PM: Land Acquisition for Expressway Not for Chinese Colonial Purposes

• 22 March 2019
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Responding to criticism of the Phnom Penh-Sihanouk expressway project, Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen claimed that purchasing land from the people for this project is not for Chinese colonial purposes.

Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Phnom Penh-Sihanouk Expressway on 22 March 2019, Samdech Techo Hun Sen told people not to believe such publicity.

“This road is constructed under ‘build-operate-transfer’, so people please do not fall into this publicity by the bad people who have said now we are taking and selling land to a Chinese company and China comes to colonise Cambodia,” Samdech said while also explaining the development process.

“The term to build, operate, and to transfer means after the contract is over (now the land still belongs to Khmer), and after [they] finish doing the business, this road becomes the state property,” Samdech added.

“So, the company finishes the operation and hands the road to the state, then the state will use it in whatever way in accordance to the needs of the state,” he said.

Meanwhile, Samdech Hun Sen also raised the issue of problems with land acquisition for this development project for which the land impact resolution is still ongoing for 5 provinces namely Phnom Penh (3km), Kandal (9km), Kompong Speu (80km), Koh Kong (1km), and Sihanoukville (89km).

“Please understand, we still need to do land impact resolution, but please do not overprice, especially in Sihanoukville,” he said.

Samdech said that the law of expropriation will be used for those owners who refuse to cooperate.

“When national interest is needed, please understand,” Samdech asked.

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