Saturday, February 12, 2011

Construction starts on 3rd Japan-donated bridge in Cambodia [-Neak Loeung Bridge]

PHNOM PENH, Feb. 12 (AP) - (Kyodo)—Construction on a third bridge in Cambodia to be built with Japanese economic assistance began Saturday on a route crossing the Mekong River to Vietnam.

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said the bridge, at 2,240 meters, will be the longest and "most beautiful" in the country.

The structure, 37.5 meters above the river at its highest point, will provide a direct transportation link to Vietnam.

The new bridge is at the Neak Loeung River Crossing, 56 kilometers southeast of Phnom Penh. Construction is expected to take until February 2015.

Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony, Yutaka Banno, Japan's secretary of state for foreign affairs, said, "This bridge will not only link the two sides of the river, but link all countries in the region, tying Cambodia today to the future, linking Japan to Cambodia and this bridge will become a popular symbolic tie for our two countries."


At the request of the Cambodian government, Japan in 1992 began rehabilitating the 710m Chroy Changwar Bridge, later named the Cambodia-Japan Friendship Bridge across the Tonle Sap River in Phnom Penh. It was completed in 1994 at a cost of $23.2 million.

The Japan-financed Spien Kizuna Bridge is a 1.3 km traverse of the Mekong in Kompong Cham Province, 125 km northeast of Phnom Penh. It cost $57 million.

Hun Sen, at the ground-breaking at Neak Loeung, said Japan is the biggest grant donor to Cambodia, offering about $130 million a year.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

KI, I don't know why you post that. We are used to shocking news! This bridge construction is a great news for Cambodia development!

Anonymous said...

i'm happy to see cambodia gets modern bridges, etc in our country. we should think about modernizing our country in many ways, really! god bless cambodia.

Anonymous said...

this bridge japan want to build long ago but Hun Sen want to take some of fee for his pocket that why Japanese delay until now and Japan has to pay Hun sen a fee because they has no choice. They build for free and Hun Sen ask for
fee plus tax and plus restitution for the people are living there because Cambodia goverment refuse to pay for relocate them.
Hun Sen have a lot money. He will never have time to spend all that money for his life time. Why he still want to have more money and more money for what? Dek cho answer this why?

Anonymous said...

3:40 AM
To build a bridge like this one is not the same as your comment on this KI as anonymous.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Japan for your economic and infrastructural help to Cambodia.

Anonymous said...

i'm so proud to be khmer! cambodia is very beautiful. welcome to cambodia all tourists, investments, scientists, educators, engineers, artists, US military, EU military, australian military, etc,etc... god bless cambodia.

please help to develop cambodia into a modern, beautiful, cosmopolitan country and so forth. i love cambodia.