Photos

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CHONG KNEAS, CAMBODIA *****

(Continued from yesterday)

Over the next few months (*), the process of consultation with the floating villagers will intensify to ensure that they are in the driving seat in determining their future living conditions and livelihoods. It will be important that all voices are heard, especially those of the most vulnerable, such as female heads of households and the ethnic minority population of Vietnamese.

Taken together, the anticipated changes at Chong Kneas will draw the human settlement within the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve farther from the lake, eliminate sources of pollution and, above all, provide hope of a brighter future to some of the world’s poorest and most deprived people.

By Ian B. Fox
Principal Project Specialist (Natural Resources)
Asian Development Bank
Viet Nam Resident Mission
Unit 701-706, Sun Red River Building
23 Phan Chu Trinh Street
Hanoi, Viet Nam
Tel: +(844) 933 1374 (/x117)
Fax: +(844) 933 1373





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(*) Note: The article is posted here with Ian’s permission, after consultation with ADB management. For a complete text, please use this link.
Unfortunately, all data is only accurate as of date of first published in 2003.
In his most recent mail dated June 18, 2006, Ian reminded me ”… Please remember that it is now somewhat out of date. The Government of Cambodia decided against building the project we prepared for Chong Kneas for a variety of reasons (cost, difficulty of handling resettlement, etc.)”. In other words, the fragile hope has been submerged as a stone. Local residents still need to survive under the conditions that I reported in the last 22 postings, until a miracle.
* Photo: the only floating church of the world.
* For a Timeline History of the Catholic Church in Cambodia, here is your link.
* For your view of Tonle Sap during two seasons, here is dry season and here is flood season.


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