2011-07-06
Xinhua
Cambodia on Wednesday broke ground for the construction of the 4th Cambodia-China Friendship -- Takhmao Bridge, across Tonle Bassac River in order to ease traveling and to boost social and economic development.
The bridge, 855 meters long and 13.5 meters wide, is located about 13 kilometers southeast of the capital Phnom Penh. It connects National Road No. 2 in the west of the river to National Road No. 1 in the east of the river.
The ground-breaking ceremony was presided over by Prime Minister Hun Sen and Charge d'Affairs of Chinese Embassy to Cambodia He Leping. It was also attended by top government officials, diplomatic corps, some 10,000 local people and students.
When addressing the ceremony, the premier said the bridge is very essential to contribute to the country's economic development.
"The bridge will help people avoid heavy traffic in Phnom Penh, " he said. "It will also be the corridor of ASEAN highway linked from Thailand's Bangkok to Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh."
It is the fourth Cambodia-China Friendship Bridge. The first three bridges are Se Kong Bridge in Stung Treng province, Prek Kdam Bridge on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, and Prek Tamak Bridge in Kandal province.
"China is the largest donor helping to build roads and bridges for Cambodia," said Hun Sen, adding since 2004, China has lent more than 800 million U.S. dollars to Cambodia for road and bridge construction.
So far, more than 1,500 kilometers of roads and three long bridges of 3.1 kilometers have already been constructed with soft loans and grants from China.
"Cambodia would like to express sincere thanks to the government and people of China for providing timely grants and loans to Cambodia," said the premier. "The start of the construction of the bridge today has come from good relations and cooperation between the two nations."
The premier said the country will break ground for the construction of the fifth Cambodia-China Friendship Chroy Changvar Bridge in Phnom Penh in November.
Meanwhile, He Leping said China considered Cambodia as fraternal, good neighbor and friend and wishes to see the development of Cambodia.
"Every grant and loan that China provides to Cambodia comes from the sincere heart of the leaders and people of China," he said. "China always gives attention to every proposal Cambodia has requested and the proposals that give a boost to economic development and poverty alleviation, China is pleased and has no hesitation to provide assistance."
"China has a policy to help friends toward development," he added.
According to the master-plan, the Chinese government provides soft loan to the construction of the 4th Cambodia-China Friendship Takhmao Bridge and its connecting roads of 12 kilometers, which is expected to cost 32.89 million U.S. dollars.
The Shanghai Construction (Group) General Company will undertake the construction, which is expected to complete in 42 months.
11 comments:
Better to have a Bridge build by the Chinese.
Otherwise the poor Khmer people in Cambodia will have to wait for another 100 years and have to swim over the river looking for supports from the oversea Khmer or the one, who alway has a big mouth to blame.
The Vietnam hates the Chinese assistance to Cambodia. The Chinese policy is to contain Vietnam from spreading to Cambodia and Laos, thus China will not be attacked by Vietnam. So to Keep Cambodia is to keep away from Vietnam invasion and infiltrating. So Cambodia must be strong and stronger. We must think about interest. Look at how Vietnam treating our Khmer Krom people... they deny them rights to speak freely especially their land, advancing in their career as good posts are giving to their people only, and learning only Vietnamese language. So the question is: Do we want to enslave to Vietnam and have them taken our homeland???
i think the more bridges are built in cambodia the better! the country needs bridges all across the country. having seen cambodia lack so much in the past, i as well as most other khmer people couldn't be happier. of course, we know the overseas opposition politicians have their mouths and will always make critic, etc about it this or that, however, the important thing is khmer people in cambodia will have more bridges and better infrastructure to travel, to transport their business, produce, etc to the market and make their travel more convenient and easier, etc... plus, it makes cambodia looks good with from the eyes of the millions of tourists that visit cambodia because cambodia will better modernized, developed, etc, etc, you know! so, i'm so really glad to see cambodia is getting more big bridges all across our country's many waterways, etc... thank you china and god bless cambodia.
of course, we know the critics will always criticking nonstop with everything cambodia want to do since day one, however, they will shut up once the project is completed and nothing matters after that because they too get to use the bridges and make their own traveling easier and more convenient, etc... but at the mean time, the critics with their foul-mouths will keep on criticking nonstop, but we know life goes on in cambodia without or with the critics, really!
we've heard critics about the first cambodia's skyscrapers, the first escalator, the first jumbo jet, the first atm, the first scientist, etc, etc, you name it, but at the end those critics are nothing important to cambodia because that right life keeps going in cambodia forever, you know! it goes to show that cambodia in many way doesn't evolve around the critics, really! of course, there are more to cambodia than you and i, really! think smartly and cleverly and wisely about it all, ok! maybe critics are paid to critic, it's just their job, nothing more, really! of course they have their rights to critics, but the point is life in cambodia goes on and on with or without biased individuals out there, you know! god always bless cambodia in some mysterious ways, you know! thank you god.
i think next, the fifth project, china will help cambodia to build another longest bridge and highway from kompong chhnang that will connect to the kompong thom on national route 6. cambodia is really developing big now, so watch out, cambodia matters, people! so, stop your bias against cambodia, ok!
