution that can liaise and coordinate between the varying interests of all the countries. The MRC can add great value to the whole process of hydropower development, from enhancing the impact assessments that are done, leading the way on cumulative impact assessments, providing policy advice to the various countries, keeping in mind the regional considerations, disseminating information, sharing best practices, engaging stakeholders, ensuring transparency of processes, developing capacity and more. The MRC clearly needs to exercise its role of helping countries cooperate and promote sustainable development of its water as it takes forth its Hydropower Programme.
I believe that these five considerations can help Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos think about developments in the Lower Mekong Basin in a more sustainable fashion. We must all ensure that any developments are truly for the benefit of these countries’ populations.
James Bond is Chief Operating Officer of the World Bank Group’s Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency. The above article is based on his speech, made yesterday, at the Mekong River Commission consultation on hydropower.
បានដាក់ប្រកាស ក្នុង Development, Environment, Poverty. ប្លាក៖ Mekong hydropower, Sustainable development. គ្មានវិចារ »
Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia Triangle Focuses on Tourism
ខែ កញ្ញា 23, 2008 — khmerism
VIENTIANE, Sept 23 Asia Pulse - Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia have agreed on the need to develop tourism as a spearhead in boosting economic growth and reducing poverty in the three countries development triangle.
The agreement, which also included the creation of favourable conditions for the triangular region that comprises 10 border provinces of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, was reached at the third meeting addressing trade, investment and tourism promotion in the Development Triangle, held in Champassak, Laos, on September 22.
Vietnamese Minister of Planning and Investment Vo Hong Phuc joined Lao Minister of Planning and Investment Soulivong Daravong and Cambodian Secretary General of the Development Council Soun Sitthy in chairing the meeting, which brought together both state officials and businesspeople of the 10 localities in the Development Triangle.
Minister Phuc described the three countries policy to develop their shared triangle as a right decision that has contributed largely to promoting each country’s socio-economic growth and reinforcing friendship between the three nations.
Following the second meeting of its kind in February this year, the three countries have taken their own initiatives to spur the development of the triangle. In the meantime, mechanisms and policies to facilitate the cross-border flow of people and commodities, investment and trade in the area are being discussed, Minister Phuc added.
At this meeting, the participants focused on assessing what has been done since the two previous meetings and discussed ways to solve difficulties that arise in the process of implementing the reached agreements.
They informed each other of their own countries’ current policies, investment environments and related legal regulations in addition to the potential and priorities of the localities located in the development triangle and worked on orientations for cooperation in the future.
Established in 2004 by a decision signed by the three countries prime ministers, the Development Triangle comprises Vietnam’s central highlands provinces of Gia Lai, Kon Tum, Dak Lak and Dak Nong,
Laos’s provinces of Attapeu, Sekong and Saravanh, and the Cambodian provinces of Rattanakiri, Strungstreng and Moldonkiri.
The governments of the three countries have high hopes for the effects of promoting the development of the region, which has been highly evaluated for its great potential in the areas of hydro-power industry, mining, industrial crop growing and processing and tourism, to improve the living conditions of local people, the majority of whom belong to ethnic minorities.
(VNA)
បានដាក់ប្រកាស ក្នុង Development, Tourism. ប្លាក៖ Vietnam-Laos-Cambodia Triangle Focuses on Tourism. គ្មានវិចារ »
Development evicts 4,000 in Cambodia
ខែ កញ្ញា 15, 2008 — khmerism
ABC Radio
Developers have forced more than 4,000 residents around Boeung Kak Lake in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, to leave their homes.
Radio Australia’s Connect Asia program reports the lake is being filled with sand to make way for development, forcing water into surrounding homes.
A $US79 million contract gave the green light for Shukaku Inc to develop a 133 hectare commercial property on the lake and its surrounds in February 2007.
International non-government organisation, Bridges Across Borders, says if the development goes continues without the agreement of Boeung Kak residents, it will cause the largest forced eviction in Cambodia since 1975.
David Pred, Cambodian country director of Bridges Across Borders Southeast Asia, told Radio Australia work began two weeks ago and has already had a dramatic impact.
“The waters of the lake are rising as the sand is going in and this is starting to flood people’s homes,” Mr Pred said.
“So the people who are living in and around the area where the sand is being pumped are basically being forced out, drowned out, of their homes.
“Almost all of them in that vicinity have accepted the compensation that’s been offered to them basically under extreme force and intimidation,” he said.
Opposition Sam Rainsy Party MP Son Chhay says it’s not just the flooding that is causing immediate grief for residents.
He says people are also concerned about a shocking smell coming from the water.
“The families who live nearby have come together and complained to the governor’s office for a few days now, but have no solution to the problem,” he said.
Need for transparency
Son Chhay says the government must make public any documents that assess the potential impact of filling the lake.
“We have tried to question the officials from the ministry of environment and according to our regulations any kind of lake filling must have some approval from the ministry of environment but so far we have not seen any document or report,” Mr Son said.
David Pred maintains the lease agreement between the the Municipality of Phnom Penh and Shukaku Inc. is illegal under Cambodian law.
