Lindsay Murdoch
WA Today (Australia)
AUSTRALIAN company Toll Group is set to pull out of a controversial $145 million project to rebuild Cambodia's railways, reliable sources in Cambodia say.
Under an agreement signed in 2009, Toll and a Cambodian joint venture partner were to operate the railways for 30 years.
The project, partly funded by the Australian aid agency AusAid, has been at the centre of claims that up to 4000 people living along the tracks are not being fully compensated for having to move. A Toll spokesman declined to comment.
The rebuilding of two decrepit rail lines linking the capital, Phnom Penh, with a southern port and with the Thai border in the west is strategically important.
They were seen as part of a planned inter-country rail network linking Singapore and China through Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam.
The Toll Group had a 30-year contract in a joint venture with well-connected Cambodian businessman Kith Meng through his Royal Group of companies.
In November last year, Fairfax Media reported that a 13-year-old girl and her nine year-old brother drowned in a deep pool four days after their family was uprooted from their home and moved to a resettlement site so work could begin on the railway.
18 comments:
Good EXAMPLE Australia,your hands not gonna get involve with the corrupts dirty killing khmers people in Cambodia for that rail ways.
Thanks
Now vietnam sees the opportunity to partner up with kith meng. Viet don't care how many families will get evicted without compensation.
you can say it either way, maybe it shows the true color of toll company. anyway, someone else more dedicated, more serious and true friends of cambodia will take over the void, i hope soon. the reality is, cambodia's railroad system must be developed, like it or not. cambodia as a nation have to have our railway system up and running, despite it affected the squatters, etc... i like to look at it with a positive view, not pessimistic, cynical, skeptical, negative views like some political people might see it. it's about business and making cambodia stronger both economically and politically, not bias, take side, gullible without actually come to cambodia to observe and see with their own eyes, you know. well, believe it or not, life will go on in cambodia with or without this australian toll company, etc... cambodia will always be cambodia, get used to it, really!
or may this toll company have their own problems we don't know about, anyway, sad to see they gave up on renovating khmer railway systems. i hope japan or france or china or germany, etc will invest in cambodia's railway system soon... god bless cambodia.
Glad that Australian Officials will not invest the money in Cambodia because of CPP criminals and illegal evictions to Khmer people who are the owners of lands.
Thank you, Australia, for doing the right things. Cambodia is still under the most corrupted CPP regime led by the Vietnamese dog Hun Sen.
Khmer Yeurng
3:26 AM and 3:28 AM,
Go back to Communist Vietnam. You are not belonging here. You are the dumbest CPP voter.
This is an example of difficulty working in Cambodia.
it looks more like autralia toll company don't want to deal with the squatters' issue than any other issue they are talking about here, you know.
the issues are many in cambodia when come to building infrastructure, etc, greedy squatters, compensation, too many squatters living on state properties, etc, etc... yes, it's mainly squatters' issue of compensation, etc... after all, squatter will protest as they have nothing to lose, you see. i think that's why toll is backing out due to unsettling issue of squatters. why don't the media interview toll to find out the real deal? why just speculate about it here?
these sam rainsy party people think they are better, how do they deal with squatters living on state properties like railways, etc? they have better answer for solution? i doubt it! they just run their fould mouth by using politics in their tone, that's all! it never say they have any solution to solving cambodia's many social issues like squatters, etc, only whining and moaning nonstop to lobby their international sympathizers who seemed ignorant of the reality in cambodia, i think.
It is Cambodia's loss. We must learn to treat each other fairly like we would do it to ourselves. One sided will get us anywhere.
I am Australian, and I have been following this company for many years. This is the first time, this Australian company have decided to do the right thing, both for the company and for the community. This is Cambodia's loss when the government decides not offer proper location programs and equal human right and provide equality of standard living.
Thank you Australia.
Thank you ABC News.
australia is losing a chance to make a real, lasting difference in cambodia. they will be remembered as giving up on cambodia during this difficult issue solving time. sometime, we wonder, what kind of friend is that? not a true friend for sure, you know.
3:26 AM and 3:28 AM
i know!
you know!
really!
ok!
etc!
Took advantages of innocent poor Cambodians people for the rich and the wealth of yourself are not justify .It's a shame!!!!once you offense other living thing just for your party and sake are not great .Railroad in Cambodian will happen,just make both parties happy.That's not hard.Australia,did the right thing,as for cambodian,they breached the agreement.Otherwise,down the road ,the Cambodian will broke the agreement again.Might as well pull out.
All bloggers knew who is Mr.
I know!
You know!
Really!
OK!
Etc...!
Thank 9:01AM
You've got him!
We should keep him here to fight.
We need this enemy to fight with
us.We can't clap only one hand,so
we need him.
Toll Holdings ain't stupid; those who have owned their shares and followed that company's ascendency in Ozzy business will know how capable their top management is. they'll make a billion or two where-ever they can. But here in Cambodia it looks like they're already hoisting the white flag and for good reasons: why risk a potential PR minefield and being taken to the cleaners with the squatters? and for what? a couple of millions? Toll Holdings operate in the real world, the government of Cambodia is not.
Australian Toll Holdings will invest in Cambodia if Sam Rainsy is PM of Cambodia. Also, Australian Officials will recognize the true democracy of SRP Officials who are doing the right things.
CPP is the most corrupted regime that has been influenced and interfered by the Communist Vietnamese masters, Hun Sen's bosses.
It reminded us that the foreign investors tried to invest International Airport Hub (Worldwide International Airport) in Kampong Chhnang, but they canceled because of Vietnamese dog Hun Sen created a coup against opposition parties, Sam Rainsy Party and Ranarith Party in 1993 and 1997.
That was a hug investment of International Airport Hub that will create jobs for Cambodian people, but unfortunately, CPP has been always the loser and untrusted partnership due to the very bad election fraud and unrecognized government with full of corruptions under the Communist regime under the Vietnamese puppet government coming Hanoi masters.
Yes, it is very sad. Cambodia should be been very progressive and fast developed country under the government of either Ranarith Party or Sam Rainsy Party who followed the rule of law and are the truly democratic parties of Cambodia or Khmer Kingdom.
CPP is a piece of junk coming from Communist Vietnam bosses in Hanoi.
Khmer Yeurng.
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