SRP warns that it will lead flooded residents to demonstrate

02 Nov 2008: A man travels by boat in Russei Keo district, Phnom Penh city (Photo: Chea Makara, RFA)

02 Nov 2008
By Chea Makara
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Click here to read the article in Khmer

On Sunday, the opposition SRP warned that it will lead Phnom Penh residents who have been victimized by flooding from the filling of lakes to demonstrate if the government does not put an end to these lake fillings along the capital suburbs. The opposition party indicated that the lake fillings were undertaken for land development and it also accused that these lake fillings led to the current severe flooding in Russei Keo district.

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy said that the government must stop the lake fillings in Phnom Penh city for land development purposes. Currently, lake fillings are taking place in Boeung Proyab, Beoung Kak and Boeung Paungpeay. He said that theses lakes must be preserved as water reservoirs to prevent flooding.

Sam Rainsy indicated also that flooding will be more severe in the future once the filling of Boeung Kak Lake will be completed: “We sent our questions to the government, and we sent a petition asking for a government representative to come and provide answers. If there is no result, we will hold a demonstration and we will invite all the victimized residents in Phnom Penh to demonstrate to demand that all these companies end their lake filling activities immediately, otherwise, the residents will not accept this situation.”

Kob Sleh, the Russei Keo deputy district governor, rejected the accusation leveled by the opposition party, and he blamed the flooding in the district on the intense rainfalls in Phnom Penh city during this rainy season. Furthermore, land filling activities led to the cutting of the water drainage system into the drainage channels consisting of the O’Veng channel, the Bak Touk channel, the Kob Srov channel and the 598 channel. All these channels connect to the Kob Srov dike.

Kob Sleh indicated also that the filling of Boeung Kak Lake does not affect the current flooding and that Boeung Kak Lake is a dead Lake and is not connected to any drainage system.

Kob Sleh said: “They don’t know the geography, they kept on talking, they have a way of talking. They did not talk like a constructor, but they talk like critics. They can talk about it, but they should look at the geography also, where does the extent of the flooding in Russei Keo, in particular along the north of Phnom Penh in Russei Keo, where does it come from?”

Kob Sleh indicated that the water is receding gradually after the authority was able to release the water into the lake, and he said that the water will continue to recede in one week if there is no additional rainfall.

He added that, up to now, flooding covers the Svay Pak district (Red Lantern district) all the way to the Kob Srov dike, and water will not recede as long as the sewers cannot be unplugged at Lou (Sewer) village located in Svay Pak district, near National Road No. 5, in order to drain water into the lake.

It should be noted that Russei Keo district has been flooded for more than 2 months already, and residents must travel by boat, while others must live in makeshift tents because their houses are flooded.

The areas that are severely affected by the flood are: Pochentong, Phnom Penh Thmei road, Hanoi road, Boeng Proyab Lake, Teuk Thla, Phsar Toch, Tuol Sangker and Tuol Kok, to name a few.

Concrete Jungle

02.11.08
Ron Gluckman
Forbes

Not so long ago Chinese visitors jokingly referred to Cambodia as "Qian Bu Zai." This not only sounded like the Chinese name for the country--Jian Bu Zhai--it summed up their assessment: "There is no money."

Now investors are arriving from Beijing, Boston and everywhere in between. In December a $30 million canning plant opened in the outskirts of Phnom Penh, providing capacity for not only domestic consumption but also exports. The country's largest cement factory went online last month, ending Cambodia's dependence on imports and keeping its massive construction boom on track. Also last month CB Richard Ellis announced plans for a Cambodia office, which will make it the first big realty firm lured to a market where property prices have doubled in two years.

Commodities are another bright area. Australian mining giant BHP Billiton (nyse: BBL - news - people ), with partner Mitsubishi (other-otc: MSBHY.PK - news - people ), has a large bauxite exploration project under way, while Australia's Oxiana is prospecting for gold in the northern jungle. Oil has been discovered off the southern coast. America's Chevron (nyse: CVX - news - people ) is a major player in fields that some estimate could yield up to $1 billion in annual revenue for the government.

Other lures include the ease of getting business licenses, low taxes and business-friendly investment rules. Bretton Sciaroni, an American lawyer in Cambodia since 1993 and chair of the International Business Club, notes that licenses often take only a week to obtain, and ventures can be 100% foreign owned. Foreign companies are often limited to minority stakes in ventures elsewhere in the region.

A big spur for the economy, business people say, was the constitutional change in 2006 that ended the fractious power-sharing agreement that the United Nations had negotiated in the 1990s. This deal brought peace after decades of war but resulted in regular stalemates over policy and endless red tape. "Having a strong, stable government is the key thing to investors," notes tycoon Kith Meng.

Not that all is glowing in Cambodia. Perhaps a third of the population of 14 million live below the poverty line. The economy is dependent on textiles, with 200 factories employing more than 300,000 people. "Trade diversification remains the big problem for Cambodia," conceded Prime Minister Hun Sen at a December trade conference. "We are too vulnerable."

Corruption is also a huge drawback, prompting widespread worries that future oil revenue will be squandered. U.S. Ambassador Joseph Mussemeli has been among the staunchest advocates of ensuring that commodities generate revenue to boost the entire economy and not to line the pockets of the wealthy elite.

Cambodia's prime minister--who is expected to win by another landslide in elections July 27--has repeatedly brushed aside such concerns, yet he has noted that good governance would be the main challenge over the coming decade.

Can Cambodia meet the challenge? "I think the will is there," says Mussomeli. "But the difference between will and action is profound. It's like you look at a mirror and want to lose weight. But then you sit at the table and eat."