"Six Months On, Funan Techo Canal Impact Resolution Set to Begin", 11 February 2025

Six months after the groundbreaking of the Funan Techo Canal, Kandal provincial authorities have started discussions on compensation for affected residents, with impact resolution set to begin ...

This follows the Ministry of Public Works and Transport’s (MPWT) completion of demarcation … for the first 21 kilometers of the 180-kilometer Funan Techo Canal, starting from Prek Takeo, Kien Svay district in Kandal province.

Then …, the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) directed Kandal provincial authorities to organize a discussion with relevant departments and local officials to address the impact of the canal project on residents living along the first section…

“The settlement of the impacts of the first section is starting and scheduled for completion by the end of April, which will also pave the way for the canal excavation process,” he added.

… Initially, 1,585 houses were listed as being affected by the project but the number was subsequently revised to 2,305, with 400 of those facing severe damage and scheduled for demolition. However, Dim Bora, spokesperson for Kandal province, mentioned that there are no specific figures on the number of families affected in the province.

Ros Sovandy, a resident who lives along the canal in Kandal province, told … he has yet to receive any update on the compensation details.

“We see the demarcation markers, but no updates on compensation,” he said…

However, local authorities remain unclear when the compensation process will begin. Chey Sam An, chief of Samrong Thom commune in Kien Svay district, who attended the discussion, told … that authorities did not specify a timeline…