Six months after the groundbreaking of the Funan Techo Canal, Kandal provincial authorities have started discussions on compensation for affected residents, with impact resolution set to begin in mid-February 2025.
This follows the Ministry of Public Works and Transport’s (MPWT) completion of demarcation in late 2024 for the first 21 kilometers of the 180-kilometer Funan Techo Canal, starting from Prek Takeo, Kien Svay district in Kandal province.
Then on February 5, the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) directed Kandal provincial authorities to organize a discussion with relevant departments and local officials to address the impact of the canal project on residents living along the first section.
The $1.7 billion canal project is being constructed under a build-operate-transfer (BOT) agreement, and will cut through Kandal, Takeo, Kampot, and Kep provinces, connecting the Mekong River to the Gulf of Thailand.
However, six months after its August 5 groundbreaking, progress stalled due to uncertainty over China’s financial involvement, with Beijing yet to confirm funding, according to Reuters. Meanwhile, residents remain anxious over the lack of update on compensation.
The Chinese Embassy in Cambodia has consistently denied claims that China will withdraw from the project.
However, Phan Rim, spokesperson of MPWT, said they have been working on the demarcation in the last six months. The demarcation of the first section was completed by the end of 2024, and the second section, spanning 159 kilometers, is scheduled to be completed in April.
“The settlement of the impacts of the first section is starting and scheduled for completion by the end of April, which will also pave the way for the canal excavation process,” he added.
During the forum, authorities understood the project’s benefits and were ready to cooperate, MPWT said. The MEF’s General Department of Resettlement (GDR) will meet with local officials and citizens to review the impacts, with resolution starting in mid-February 2025.
Initially, 1,585 houses were listed as being affected by the project but the number was subsequently revised to 2,305, with 400 of those facing severe damage and scheduled for demolition. However, Dim Bora, spokesperson for Kandal province, mentioned that there are no specific figures on the number of families affected in the province.
Ros Sovandy, a resident who lives along the canal in Kandal province, told CamboJA News he has yet to receive any update on the compensation details.
“We see the demarcation markers, but no updates on compensation,” he said. “We want to know the exact date [of construction] because it is easy for us to prepare the plan. Since we don’t know, we don’t dare plant any crops,” he added.
However, local authorities remain unclear when the compensation process will begin. Chey Sam An, chief of Samrong Thom commune in Kien Svay district, who attended the discussion, told CamboJA News that authorities did not specify a timeline.
He added that they only asked local authorities to prepare authorities to meet citizens and collect relevant documents, such as land titles.
