Cambodia’s plan to build the Funan Techo Canal, a 180-kilometre waterway linking a port in its capital Phnom Penh with Kep Province and onto the Gulf of Thailand, has made recent headlines, particularly in Vietnam. Pitched as a plan to revive Cambodia’s historic but under-utilised water systems, the canal will be 100 metres wide, 5.4 metres deep, and will accommodate ships of up to 3,000 deadweight tons (DWT). The China Road and Bridge Cooperation (CRBC) will finance the entire US$1.7 billion construction project under a Build-Operate-Transfer arrangement. Participants at a Vietnamese-sponsored consultation have suggested that Hanoi should ask Phnom Penh to delay a proposed canal project for further discussions, amid Vietnamese worries about the project’s environmental and economic impact.
The government is launching an inter-ministerial commission to develop a data verification management system for former civil servants, prison officials and military officers who were dismissed from service.
The National Assembly (NA) of the Kingdom of Cambodia continued its 2nd session of the 7th legislature at the NA’s Palace here this morning under the auspices of its President, Khuon Sudary.
