As Gov’t Hunts for Oil, Students Want Answers

Khmer Times/Chea Takihiro

Sunday, 06 September 2015

PHNOM PENH (Khmer Times) – Youths raised concerns about the potential environmental impact of petroleum discovery and use at a roundtable discuss on Saturday during which they debated with officials eager to continue searching and tapping into new energy resources.

Officials from the Ministry of Mines and Energy sought to quell concerns about potential environmental damage of drilling at the discussion  organized by the Youth Resource Development Program Organization

Chea Socheat, deputy director general at the ministry, said the industry here was still in the “study and exploration” phase. “It is impossible for someone to pump petroleum or exploit it right now,” he said.

When asked about the potentially damaging effects the use of petroleum may have on the environment, Mr. Socheat said petroleum was widely used everywhere. He also said companies in the industry must be cautious to protect their reputations.

“The petroleum companies are big, standard companies. They wouldn’t destroy their brand image by doing something harmful,” he said.

Participants also asked about transparency during exploration and future revenue management.  

When questioned about the transparency of the government’s efforts and the budget for research and exploration, Mr. Socheat only said, “You should not be concerned about it because Cambodia has not produced petroleum yet.”