Roundup: Cambodia confirms delay of construction of Areng dam till 2018

Cambodian Minister of Mines and Energy Suy Sem confirmed Wednesday that the construction of a proposed 108-megawatt hydropower dam in southwestern Cambodia will be postponed at least until 2018.

"As the prime minister (Hun Sen) announced Tuesday, there will be no development of the dam in this mandate, which lasts until 2018," he told Xinhua via telephone, denying that the delay was not due to opposition from critics and environmental groups.

"The postponement is not because of criticism from those groups, but the prime minister needs to thoroughly study the impact on environment," he said.

The proposed dam is situated in Koh Kong province's Areng Valley. According to the minister, the ministry has officially allowed China's state-owned hydropower engineering and construction company Sinohydro to conduct a feasibility study since March last year, and Sinohydro has hired a Cambodian consultancy Sawac to study the environmental impacts of the proposed dam.

"The feasibility study has half completed," said Suy Sem.

"I have not made any decision yet whether to continue the feasibility study on the project or not, I will invite the company for discussion."

Responding to a question on the ministry's position on the proposed dam, he said it depended on the results of the feasibility study.

"If it has little impact on environment, we will proceed with the project because it will provide a huge benefit to the economy, " he said.

"But if the study indicates that the project will cause huge impact on humans, animals and environment, we will cancel it."

The minister said he has no idea if the proposed dam will materialize in the future.

"Let's wait and see in the government's next mandate," he said.

Prime Minister Hun Sen said Tuesday that the proposed dam will not be built during his five-year mandate, which ends in 2018.

"Stop talking about Areng. Let's study it thoroughly. And I have come up with an idea that no matter whether the study is clear or not, there will be no construction from now on until 2018, " he said.

"In my view, I want to keep it for the next generation (leaders) to make decision on it."

Hun Sen's comments came a day after the country deported anti- dam Spanish activist Alex Gonzalez-Davidson for overstaying his visa.

The government refused to renew visa for Gonzalez-Davidson, co- founder of non-governmental organization Mother Nature, because he and his activists illegally blocked a road in September to prevent a government convoy from reaching the site of the proposed dam that they oppose.

Sok Touch, deputy chief of the International Relations Institute of Cambodia, said Wednesday that the postponement of the dam development would not affect Sino-Cambodian relations and cooperation.

"In my opinion, I don't think there is any impact on Sino- Cambodian ties," he told Xinhua via telephone.

"It is absolutely impossible that the issue of the proposed Areng dam can damage the close relations and cooperation between the two countries."

The expert said China is very mature in its foreign policy.

"I think that China is well-aware of the situation of the ruling Cambodian People's Party that has been trying to restore its reputation and popularity after winning a narrow margin of victory in the elections in 2013," he said.

Pou Sovachana, a senior researcher at the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace, agreed that the delay does not spoil the relations and cooperation between the two countries.

"It will not affect the government-to-government relations because this is a private investment," he said.

"However, it will have some impact on the confidence of investors."

"I think that Prime Minister Hun Sen's decision this time is a political solution more than economic solution," he said.

"His decision is to appease strong criticism from the opposition party and environmental groups." Endi