Another border gate opened in Svay Rieng

Vietnam-Cambodia border gate opens

01/12/2011
VOV Neews (Hanoi)

The Binh Hiep-Prayvo international border gate between Long An province of Vietnam and Svay Rieng province of Cambodia opened on January 11.

The gate played an important role in taking advantages of both provinces’ potential, especially in welcoming international travellers, Deputy Chairman of the Long An provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Nguyen said.

The border gates were upgraded from the existing ones following the decisions of the Vietnamese and Cambodian governments.

The Binh Hiep border gate of Long An province, which connects to road number 314 of Svay Rieng province and the Asian transnational highway, is considered as a bridge to other countries in Southeast Asia.

The diplomatic crisis between Phnom Penh and Bangkok threatens the Trans-Asian Railway

11/30/2009
AsiaNews.it

Realization of the railway threatened - along six kilometres - which crosses the border between the two countries. The line should unite in Kunming in southern China to Singapore, along a path of 5300 km. End of work planned for 2015, for a total cost of 15 billion dollars.

Phnom Penh (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The diplomatic crisis between Phnom Penh and Bangkok is seriously jeopardizing the completion of the Trans-Asian Railway in the area which will connect Kunming in southern China, to Singapore, along a path of 5300 km. The project of 15 billion dollars could vanish over just six kilometers: those needed to join Sisophon, Cambodia, to Aranyaprathet, Thailand.

Cambodian government sources, on condition of anonymity, told the South China Morning Post (SCMP) they understand the reasons why Thailand "does not to continue the project while there are ongoing hostilities." A manager of the Thai State Railways confirmed that "negotiations are ongoing," but the situation is deadlocked.

To undermine the project, the diplomatic crisis flared up between Phnom Penh and Bangkok after the decision of Prime Minister Hun Sen to take as Cambodian economic adviser former exiled Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra sentenced to two years at home for corruption. The two countries withdrew their respective ambassadors. Following this a Thai citizen was arrested in Cambodia on charges of espionage.

The track that crosses the border between the two countries is reserved for freight traffic. The line along Cambodia and Vietnam is the most important part of the project, the completion of which is forecast for 2015. It represents the crossroads between the different rail lines and will serve to improve the Cambodian railway, in a strategic point for the entire region.

Paul Power, one of the engineers on the project, confirms that "it is difficult to imagine the completion of the work" if there is no stretch "along the border" between the two countries. "All this has implications at regional level" he adds, because "there is no point in the link between Ho Chi Minh City and Phnom Penh, without connection with Thailand."

The Trans-Asian Railway (TAR) is a project aimed at creating an integrated rail network for Europe and Asia, sponsored by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific United Nations (UNESCAP). The work got under way in the 60s of last century, with the aim of establishing a rail link - a 14 thousand km track- which could unite Istanbul with Singapore, that follows on to China.

Cambodian Villagers Block Last Leg of Trans-Asia Highway

Traffic comes to standstill at Prek Eng, about 7 kilometers from Phnom Penh
Area where new road ends and old road starts at Kien Svay

By Luke Hunt Voice of America
Kien Svay, Cambodia
05 May 2009

A group of Cambodian villagers are blocking construction of a 13-kilometer section of a new highway that will link Singapore to Hong Kong and beyond. The villagers demand better compensation for their land.

Five years ago, then United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan declared that the new Trans-Asia Highway would link 32 countries with 141,000 kilometers of all-weather roads.

The highway will end decades of overland isolation and significantly bolster cross-border trade in Asia. But here in Kien Svay, in southeastern Cambodian, villagers are refusing to give up their land and make way for a final missing link in the highway. They say they have been offered too little for their land.

Kim Lorn, a 72-year-old grandmother, says she was offered just $200 to walk away from her home and business of 26 years.

Many living in one home

Community meetings have turned into rowdy protests. Photo shop owner Kong Heng says the government refuses to take into account how many people are living under the same roof.

He says some people are upset when their houses are affected and they get little compensation because they have a lot of family members. He has three families living in his house so when if they get little compensation there is nothing they can do, and they are disappointed.

The villagers' defiance resonates across Cambodia, where land grabbing and forced evictions dominate headlines. Poor land records and a high level of official corruption have meant that over the past several years, tens of thousands of poor Cambodians have lost their land to developers building hotels, golf courses and other lucrative projects.
Project could take another year to finish

Cambodian officials say the protests mean that final link connecting the Malay Peninsula with Vietnam and China through Cambodia will not be completed on schedule by the end of this year.

They say nagging resettlement issues mean it will take at least another 12 months to finish.

Villagers here in Kien Svay hope this means vastly improved compensation packages in return for their homes.

Road linking Prey Veng and Dong Thap in VN to be built

Dong Thap approves road link to Cambodia

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2007
The Saigon Times Daily

The People’s Committee of Dong Thap Province has approved construction of a road from Dinh Ba in the Mekong Delta province’s Tan Hong District to the Trans-Asia highway section in Prey Veng in Cambodia. This 28.5-km-long, 9-meter-wide road section needs investment capital of VND71.5 billion (nearly US$4.5 million), Tuoi Tre reports.