PHNOM PENH (AFP) — Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen (pictured) has cancelled a controversial titanium mine project in the country's southwest because of environmental concerns, the government said Friday. (Chea Thavarakcheat, the CEO of UKG who is also known as Chea Chet, has said the area contains between US$35 billion to $135 billion worth of titanium).
The premier announced the ban on the much-criticised project during a weekly cabinet meeting, the government said in a statement, despite earlier granting a private company a 20,400-hectare (50,400-acre) concession for surface mining in the densely forested Cardamom Mountains.
"Due to concerns about the impact on the environment and biodiversity as well as the living standards of the people... Hun Sen has banned the exploitation of a titanium mine in Koh Kong province," it said.
Wildlife Alliance, a conservation group that campaigned for months against the proposed mine, said it was "thrilled" with the decision.
"We were under the impression the battle was lost," communications officer John Maloy told AFP.
"We are very pleased that the prime minister has weighed the environmental impact."
He said the mine would have been located "directly in the middle of an elephant corridor" and a nearby eco-tourism village "stood to be ruined by the project".
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Cambodia says no to titanium exploitation for environment
PHNOM PENH, Apr. 8, 2011 (Xinhua News Agency) -- Cambodian Prime Minister on Friday announced not to grant exploitation license to the Khmer United Group to exploit titanium ore in Koh Kong province for fear of environment impacts, according to a press release from the Council of Ministers (CoM)
"With the concern over the impacts on environment and biological diversity as well as people living in the area, the Prime Minister Hun Sen has announced not to allow the exploitation of titanium in Koh Kong province," said the press release after the CoM's weekly meeting.
The announcement was made after the Khmer United Group has applied for exploitation license to exploit titanium ore on 20,400- hectare concession in Koh Kong province earlier this year.
And the Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy, Suy Sem reported in a February 1 letter to Prime Minister Hun Sen that the area has the potential to produce 35 million tons of titanium.
The premier's decision has appeased the concern by environmentalists.
"It's good news as we learned that the area is good for environment and bio-diversity conservation, rather than mineral exploitation," Thy Try, a coordinator for Resource Revenue Transparency (CRRT), a new coalition of civil society organizations, said Friday.
(Source: )
(Source: Quotemedia)
The premier announced the ban on the much-criticised project during a weekly cabinet meeting, the government said in a statement, despite earlier granting a private company a 20,400-hectare (50,400-acre) concession for surface mining in the densely forested Cardamom Mountains.
"Due to concerns about the impact on the environment and biodiversity as well as the living standards of the people... Hun Sen has banned the exploitation of a titanium mine in Koh Kong province," it said.
Wildlife Alliance, a conservation group that campaigned for months against the proposed mine, said it was "thrilled" with the decision.
"We were under the impression the battle was lost," communications officer John Maloy told AFP.
"We are very pleased that the prime minister has weighed the environmental impact."
He said the mine would have been located "directly in the middle of an elephant corridor" and a nearby eco-tourism village "stood to be ruined by the project".
-----------------------------
Cambodia says no to titanium exploitation for environment
PHNOM PENH, Apr. 8, 2011 (Xinhua News Agency) -- Cambodian Prime Minister on Friday announced not to grant exploitation license to the Khmer United Group to exploit titanium ore in Koh Kong province for fear of environment impacts, according to a press release from the Council of Ministers (CoM)
"With the concern over the impacts on environment and biological diversity as well as people living in the area, the Prime Minister Hun Sen has announced not to allow the exploitation of titanium in Koh Kong province," said the press release after the CoM's weekly meeting.
The announcement was made after the Khmer United Group has applied for exploitation license to exploit titanium ore on 20,400- hectare concession in Koh Kong province earlier this year.
And the Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy, Suy Sem reported in a February 1 letter to Prime Minister Hun Sen that the area has the potential to produce 35 million tons of titanium.
The premier's decision has appeased the concern by environmentalists.
"It's good news as we learned that the area is good for environment and bio-diversity conservation, rather than mineral exploitation," Thy Try, a coordinator for Resource Revenue Transparency (CRRT), a new coalition of civil society organizations, said Friday.
(Source: )
(Source: Quotemedia)
2 comments:
Bravo Hun Sen!
I give you good point for a great decision you have made on banning this dangerous and potentially disastrous project.
Well, don't just stop here, keep doing some good work, will you?
Congratulations to you, Mr. PM for the one great decision you have made.
Anet Khmer
Good that Hun sen canceled this license, but I will not celebrate yet because I think it's Hun sen's dirty trick to cancel the license from this company and later on award the contract to his own or his cronies' company because the previous company had just announced it has discovered titanium worth billion of dollars. Just wait and see, I think Hun sen is trying to fool people that he care about the environment, but deep down he canceled this contract so that he can award the contract to his own or his friend's companies because this mine contained billions of dollars worth of titanium.
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