Minister assures locals rail wont disrupt lives
Mon, 24 July 2017
Soth Koemsoeun
Transport Minister Sun Chanthol has assured residents living along Street 105K in Phnom Penhs Por Sen Chey district that the construction of a new light-rail service connecting the airport to the railway station would not disrupt their lives.
Residents last week burned tyres to protest the governments failure to inform them of the project and its scope before the track-laying started, but Chanthol used a ministry ceremony nearby in Por Sen Chey on Friday to say they should not worry.
One complained that constructing the railway meant there would not be road to walk on anymore. I said thats not true the car lane will still be there, and they are just constructing the rail on the existing road, Chanthol told reporters.
District Governor Hem Darith said the laying of the rail remains temporarily halted after last weeks protests led City Hall to order a delay until residents are better informed about the airport link, which will provide 24-hour rail services.
Royal Railways CEO John Guiry said information about the rail and its impacts would be distributed to residents today.
Street 105K resident Meng Kruy warned that even with Chanthols assurances, many residents still feared the project could endanger children who cross the street to get to school, worsen traffic congestion and make businesses less street-accessible. He said the community reserved the right to continue protests.
Ministry of Public Works Discusses with a Chinese Developer on Capital City Sky Train
AKP Phnom Penh July 24, 2017
Cambodias Senior Minister and Minister of Public Works and Transport Minister H.E. Sun Chanthol has held a discussion with Chairman of China Sky Railway Group Mr. Tang Tong on Phnom Penh sky train, according to the ministrys news release.
During the meeting taking place here last week, Mr. Tang Tong briefed H.E. Minister on his companys interest in developing a sky railway (lite rail system) from the city of Phnom Penh to Phnom Penh International Airport, and from Phnom Penh to the National Olympic Stadium as Cambodia will be hosting the SEA Games in 2023.
H.E. Sun Chanthol expressed his support for the interest in this project, and suggested the company to continue their feasibility studies to better understand the logistical dynamics related to this project and to submit a project proposal to the Ministry of Public Works and Transport at their earliest convenience.
Prime Minister Hun Sen also hopes to discuss a train line to Thailand. KT/Mai Vireak
The government is to ask Thailand for help to build a hydropower plant in the border province of Koh Kong.
Speaking at a cabinet meeting on Friday, Prime Minister Hun Sen said a possible agreement on the construction will be discussed by ministers from the two countries in Siem Reap on September 7 and 8.
We will use the third joint Cambodia-Thailand cabinet meeting to discuss an agreement to cooperate on building Stung Metek hydropower plant in Koh Kong province, on the border with Thailands Trat province, Mr Hun Sen said.
A private company would also be involved in the agreement. The project expects to produce between 30 to 40 megawatts of electricity and could be run as a Bank of Thailand concession for up to 50 years.
If the deal is successful, Mr Hun Sen said it could be a good model for the country to develop its border areas with Laos and Vietnam in the future.
The more we can develop the borders the better it is for our whole countrys development. Countries develop based on two main factors domestic stability and development at the borders, he said.
Mr Hun Sen said the forthcoming third joint cabinet meeting will also discuss the construction of a train route from Thailand to Cambodia.
Once everything is complete I hope to ride the train from one country to the other with Thailands Prime Mininster Prayuth Chan-ocha, he said.
The first joint cabinet meeting between the two countries was held in Siem Reap and Thailands Ubon Ratchathani in 2004. The second meeting was in Bangkok in 2015.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen (right) is shown his way by his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe prior to their meeting at the state guesthouse in Tokyo on Aug 7. (Reuters photo)
The Cambodian Ministry of Public Works and Transportation has announced a halt to a railway project meant to lead to Phnom Penh airport following multiple protests by local villagers.
Villagers of Por Sen Chey district have been protesting against the railway construction in their community over the past few weeks, burning tyres during some protests.
The villagers are fearful of evictions and upset that the government has not been more forthcoming about the project, which is being carried out by Royal Railways and is meant to make ferrying goods to the airport easier.
The ministry announced a halt to the construction following a meeting with villagers on Friday, the Khmer Times reported on Monday.
Undersecretary of state Ly Borin told residents that the construction of the railway from Taing Krosang Pagoda in Phnom Penh to the airport will not resume unless there is an agreement between locals and stakeholders.
We will have a meeting to resolve this issue and see you again, he told locals.
For the construction, we have already asked the company to halt it so that we can find a solution that suits the ministry, the builders and the villagers.
Last month, more than 100 residents protested against the project, burning tyres and demanding more information about the project, claiming they were not consulted.
Meng Kruy, a resident of Ka Kab commune, lauded the ministrys decision to suspend construction.
It is a great thing to stop construction and have a proper public forum about the project, he said.
I think everyone should be clear on what this project is all about and how it will affect neighbouring communities.
Executive director of the Housing Rights Task Force Sia Phearum has expressed support for the project in the past but said the government had not taken the proper steps to inform residents and had now rectified its error.
I think there should be dissemination to the people so they understand what the project is aiming to do, he said.
Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen discussed the project during his meeting with Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe on Aug 7 in Tokyo.
Hun Sen has said the light railway project would cost about US$800 million.
Japanese officials will begin studying possible routes for a skytrain connecting Central Market to Phnom Penh International Airport, Prime Minister Hun Sen announced on Monday after securing a loan agreement with Japan last week.
The project is aimed at reducing traffic jams in Phnom Penh, Mr. Hun Sen said at a graduation ceremony on Monday, days after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe inked an agreement offering an $800 million loan to complete the project.
Mr. Hun Sen said Abe guaranteed a longer loan payback period and lower interest rates for infrastructure loans.
Its expensive, but we have to solve the traffic jam, he said.
Transportation Ministry spokesman Var Sim Sorya said the Japan International Cooperation Agency will send an expert this week to begin evaluating two or three possible routes.
The proposed skytrain has no driver, and its running on the concrete without rail tracks, he said.
Mr. Sim Sorya was unable to provide a timeline for the study and declined further comment.
Once completed, the train will resemble elevated trains the premier rode during his visit to Japan, and would offer another option to the cars and motorbikes clogging Phnom Penhs main arteries, Mr. Hun Sen said.
In some countries, if people want to buy a car, they need to have a permission letter, and some countries ask people to tax the seller, he said during the ceremony at Koh Pich Theater. For our country, this [solution] is impossible because we want to offer the opportunity to employees when they get money, they should buy [cars] while the country is developing.
The Transportation Ministry is simultaneously developing a ground-bound railway that would connect the city center to the airport.
During Mr. Hun Sens three-day visit to Japan last week, Mr. Abe also offered Cambodia $35 million in grant aid for a flood protection program throughout the country and improvements to Phnom Penhs drainage system, as well as a $209 million loan to develop a new container port terminal in Sihanoukville.
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