Funan-Techo: the canal Phnom Penh wants to ‘circumvent’ Vietnamese ports
Strongly supported by Hun Sen and backed by Beijing, it would stretch 180 kilometres from the Mekong to the port of Kep. Work could start as early as the end of the year, but Hanoi is concerned about the repercussions on water management. And calls for a supranational body to evaluate the project.
Phnom Penh (AsiaNews/Agencies) - In Cambodia, the government of Hun Manet is speeding up the Funan Techo canal project, a major infrastructure project supported by Beijing but viewed with suspicion by Vietnam.
Over the past few days, the authorities in Phnom Penh have held a series of diplomatic meetings to reassure the chancelleries about the criticism voiced by Hanoi over the possible environmental repercussions in such a sensitive area as the Mekong River Delta basin.
The Funan Techo canal would run for 180 kilometres connecting the Cambodian coastal province of Kep, on the Gulf of Thailand, with the inland provinces of Kandal and Takeo and the capital Phnom Penh via the Bassac River, which the Vietnamese call Hậu and is one of the major tributaries of the Mekong River.
The Cambodian government's intention is to reduce the cost of transporting goods and dependence on Vietnamese ports. Work - which has an estimated cost of USD 1.7 billion - is scheduled to begin by the end of the year and is expected to be completed by 2028. It would be built by Chinese companies, but Phnom Penh promises that it will create 10,000 new jobs for Cambodians.
The canal is designed to allow ships with a total load of up to 1,000 tonnes to pass through. In addition to three locks, it will include 11 bridges, each measuring 161 metres long and 12 metres wide. When fully operational, it is expected that 7 million tonnes of goods will move through the new waterway each year.
Several Vietnamese experts have expressed deep concern about the project because of what its impact on the Mekong Delta's water resources might be, especially in the context of the drought and saltwater intrusion from the sea that is plaguing the region with increasing frequency and severity.
The Funan Techo canal will transfer water from the Bassac River to the port of Kep, which is located outside the basin. This, they claim, will significantly reduce water resources in the Mekong Delta. Moreover - despite official assurances that it will only be used as a transport route - in the local media several Cambodian leaders have also spoken about the benefits of the infrastructure for agricultural irrigation, arousing even more suspicion in Hanoi.
For this reason, senior Vietnamese officials have demanded that they be given access to the detailed plans and that the Mekong River Commission, the consortium that brings together Cambodia, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam to manage the shared water resources and the sustainable development of the Mekong River, evaluate the project.
Besides the environmental issue, there are also, of course, the geopolitical implications of this infrastructure that would further strengthen the Chinese presence in Cambodia.
The Funan Techo canal is a project strongly desired by Hun Sen, the former Khmer Rouge leader and father of the current premier Hun Manet, who for decades was at the helm of the country and even now - from his new position as president of the Senate - continues to make his voice heard in Cambodian politics.
In recent days he has openly spoken out against Vietnamese objections: ‘Hun Sen has never made a wrong decision in the past 47 years,’ he said referring to himself and stating that his country ‘is not inferior to Vietnam’. ‘Cambodia knows how to protect its interests, Vietnam need not worry,’ he added further.
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09/01/2018 15:23
