Senior government official Sun Chanthol highlighted the potential of the recent groundbreaking of the $1.7 billion Funan Techo Canal project to U.S investors that can benefit Cambodia’s economy. He also said freedom of expression in the country has improved, contrary to the views of civil society groups.

While attending the Asean Leadership Forum hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in the U.S on October 1, 2024, Deputy Prime Minister Chanthol said the canal would not have a negative impact on the environment in Cambodia or across the border in Vietnam.

Chanthol, who is also first vice president of the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC), underlined that the Kingdom was an investment potential for the U.S, and has recorded investment growth.

“I’ve never studied a project in detail like the Funan Techo canal, as we want to ensure there’s no impact in both countries. Cambodia will not implement a zero sum game where Cambodia wins, and our neighbor, namely Vietnam, loses. We cannot do that,” he said.

The project is expected to be completed by 2028 and will reduce the cost of logistics benefiting investors, businesses and the economy. There would be a logistics center, warehouses, commercial centers as well as a tourist center along the canal.

‘We will pay them’

In response to a question by Radio Free Asia, he said the media outlet has in its broadcast, allegedly accused the Cambodian government of taking away land from people living by the canal, as well as displacing some 10,000 households.

“I don’t know where you got your 10,000 number from. The exact number of affected households is 2,305. We made an account [of that] by using a drone.

“We hired a third party to go to every house that was affected. We had a consultation with them. We have not taken one square inch of their land yet,” Chanthol said.

“I can tell you that [we counted] 149,163 trees – mango trees, coconut trees, you name it. We will pay them [affected people]. We will compensate them,” he added.

The canal project measuring 180 kilometers will connect Phnom Penh and coastal province Kep, pass through existing waterways in Kandal, Takeo and Kampot.

The first section, stretching 21 kilometers, will be controlled by Cambodian investors via a joint venture. Sihanoukville Autonomous Port and Phnom Penh Autonomous Port own 51% while Overseas Cambodian Investment Corp holds 49% in the new company which has been registered with the Ministry of Commerce. 

Both the CDC and Ministry of Public Works and Transport are in talks to set up a company for the remaining 159 kilometers of the canal. After the companies are set up, a concession agreement will be drawn up for the companies to control the upper and lower sections of the canal.

Silence is deafening

Eng Veasna, a resident living near the project site, told CamboJA News that authorities approached him after the groundbreaking ceremony but they have not contacted him since.

Veasna was concerned with the silence and feared that if construction began without notice, it could disrupt his work and cause him to be unprepared for relocation.

“I’m afraid that they’ll suddenly start construction and leave us with little time to dismantle [our house] and prepare for a new place,” he said.

Veasna wanted the authorities to set a clear timeline. “For example, if they plan to start next year or in two years, there shouldn’t be delays. If the construction affected my residential land or plantation, I need government compensation so I can relocate,” he said.

While he has not stopped looking after his crops, he is doing less than before. “I have 500 tropical coconut trees that need fertilizer to bear fruit by next May and June [but] I don’t want to invest in fertilizer because it’s expensive. But without it, some of my trees are affected,” he explained. 

“Before the groundbreaking, I fertilized my trees regularly. But after that, I thought the authorities were in a rush to start construction, so I stopped. As a result, some of my trees were damaged by animals, and others haven’t grown properly.”

Cheng Kimsong, another resident, said the authorities have not contacted them since the village chief called a meeting about her house being affected by the project.

Kimsong commented that no one in her area has relocated yet because they have not received compensation.

She expected the authorities to provide fair compensation but was also worried about her finances. “As no one is talking about it, I am getting anxious, wondering if I’ll have enough money to buy a new house,” she added.

Ministry of Economy and Finance spokesperson Meas Soksensan declined to comment, stating that he was busy.

Unequal freedom of expression

Speaking about the arrest of award-winning independent journalist Mech Dara, Chanthol said the freedom of expression in Cambodia was ”a lot better than other countries in the region”.

“I can assure you that in some countries, you can say a little thing [and] you’re going to be sued [or] go to jail. But in Cambodia, because you rather inform […] the role of the media, the role of a journalist is to inform not to inflame,” he said.

Dara was charged on October 1, 2024, with incitement to disturb social security for allegedly posting photos on Facebook and X that appeared to show damage caused by a quarry operation to the concrete stairs leading to Ba Phnom, which housed a pagoda, and was a local tourist attraction. Prey Veng district officials issued a statement dismissing Dara’s post as “fake news”.

NGO rights group Adhoc president Ny Sokha viewed that groups, which supported the government, could freely express their opinion, but those with critical opinions were charged and imprisoned.

“[We] think it is a freedom that does not reflect the process of a democratic society. Because in a democratic society, not only supporters can speak freely, but dissenters can also freely express [themselves] without fear,” he said.

“If freedom exists for those who speak in support of the government or state authorities, we can’t say that it reflects freedom of expression in a democratic country,” Sokha said.

He also noticed that there were a lot of media outlets in Cambodia but only a few journalists dared to speak the truth or media which dared to criticize the government, as it was “not safe” to expose the truth.