Fri, 30 April 2010AFP
An environmental watchdog Friday urged Cambodia's donors to scrutinize multi-million-dollar payments by French oil company Total to secure the rights to explore an offshore area.
London-based Global Witness called on donors to "ask some tough questions and get some answers" about petroleum concession revenues, after Cambodian premier Hun Sen on Tuesday announced a 28-million-dollar contract with Total.
"We welcome the prime minister's openness on this latest round of oil payments," Global Witness campaigner George Boden said in a statement.
"But we still don't know whether the money from Total has turned up in national accounts because the information has not been made public," he added.
Total has won the right to search for oil and natural gas in Cambodia's offshore "Block 3" in the Gulf of Thailand.
While disclosing the price paid by Total, Hun Sen on Tuesday said that eight million dollars of the money would go towards a "social fund".
Hun Sen also denied that Anglo-Australian mining giant BHP Billiton had paid a large bribe for an exploration contract in Cambodia, saying that money had also gone into a social fund.
Global Witness said "questions regarding oil and mining payments made to the Cambodian government should top the bill" at a meeting of aid donors in June.
Foreign aid to Cambodia will top one billion dollars in 2010 when international donors make their pledges during the June meeting, said a local media report citing Finance Minister Keat Chhon.
Following the discovery of oil in 2005, Cambodia was quickly feted as the region's next potential petro-state.
But concerns have also been raised over how Cambodia -- one of the world's most corrupt countries -- will use its new-found oil and gas wealth.
In a February 2009 report, Global Witness said earnings from oil, gas and minerals were being "jeopardised by high-level corruption, nepotism and patronage".
London-based Global Witness called on donors to "ask some tough questions and get some answers" about petroleum concession revenues, after Cambodian premier Hun Sen on Tuesday announced a 28-million-dollar contract with Total.
"We welcome the prime minister's openness on this latest round of oil payments," Global Witness campaigner George Boden said in a statement.
"But we still don't know whether the money from Total has turned up in national accounts because the information has not been made public," he added.
Total has won the right to search for oil and natural gas in Cambodia's offshore "Block 3" in the Gulf of Thailand.
While disclosing the price paid by Total, Hun Sen on Tuesday said that eight million dollars of the money would go towards a "social fund".
Hun Sen also denied that Anglo-Australian mining giant BHP Billiton had paid a large bribe for an exploration contract in Cambodia, saying that money had also gone into a social fund.
Global Witness said "questions regarding oil and mining payments made to the Cambodian government should top the bill" at a meeting of aid donors in June.
Foreign aid to Cambodia will top one billion dollars in 2010 when international donors make their pledges during the June meeting, said a local media report citing Finance Minister Keat Chhon.
Following the discovery of oil in 2005, Cambodia was quickly feted as the region's next potential petro-state.
But concerns have also been raised over how Cambodia -- one of the world's most corrupt countries -- will use its new-found oil and gas wealth.
In a February 2009 report, Global Witness said earnings from oil, gas and minerals were being "jeopardised by high-level corruption, nepotism and patronage".
9 comments:
Cambodia's donors must take Cambodian Govt to taks. They can not turn a blind eyes and let half backed democray to florish, the pratice has not worked. Cambodian are on the brink of becoming a totalitarian state.Cllaboration is a crime!
I have to applaud Global withness for their determination to find justice for poor Cambodians by revealing evils leaders who dare to destroy their own country for their mighty dollars. I hope their determination will be succeeded by the help from supporting by good leaders around the world.
Areak Prey
Don't worry too much my dearest people whenever my relatives and my group have plenty of money in the bank acounts, I will take actions to stop all kinds of corruptions. Oh, I will need to feed some parts of $ for my bossy Yuon as well, otherwise I will be killed and toppled. As you are Cambodian have already immuned with poorness for such along time already, it doesn't mind to continue to be poor further. Heh!!!!!
" In Africa,oil creates places in which no longer do people think about how to create a nation, only how they can steal from it."
Auwal Musa Ibrahim,Negerian anticorruption campaigner
Time,May3,2010
Global. as people of cambodia. we are apprecieted for your efford to uncovered khmer corrupted leaders. you have came along way and did a great job. it really big benifit to cambodian people. now we
are really need more. we want you to uncover the secret relationship between cambodian government and vietnames government. in what level that the vietnames authorities have control over HUN Government ? you know it and the world know it every time khmer krome came to live in cambodia. khmer authorities ID. THEM AS ILLEGAL REFUGEES, BUT WHEN VIET ILLEGAL CROSS IN TO CAMBODIA the authorities kept thier mouth shut.we hope one day the truth will set us free,
i think cambodia needs a corruption watchdog as a branch of gov't there. this way, any corruption will be scrutinize by this watchdog. just make sure the watchdog group of gov't is well-qualified for the job, though. cambodia needs one so bad!
