Australian Gov’t Ordered Railway Investigation

The Australian government yesterday said it has been aware of poor working conditions and inappropriate surveying methods used on Cambodia’s railway rehabilitation project since February and had ordered that the project’s partners investigate the matters. “The Australian Government was alerted to possible concerns about workplace health and safety in February,” an Australian Embassy spokesperson said in an email. “As soon as we became aware, we raised our concerns and requested our project partners to investigate issues fully.” According to a draft memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Cambodian government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) dated May 9, further resettlements may take place along the final 6 km of the northern line in Poipet City due to inadequate surveying. …