‘Disappointed’ donors still await government meeting
Government Palace, the imposing gray headquarters of the Cambodia Development Council next to Wat Phnom, should be buzzing this morning with the country’s top foreign diplomats and government officials discussing aid and reform. Instead, with the government’s decision to indefinitely postpone this year’s Cambodian Development Cooperation Forum, the fenced-off compaound will be as quiet as on most other days. Finance Minister Keat Chhon surprised donors with news of the delay more than three months ago, and those donors say they are still waiting for even a hint of a new date. And though many won’t adjust their aid to the country right away, some are conceding their disappointment with the silence. Held roughly every 18 months, the forum is when Cambodia’s foreign donors pledge their aid for the coming year. In 2010, they collectively promised $1.1 billion, nearly half of what the government planned on spending that year…