That is a source of war, money came from oil go dierctly to minister pockets, opposition politians disagree, raise army with other oil companies support..
Why Why Why...Just ask Hun Sen & Sok An...How much money did they already pocketed for the last 10 years from foreign companies...starting from small to large firms...small firm 25k to 30k, what about larger firms? Well, why don't you play with the numbers?...
Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime
Members:
Pol Pot
Nuon Chea
Ieng Sary
Ta Mok
Khieu Samphan
Son Sen
Ieng Thearith
Kaing Kek Iev
Hun Sen
Chea Sim
Heng Samrin
Hor Namhong
Keat Chhon
Ouk Bunchhoeun
Sim Ka...
Committed:
Tortures
Brutality
Executions
Massacres
Mass Murder
Genocide
Atrocities
Crimes Against Humanity
Starvations
Slavery
Force Labour
Overwork to Death
Human Abuses
Persecution
Unlawful Detention
Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime
Members:
Hun Sen
Chea Sim
Heng Samrin
Hor Namhong
Keat Chhon
Ouk Bunchhoeun
Sim Ka...
Committed:
Attempted Murders
Attempted Murder on Chea Vichea
Attempted Assassinations
Attempted Assassination on Sam Rainsy
Assassinations
Assassinated Journalists
Assassinated Political Opponents
Assassinated Leaders of the Free Trade Union
Assassinated over 80 members of Sam Rainsy Party.
"But as of today, over eighty members of my party have been assassinated. Countless others have been injured, arrested, jailed, or forced to go into hiding or into exile."
Sam Rainsy LIC 31 October 2009 - Cairo, Egypt
Executions
Executed over 100 members of FUNCINPEC Party
Murders
Murdered 3 Leaders of the Free Trade Union
Murdered Chea Vichea
Murdered Ros Sovannareth
Murdered Hy Vuthy
Murdered Journalists
Murdered Khim Sambo
Murdered Khim Sambo's son
Murdered members of Sam Rainsy Party.
Murdered activists of Sam Rainsy Party
Murdered Innocent Men
Murdered Innocent Women
Murdered Innocent Children
Killed Innocent Khmer Peoples.
Extrajudicial Execution
Grenade Attack
Terrorism
Drive by Shooting
Brutalities
Police Brutality Against Monks
Police Brutality Against Evictees
Tortures
Intimidations
Death Threats
Threatening
Human Abductions
Human Abuses
Human Rights Abuses
Human Trafficking
Drugs Trafficking
Under Age Child Sex
Corruptions
Bribery
Embezzlement
Treason
Border Encroachment, allow Vietnam to encroaching into Cambodia.
Signed away our territories to Vietnam; Koh Tral, almost half of our ocean territory oil field and others.
Illegal Arrest
Illegal Mass Evictions
Illegal Land Grabbing
Illegal Firearms
Illegal Logging
Illegal Deforestation
Illegally use of remote detonation bomb on Sokha Helicopter, while Hok Lundy and other military officials were on board.
Lightning strike many airplanes, but did not fall from the sky. Lightning strike out side of airplane and discharge electricity to ground.
Source: Lightning, Discovery Channel
Illegally Sold State Properties
Illegally Removed Parliamentary Immunity of Parliament Members
Plunder National Resources
Acid Attacks
Turn Cambodia into a Lawless Country.
Oppression
Injustice
Steal Votes
Bring Foreigners from Veitnam to vote in Cambodia for Cambodian People's Party.
Use Dead people's names to vote for Cambodian People's Party.
Disqualified potential Sam Rainsy Party's voters.
Abuse the Court as a tools for CPP to send political opponents and journalists to jail.
Abuse of Power
Abuse the Laws
Abuse the National Election Committee
Abuse the National Assembly
Violate the Laws
Violate the Constitution
Violate the Paris Accords
Impunity
Persecution
Unlawful Detention
Death in custody.
Under the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime, no criminals that has been committed crimes against journalists, political opponents, leaders of the Free Trade Union, innocent men, women and children have ever been brought to justice.
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