Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister: Funan Techo Canal prevents floods from flowing into Vietnam

Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol shared more information about the Funan Techo Canal when meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai on the sidelines of the Future of Asia Conference in Japan.

Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai met with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol on May 23 on the sidelines of the Future of Asia Conference in Japan - Photo: PHNOM PENH POST

According to the Government's electronic newspaper on May 24, within the framework of his working trip to attend the 29th Future of Asia Conference in Japan, Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai had a bilateral meeting with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol on May 23.

Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Shares More Information About Funan Techo Canal

During the meeting, the two Deputy Prime Ministers affirmed that they always attach importance to and give high priority to the good neighborly relations, traditional friendship, comprehensive cooperation, and long-term sustainability between Vietnam and Cambodia. Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai affirmed that Vietnam respects Cambodia's legitimate interests in national construction and development, including the Funan Techo Canal project, in accordance with the friendly relations and relevant regulations of the Mekong River Commission (MRC). In that spirit, the Deputy Prime Minister hopes that Cambodia will continue to closely coordinate with Vietnam and the MRC in sharing information about the project and assessing the impact of this project on water resources and the ecological environment of the Mekong River basin, ensuring the harmony of interests of riparian countries, for the sustainable development of the basin and for the benefit of the people. The Phnom Penh Post newspaper on May 24 quoted a press release from the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) as saying that during the meeting, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol shared more information with Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai about the Funan Techo Canal project. According to the release, Deputy Prime Minister and First Vice President of CDC Sun Chanthol said the Funan Techo Canal project will help reduce flooding in five Cambodian provinces and prevent floodwaters from overflowing into Vietnam. The canal will have three sluice gates in Kandal, Takeo and Kep provinces to ensure that saltwater cannot enter the freshwater network. The way the canal is built will make it easier to determine the total volume and flow of freshwater flowing into the sea, thus avoiding any negative impacts on the environment in both Cambodia and neighboring countries, Mr. Chanthol added.

3D perspective of the Phu Nam Techo canal project released by the Cambodian Ministry of Public Works and Transport - Photo: Cambodian Government

"This project will help maintain the sustainability of the environment, ecosystem and create diverse habitats, which are useful for the survival of many aquatic animals, plants and fish. The project will also reduce flooding in five provinces of Cambodia and prevent floodwaters from flowing from Cambodia to Vietnam," the Cambodian deputy prime minister explained. Mr. Chanthol cited a detailed study showing that the current water flow from the Mekong River to the sea is about 8,000 cubic meters per second, the Bassac River is 1,400 cubic meters per second, while the Funan Techo Canal project is only 5 cubic meters per second, equivalent to about 0.053%. The Cambodian deputy prime minister shared that the Funan Techo Canal will be dug along natural and ancient waterways that have been used since the ancient Funan Kingdom. Mr. Chanthol also said that Cambodia has studied the project in detail for more than two years, with the participation of 48 senior technical experts. Among them are 11 science professors and 37 world-leading engineers with many years of experience in related fields such as hydrological analysis, canal pumping and rehabilitation, waterway construction design and environmental impact mitigation. The Funan Techo Canal is expected to be 180km long, connecting the river port of Phnom Penh with the Gulf of Thailand in southwestern Cambodia. The project passes through the provinces of Kandal, Takeo, Kampot and Kep. Cambodia said the project aims to serve inland waterway transport and waterway connectivity. The project will start later this year with an estimated cost of about 1.7 billion USD. The construction period is about 4 years and will be operational from 2028. In March, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet affirmed that the Funan Techo Canal will benefit about 1.6 million people living along the canal and create many other benefits for national development. In a special message on May 16, Senate President Hun Sen, who was also Cambodia's prime minister, affirmed that the Funan Techo Canal "cannot accommodate ships" such as Chinese warships, dismissing doubts surrounding the issue. He also called for urgent construction of the Funan Techo Canal for the sake of the national economy and to end public opinion related to the canal.

Further strengthening Vietnam - Cambodia cooperation

At the meeting with Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol, Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai congratulated Cambodia on its many important achievements in socio-economic development under the reign of King Norodom Sihamoni, the leadership of the Cambodian People's Party (CPP) led by Senate President Samdech Techo Hun Sen and the administration of the Government of Prime Minister Hun Manet. Mr. Le Minh Khai expressed his pleasure to see that the cooperation between the two countries has maintained a stable development momentum in recent times, with economic cooperation being a bright spot and trade turnover growing remarkably in the first quarter of 2024. He emphasized that the spirit of solidarity, attachment and mutual sacrifice is always a priceless asset between the two peoples. Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sun Chanthol respectfully conveyed his warm congratulations to President To Lam and National Assembly Chairman Tran Thanh Man, who have just been elected to new positions by the Vietnamese National Assembly. Mr. Chanthol said that to achieve the goal of increasing trade turnover to 20 billion USD, the two countries need to further strengthen economic-trade-investment relations and the Cambodian Government should encourage Vietnamese enterprises to invest more in Cambodia. The two Deputy Prime Ministers agreed to promote visits and contacts between high-ranking leaders of the two countries, including high-level meetings between the two Parties, and continue to effectively implement bilateral cooperation agreements and mechanisms.

Thanh Hien - Tuoitre.vn

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/pho-thu-tuong-campuchia-kenh-dao-phu-nam-techo-ngan-lu-tran-sang-viet-nam-2024052512025451.htm