He says there’s currently a court case underway, filed by community plaintiffs, requesting the court to issue an injunction to stop the filling of the lake.
Mr Pred says there’s widespread anger at the development.
“This is wholesale theft, grand theft what’s happening in Phnom Penh today.
“The rich and the powerful seem to think they can get away with this type of massive injustice because there’s no rule of law in Cambodia.
“But the people who are living in Boeung Kak and many of us who live in Phnom Penh and support them are standing together in solidarity and saying no, you can’t get away with this, we’re not going to let this happen.”
Son Chhay agrees and says the compensation plan has fundamental flaws.
He says some families who agreed to the compensation offer, which involves being resettled to the outskirts of Phnom Penh, have now changed their minds.
“The place that they moved to has no electricity, no water, no school and when it rains there’s water all over the place,” Mr Son said.
“The families in the area are very unhappy, they didn’t get a good deal from the government.
“More and more people are willing to join in and fight this project,” he said.
បានដាក់ប្រកាស ក្នុង Business/Trade, Development, Human Rights. ប្លាក៖ Boeung Kak lake, Cambodia, Development, Phnom Penh. គ្មានវិចារ »
GOLD RUSH FOLLOWS THAKSIN
ខែ កញ្ញា 14, 2008 — khmerism
The Bangkok Post
Thaksin Shinawatra’s reported investment in Koh Kong has led to a land-grabbing frenzy, writes Piyaporn Wongruang and Nareerat Wiriyapong
Embattled former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has packed up and moved to London, but Koh Kong residents like Kamnan Tit are hoping he returns and brings economic prosperity to the Cambodian province.
For the past few months, rumours of the ex-prime minister’s possible involvement in a mega-tourism project in Koh Kong have fuelled a land grab and sent prices soaring, creating a buzz of activity in the once sleepy area.
”We heard the news that Mr Thaksin would come to invest in Koh Kong, so we even rushed to buy land on nearby Koh Kapi,” said Kamnan Tit, who recently introduced the principle of sufficiency economy to his village of Peam Krasaob.
THE MEETING
Fueling the excitement was Mr Thaksin’s meeting with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen at the Siem Reap golf course in early April this year.
The golf outing came shortly before former foreign minister Noppadon Pattama (also formerly Mr Thaksin’s lawyer) showed up at the state opening ceremony for the upgraded Road No 48, which links Thailand’s border town of Had Lek, in Trat province, with Koh Kong.
The road, about 150 kilometres long, was financed by the Thai government with a low-interest loan of about 500 million baht, plus another 300 million baht in aid for four connecting bridges.
The aim of the project is to improve access to inner Cambodia and connect Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam under the economic framework of the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS) scheme.
The White Paper produced by Thailand’s foreign ministry noted that Mr Noppadon was there to discuss the heritage listing of the disputed Preah Vihear temple.
Speculation from many sources links the two incidents, in the belief that the people involved had compromised Thailand’s interests in exchange for Mr Thaksin gaining a personal advantage.
According to several Thai agents, as well as officials working in foreign affairs, Mr Thaksin discussed the possibility of investing in a tourism-related project on Koh Kong with the Cambodian government during that period.
One high-ranking foreign affairs official, who was briefed by a source close to Hun Sen, said that a discussion had taken place, in which they agreed that the investment should go to Koh Kong.
An internal information analysis by one Thai foreign affairs unit noted that the targeted area for Mr Thaksin’s investment would be the 10,000-hectare Koh Kong island, the biggest of 23 islands off Koh Kong province’s coast.
It further noted that the Cambodian government had already approved the lease of the whole island for the development of hotels, casinos and other businesses to stimulate the tourism industry.
A road and a series of bridges are also planned to link the project to the mainland. Road No 48 will be 10 kilometres long and cut through the plots of some senior Cambodian military officials.
THE CONNECTION
”Khun Phat is among the people taking part in this project, and possibly Mr Thaksin too,” said another high-ranking foreign affairs source.
”Some Cambodian senior military officials here said the land prices will increase if Mr Thaksin really invests there.”
Khun Phat is the owner of Koh Kong International Resort Club, near the border. A senator for the ruling Cambodian People’s Party and widely known as the ”King of Koh Kong”, Khun Phat has been accused by international human rights groups of forcing locals off their land by getting police to use force against them.
Cambodian Defence Minister Tea Banh was quoted as saying during the opening of the road that Khun Phat ”was discussing the prospective investment in Koh Kong with Mr Thaksin”.
The defence minister also stated that Mr Thaksin was one person Hun Sen trusted and wished to invite to be an advisor on the development of Koh Kong, which the Cambodian government wants to turn into a special economic zone.
In a telephone interview, Khun Phat confirmed he is among the investors in the planned project. But he said it will be a joint investment between himself and a few European investors.
According to Khun Phat, these investors were introduced to him by Mr Thaksin. Khun Phat insisted Mr Thaksin will not invest in the project. He said he only introduced the investors.
”[Mr Thaksin] has a lot of friends,” he said, adding that the project has received an unofficial green light from the Cambodian government.
They only need to discuss in detail what the project will look like, as well as how the benefits will be shared between the investors and the government.
