Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Manet on Monday launched a controversial $1.7-billion canal project that aims to provide a new link from the Mekong River to the sea. At a launch event in Prek Takeo, southeast of the capital Phnom Penh, Manet called the 180-kilometer (110-mile) project “historic,” as drums sounded and fireworks shot into the air. The event was attended by thousands wearing t-shirts bearing images of Manet and his father Hun Sun, who ruled the country for nearly four decades.

Cambodia launches mekong river link project. (2024, August 6). Daily Tribune, p. B13.