Cambodia has announced August 5 as the inauguration date of the $1.7 billion Funan Techo Canal amid local endorsement and international scrutiny of its potential impact on the Mekong River and alleged ties to Chinese military operations. The government has denied this allegation.
Former Prime Minister Hun Sen, now Senate president, urged Cambodians on April 26 to support and ensure that it became a national movement.
Since then, citizens including workers, government units and students joined the movement to support the project, speaking out via videos and petitions, and posting it on social media.
On May 8, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT) launched a “We Support Funan Techo Canal” photo frame campaign. A link posted by MPWT showed nearly 402,000 people having participated in the campaign.
Meanwhile, a few ministries and institutions created another photo frame bearing the words “Congratulations on the Groundbreaking Ceremony for Funan Techo Canal” to call on people to join in the launching celebration.
A check revealed that the Ministry of Health has 6,548 supporters, Ministry of Public Works and Transport (5,458 supporters), Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia (29,281 supporters), and the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (24,499 supporters).
During the first MPWT campaign’s launch, there were many questions and comments on their post which invited people to use the photo frame as a sign of support for the Funan Techo Canal.
Some expressed their support by declaring “We support Funan Techo Canal” on the page, citing benefits to the country. Others responded, “I already changed the frame”, while others asked why the government needed to seek support but never did the same when it came to large-scale projects encroaching land or lakes.
Government spokesperson Pen Bona said “only those who opposed [projects] of national interest [would] oppose the Funan Techo canal project, as they were trying to prevent the project from running smoothly”.
“As for Cambodians all over the country who love the nation and defend national interest, they would strongly support the canal,” he said.
‘Should I be happy or sad’
On July 18, Prime Minister Hun Manet thanked Cambodians around the world at the groundbreaking ceremony of a museum at Reach Bo pagoda in Siem Reap province, for supporting the Funan Techo Canal.
“I would also like to thank the monks, government officials, and people across the country who fully supported the government in building the canal,” he said.
The project is scheduled to break ground on August 5, 2024, and called on the people to bang drums and launch fireworks to celebrate a historical achievement for Cambodia. “This is a huge nationalistic movement,” Hun Manet said.
This project will be jointly developed by a private company, which will hold a 51-percent stake, Sihanoukville and Phnom Penh autonomous ports, and foreign investors under a build-operate-transfer contract.
The project will begin construction in less than a week but residents living along the canal have not been notified of compensation yet.
In Kien Svay district, Kandal province, Pich Chandara, 32, a mother of three, who lives next to the starting point of the canal told CamboJA News that their home was situated on their ancestral land. It has been in the family for over 100 years, passed on from her grandmother’s lineage. The land measures 12 meters by 19 meters.
To date, she has not received any information about compensation and only knew that the groundbreaking was scheduled on August 5. She and her mother are very worried because they are afraid of being offered “unfair” compensation.
“We owe the bank more than $20,000 but [we] don’t know how much compensation we’ll get,” she said, adding that they were facing difficulties. “[W]e only know the date of the groundbreaking, but have not received information about compensation.”
“My mother is sick and thin because she doesn’t know how much compensation we will get and we owe [the bank],” she said, adding that her mother was unhappy about losing the land her family has lived on for several generations.
In addition, Chandara was worried that the new location would not have adequate infrastructure and they might not be able to do business.
When she heard about the development, she did not know whether to be happy or sad because people living near development projects were “always in tears” due to unfair compensation.
She hoped for compensation that was adequate to pay for a new place and where they could do business.
“[I am] afraid of moving to a new place, afraid that there is no water or electricity. It is not easy to move from one place to another,” she said. “If I get a small compensation, I won’t be able to even pay [the bank], buy land and build a house.”
Mov Sarin, a motorbike taxi driver and former soldier, lived close to the Prek Takeo stream. He told CamboJA News that his house had been demolished because it was near the starting point of the canal, where the groundbreaking was scheduled.
Sarin’s house was demolished on June 29, a day after the authorities notified and paid him a demolition fee of $500. He is staying on another person’s land temporarily.
Until now, people who would be affected by the project have yet to receive any clues on the compensation. The people dare not oppose the project, but are just asking for fair compensation.
“I only ask for land because I do not have land to live on. We want a land where we can live properly,” he said. “If the state needs land, we do not dare to oppose it, but before doing that, they must resolve the land issue appropriately,” Sarin said.
Organize dialogues, inform people
Chey Sam An, chief of Samrong Thom commune in Kien Svay district, has not received any information about the compensation, which he said was being handled by the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF).
MEF spokesperson Meas Sok Sensan declined to comment, but referred questions to the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (MPWT), whom he said was working on the compensation.
Phan Rim, spokesperson of MPWT, told CamboJA News that the canal’s impact on the people would be addressed through the government system, headed by the MEF. He did not respond when asked why the public was not formally informed about the canal project.
“The working group is studying and will submit to the government,” he added.
The 180 kilometers canal will connect Phnom Penh to Kep province, affecting waterways in Kandal, Takeo, Kampot and Kep provinces.
First vice-chairman of the Council for the Development of Cambodia Sun Chanthol said the canal project will affect 1,585 households, 149.5 hectares of residential land, and 2,900 hectares of rice fields and plantations.
The size of the impact was small compared to other projects. “The social impact is very little; we can do [solve] it,” Chanthol said.
In fact, he added, the canal will benefit Cambodians, including the creation of employment, revenue from water transport, establishment of commercial areas, logistics centers, agriculture and reduce pollution.
But, he did not no mention specific compensation for those affected.
Rights group NGO Licadho operations director Am Sam Ath said although there was strong support for the project as it was in the interest of the country, affected people were still not aware of compensation. The authorities have yet to inform them about the impact and solutions.
Providing information and having dialogues with the people were something the government must organize in order to inform people, whether they are affected or not and avoid worrying them as it might impact their mental health.
Some people were not comfortable not knowing if they were affected or not, he said, adding that the government might already have considered compensation, but it has not confirmed with the people yet.
“It is necessary for citizens to have clear information to avoid misunderstandings and misrepresentations which can lead to more problems,” Sam Ath said. “The important thing is to make people understand the development plan and compensation.”
Rim Sokvy, a research fellow at the Cambodian Center for Regional Study, said the canal would provide the “most” economic benefits to the nation if it worked well, but the government should look closely at the effect on the people and give them clear information.
“I think that if we do it and it affects the people in that area, we should consult with them,” he said. “If we only give compensation, it is not enough. [T]he government must ensure that the new location is comfortable enough for the people to make a living.