”We are serious about this, but we have to wait for the new government first,” said Khun Phat, who is known to be a close aide of Hun Sen.
After Mr Thaksin became Thailand’s prime minister in 2001, he met Hun Sen at least eight times to discuss opportunities between the two countries.
It was Mr Thaksin who proposed the Economic Cooperation Strategy in early 2003, which later turned into a new regional economic framework known as the Ayeyawady-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Cooperation Strategy, or ACMECS, at the end of that year.
Under the framework, 46 common projects plus 224 bilateral projects were lined up for implementation over 10 years following the first declaration. These included Road No 48.
The road project came about after Mr Thaksin met Hun Sen during the GMS meeting on Nov 3, 2005.
According to the foreign ministry’s letter to the secretariat of the cabinet, the foreign ministry of Thailand reasoned that Road No 48 would help improve the economy of both countries.
It would also help to elevate Thai-Cambodian relations, and was in line with Thailand’s regional transport link strategy under the GMS.
As well as the road upgrade, other development projects, including the development of the linkage between tourism sites in Cambodia and Thailand, were also in the pipeline.
THE DOWNSIDE
Cambodia stands to gain a lot if these investments come true, and especially if Mr Thaksin is involved. However, there may be a downside as a consequence of the land grabs and speculation.
With rumours over Mr Thaksin’s involvement buzzing around from Koh Kong to Phnom Penh, many local residents have been quick to buy up land with the hope of hitting the jackpot.
Land prices are indeed increasing, according to the president of Koh Kong Chamber of Commerce, Bun Tun.
He said land changes hands easily, sometimes even within a day, due to high prices offered for further land speculation. The price of a beachfront property, for instance, was once about US$5 per square metre. It has now increased to $150 per sq m, about 30 times the previous price.
Koh Kong, which is one of Cambodia’s prime seaside cities, has about 1.2 million hectares of land and contains about 24,000 households.
Ever since the end of the Cambodian war in the late 1970s, the government has been trying to resurrect its economy through various means. The Koh Kong project is the latest of these efforts.
Besides relying on foreign aid for economic development, Cambodia, which had a per capita GDP of about $460 in 2006, relies heavily on foreign investment.
In 1994, Cambodia’s new investment law was promulgated. The Council for the Development of Cambodia then approved more than $4.27 billion worth of foreign direct investment, according to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific 2008 business report.
Available data, last updated in 1999, reveals more than 700 foreign projects were approved, with hotels and tourism being the most popular choices for foreign investors, making up nearly 45 per cent of all foreign investment projects.
To encourage investment, the government allowed all sectors of the economy to be opened to foreign investors. In 1999 a sub-decree placed investment restrictions on certain areas, including the media.
The allocation of land is a crucial part of investment. Although only Khmer legal entities and those of Khmer nationality have the right to own land outright, foreign investors are allowed to lease land for up to 70 years.
The primary concern among social advocates and activists in Cambodia is that the present land allocation system may not support sustainable land utilisation or prevent land conflicts arising as a result of new development projects.
The Asian Development Bank’s 2004 environmental report noted that although the new Land Law is a landmark in the formal recognition of the land rights of ethnic minorities in Cambodia, enforcement, property rights definitions and titling remain a challenge.
At present, many locals are being evicted from their land, either forcefully or from the lure of attractive land prices.
A government-approved large-scale entertainment project on Koh Yor, which is also part of Koh Kong province, is already suffering a backlash.
”At present, investors are pouring in and land prices are skyrocketing, but it is the poor people or farmers who are lured to sell the land,” said Bun Tun. ”They might get a lot of money at first, but they spend it without much thought. If this trend goes on, all the land could be sold out over the next five years, and we will end up with a lot more poor people here.”
What’s more, a zoning map acquired by an agent source shows that a Cambodian military facility at the top end of the island will be moved down south to make way for planned development.
The island is now divided into zones, including one at the top end which is believed to be Khun Phat’s stake.
OPPOSITION CLAIMS
Sam Rainsy, the leader of Cambodia’s opposition Sam Rainsy party, claims there is an official document showing Mr Thaksin and Hun Sen’s joint development plan for Koh Kong province. His party is preparing to ask the Cambodian parliament to provide a copy of the document.
Sam Rainsy claims the two met occasionally when Thailand’s former prime minister made trips from Europe and Hong Kong to discuss and conclude the deal for the investment in Koh Kong.
Sam Rainsy claimed Mr Thaksin has an ulterior motive in building up his base and facilities in Koh Kong _ his real intention is to continue his political activities in Thailand.
”Cambodia is the base for Mr Thaksin to get in touch with his supporters in Thailand,” he said.
Mr Thaksin’s close aides, including Pongthep Thepkanchana, his personal spokesman, as well as Mr Noppadon, could not be reached for comment.
Meanwhile, the Office of the Auditor General of Thailand has launched an investigation into Thailand’s financial assistance for Road No 48. According to a high-level source at the office, the cabinet’s approval of the project bypassed certain state auditing procedures.
”The project involved state funds worth millions of baht, but it was not audited by a responsible agency. We want to learn what they based their decisions on,” said the source.