Learn from the past people. During 1970-75 war, China loaned with low interest to Khmer Rouge in money, guns, ammunitions worth billions of dollars so the latter can fight with Lon Nol regime which was supported by Americans. As soon as Khmer Rouge won the war, China make Khmer Rouge pay back the loan in rice that resulted in millions of Khmers, starved to death. In addition to that China allowed Khmer Rouge to kill Khmers at will and never used its influence to stop the killing even though Cambodia at that time was its client state. So China should be held responsible for atrocities in Cambodia in the 1970-1979. Remember no aids that have no string attached.
After 30 years of relying on foreign assistance, Cambodia needs to learn how to be self-reliant. If for 30 years, the people, the government are still begging to survive, then we have a performance issue here. Dignity is something we should be proud of. If we beg to live we lose dignity and don't feel bad if our neighbor countries are looking down on us.
it's probably have more to do with tradition and culture of cambodia due to buddhist religion. nothing is wrong with that, just it's not suitable when things are changed and become more modernized, etc... cambodia is just different from most other countries. it's not begging, it's a culture, really! so, in order to adjust to changes and modern world, etc, i think it is ok for cambodia to adopt or adapt to some degree to new concept or new way that not necessarily khmer in origin or what have you, you know! to survive, people all over the world have to learn to adjust, to adapt, reform, etc, etc, really or it would be considered stupid otherwise if we failed to adapt or adjust. i mean, it is good to cling to dear life with old ways, etc, however, do adapt or reform to some degree as well, ok! that's all!
the world changed and adapt all the time, so should khmer way, ok! nothing wrong with it, just do it for survival of the human species, ok!
12:42
I am glad you responded to my comment. Actually we should have a big debate about Vietnam and China for our well beings.
In response to your comment, China did not kill Cambodians; it was ignorant Cambodians killed Cambodians because of our ignorance as a state to implement such policy of fear and untrusted of each other. For China their concern was to back KR and used them as their buffer to keep the Vietnamese from invading Cambodia and Laos. Thailand also used KR for the same reason keeping Vietnamese away from the back door. You are right China played it right; they lose a dime and so do Thailand, but what about us???? Have how do we do it from now???? after all what we had been through and all the mistakes we had had.
Vietnam is next door to us. China is thousands of miles away. Who has more immediate risk to us and our national security and sovereignty? The best option for Cambodia is strong Cambodia and educated Cambodians with dynamic economy. As long as Cambodia is weak, you will see Vietnam, Thailand and China got a hand in our country's politics.
"Vietnam is next door to us. China is thousands of miles away"
=But China is also next door to Vietnam! If Vietnam want to start shit with Cambodia and the Vietcong government will see the repeat of China invasion like the one in 1979!ahahhahhah
Cambodia will be a great country if only if Cambodian leaders honor true free democratic system and respect the right of each individual Cambodian people and see the potential in Cambodian people! If Cambodian people continue to see themselves as victim of oppression and injustice and they will see Cambodia as a useless country worth nothing more than their sorrow and pain! So the decline of Cambodia will continue!
Each individual Cambodian people do matter!
ខ្មែរចេះតែកិន ចិនចេះតែកត់ ដល់ថ្ងៃកំណត់
ចិនអូសធ្វើឈ្នួល។
ចិននិងយួនប្រកួតគ្នា ចង់បានខ្មែរជាខ្ញុំរបស់ខ្លួន
រៀងៗខ្លួន ចាប់ពីឆ្នាំ១៩៧០ មក។សីហនុជា
ជនក្បាលពីរគឺ ខ្ញុំយួន ខ្ញុំចិន។
ឪធម៌(សីហនុ)ជាជនក្បាលពីរ កូនធម៌(ហ៊ុន សែន)ក៏ជាបុគ្គលក្បាលពីរដែរ។
ចិននិងយួន ឈ្លោះគ្នាព្រោះចង់បានខ្មែរជាខ្ញុំ។
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