Report shows lack of information on Chinese-Funded Railway

With locals demanding dialogue with the Chinese firms behind a proposed multibillion dollar rail line to Preah Vihear province, an NGO report released yesterday highlights the dearth of information that has been made available on the project. Chinese company Cambodia Iron Steel Mining Industry Group (CISMIG) has said it will build a 404 km railway connecting a new steel mill in Preah Vihear province and a new port in Koh Kong province, in a project estimated to be worth a total of $11.2 billion that is supposed to get underway in July. CISMIG holds a licence to explore for, though not extract, iron ore on a massive 130,000 hectares of land in Preah Vihear’s Rovieng district. … Kheang Sochea, a Rovieng local and Kuy ethnic minority representative, said the community held a meeting with local NGO Development and Partnership in Action last month to raise their concerns about the project impacts and likely impact on their lives. … “What the community wants is a discussion with the company, so we can try to avoid the negative effects mining has had in other counties,” he said. … “In a 2009 Chinese language article, CISNIG’s chairman stated that during exploration for iron ore, extensive coal deposits were discovered, which would be used to fuel an onsite power plant, and to use in the steel plants furnaces,” the report states … “Although this is the biggest infrastructure project in Cambodia’s history, only a limited amount of information is currently publically available,” [the report] adds. …

http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/report-shows-lack-of-information-on-chinese-funded-railway-12723/