Dung’s shopping list for Xen, his minion

Cambodia authorizes Viet companies to perform oil and gas explorations on land

15 Nov. 2010
By Ly Hov
Cambodia Express News
Translated from Khmer by Soch

Dung’s marching order to Xen:

1. Mining exploration concession for Viet companies
2. Oil and gas exploration on land for Viet companies
3. Banking agreements between the two counties (no detail given)
4. Facilitate cooperation in aviation, custom, plane fights, as well as human traffic for Viet businessmen
5. More land concessions for Viet companies for rubber plantations
6. Facilitation for the construction of the Sesan 2 hydro-electric dam
7. Completion of the border post planting by 2012

Phnom Penh – The Cambodian government authorized Viet companies to perform oil and gas exploration on land inside Cambodia. However, details surrounding this authorization were not provided to reporters.

Cambodia’s decision is the fruit of the face-to-face meeting behind closed door between Hun Xen [the Viet minion] and his boss, Nguyen Tan [Ding] Dung, on 15 Nov 2010 at the Eternal Peace building.

The Viet PM performed an official visit to Cambodia prior to the ACMECS (Ayeyawadi-Chao Phraya-Mekong Economic Co-operative Strategy) regional meeting which regroups Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Burma and Thailand. The ACMECS meeting will take place in Phnom Penh between 16 and 17 Nov.

Following the official closed door meeting between [Ding] Dung and [his minion] Xen, Khieu Kanharith, the government mouthpiece, told reporters that, right now, Cambodia has authorized Viet companies to explore for oil and gas on land. However, due to the short time available, the two PMs agreed to have their ministries involved in this issue to continue the work.

Without providing details on the Viet companies that receive the authorization to perform mining, oil and gas exploration in Cambodia, Khieu Kanharith added that the name of the Viet companies, as well as other details regarding the oil and gas exploration should be queried to the ministry of Industry, however, there are major Viet companies which receive the authorization to perform mining, oil and gas explorations in Cambodia.

Nevertheless, Khieu Kanharith said that Hun Xen highly values the Viet investments at a time when other countries are slowing their investment, only Vietnam is increasing investments in Cambodia. This is an occasion that allows Cambodia to perform work and to bring technical exchange to Cambodia.

Regarding the signing of the banking agreements between the national banks of Cambodia and Vietnam during the meeting between Dung and Xen, Khieu Kanharith was mum on its details, and instead he directed all questions to Chea Chanto, the governor of the national bank of Cambodia, who cannot be reached.

In addition, Khieu Kanharith said that during the closed door meeting between Dung and Xen, they pledge to maintain a steadfast relationship between the two countries and to help push for better cooperation, in particular in the areas of aviation, custom, plane fights, as well as human traffic. Dung asked Xen to encourage and be indulgent on the Viet investors, as well as Viet merchants who are doing business in Cambodia, in particular those involved in aviation, banking and rubber plantations. There are Viet companies that are planting 10,000 hectares of rubber trees, and he hope that these Viet companies will get more land than this.

In addition, Dung wants Xen to push for arrangements in the construction of the Sesan 2 hydro-electric dam, speed up the border post planting and to make sure that they are completed in 2012. The two countries must cooperate, especially among the border authorities in order to administer the border region regarding security and order etc…

Khieu Kanharith said that Xen acquiesced to all Dung’s order to him.

In return, Xen begged Dung to ensure that, starting from December 2010, Vietnam will provide at least 170 megawatts of electricity because, in fact, in the past, there was an agreement with Vietnam stipulating that the latter must provide 200 megawatts of electricity to Cambodia, but up to now, Vietnam only provided 120 megawatts instead. This led to electricity shortage in Cambodia.

For this only request made by Xen, Dung said that this year the amount of rainfall is too little, therefore, the hydro-electric plant cannot function at full capacity, and he himself will have to answer to the Viet National Assembly on this issue on 23 November 2010 to explain this energy shortage. Nevertheless, he said that the Viets will try to provide electricity to Cambodia as Hun Xen begged for.

During his visit to Cambodia, Dung also met with Sihamini, the [mini] king of Cambodia, as well as Chea Xim and Heng Samrin [the other 2 CPP minions].