B Kak Firm Seeks Bauxite in Mondolkiri
Bauxite reserves in Mondolkiri province abandoned by Australian mining form BHP Billiton in 2009 are now being explored by China’s Mongolia Erdos Hongjun Holding Group, the same firm that is behind the controversial development of Boeng Kak lake in Phnom Penh. Kong Pisith, director of Mondolkiri department of industry, mines and energy, said that Mongolia Erdos Hongjun and its local partner, Cambodia International Investment Development Group, had been granted an exploration license in early 2010 and is currently conducting a feasibility study to mine 36,000 hectares of land in Sen Monorom City and O’Reang district. According to published maps, the area that Mongolia Erdos Hongjun is now exporing straddles land formally occupied by BHP, which was exploring on an area of 96,600 hectares.
