Vietnam backs Cambodia’s Mekong canal plan, urges cooperation on possible effects
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Heavy construction equipment lines the edge of the canal after a groundbreaking ceremony for the Funan Techo Canal on Aug 5.
PHOTO: AFP
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HANOI - Vietnam supports Cambodia’s plan to build a canal from the Mekong River basin to the Cambodian coast and would like to be involved in finding solutions for the canal’s possible negative effects, its foreign ministry said on Aug 8.
The Cambodian authorities broke ground
“We support the project and respect the decision to build the canal,” ministry spokesperson Doan Khac Viet told a regular media briefing.
“We would like to collaborate with Cambodia in terms of research and impact assessment so that we can have proper solutions to reduce the impact,” he added.
Cambodia has repeatedly downplayed environmental concerns about the new canal, which conservationists and Vietnamese authorities have said could further damage the fragile Mekong Delta, a large rice-producing region. REUTERS
