"Residents demand fair compensation for Cambodia’s canal project" 8 July 2024

With the groundbreaking ceremony for the controversial Funan Techno Canal project scheduled for next month, residents living in the project area said they had not received any notifications on resettlement or compensation, leaving them with an uncertain future...

Inadequate public consultation and a complete lack of on-ground information have not only sparked panic among locals about losing their homes and livelihoods, but also undermined the project’s reputation...

The project is expected to cost US$1.7 billion and be developed under a build-operate-transfer contract. Its source of funding has not yet been confirmed. Initially, it was believed that the developer, China Road and Bridge Corporation, would fully finance the project. However, Hun Manet recently announced that Cambodian financiers will contribute 51% of the investment...He also announced that the project’s groundbreaking was set for August 5...

However, as the project’s launch date nears, many villagers living on the canal’s path are still uncertain about their futures. “I have received scant information,” said Bopha*, 54, who lives in the project’s designated area in Kok Thom district in Kandal province. “Everyone here is worried about their homes. I can’t sleep because the project may impact my home and land. I have nowhere else to go.” [...]

“[We] want resettlement,” said Bopha from the banks of the Prek Takeo stream... “I also asked the commune and district authorities about the update, but they told me they didn’t know any further details either.” The villagers’ indebtedness to micro-loans has added to their worries, because losing their homes and land means they cannot earn money to repay their debts.

Ministry of Public Works and Transport spokesman Phorn Rim recently told reporters that an inter-ministerial working group had been set up to establish mechanisms for dealing with the impacts of the canal project. But he has not confirmed a clear compensation plan...