Risks, Rewards as Economic Corridor Develops

Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer
Wednesday, 30 March 2011 

A system of strip dams cuts into grasslands next to paddy fields in Kampong Thom province.

Cambodia is building up its rural infrastructure in an effort to link itself to its neighbors, under an “economic corridor” project aided by the Asian Development Bank. Proponents of the southern economic corridor, part of the Greater Mekong Subregion project, say it will bring benefits to villagers like those in Kampong Thom district’s Sambo Prey Kuk temple, in Prasat Sambo district.

Economic Corridor Spells Benefits, and Pitfalls

Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer
Saturday, 19 March 2011

Cambodia has joined with regional governments to develop an "economic corridor" that the Asian Development Banks says will hasten economic growth. In Kampong Thom province, better roads and infrastructure could mean more tourists to little known temples and other sites. But it can also mean a hastening of land strife, as the government grants an increasing number of land concessions to outside companies. VOA Khmer's Pich Samnang reports from Kompong Thom province.

To Have and To Hold

Pich Samnang and Brian Calvert, VOA Khmer
Friday, 10 September 2010

Cambodians have a long, trusted relationship with gold. Through shifting regimes, instability and war, many watched as their currency lost value, either replaced by subsequent governments, or—in the case of the Khmer Rouge—abolished completely. But that relationship is changing, as Pich Samnang reports from Phnom Penh.

High Gold Price Shakes Up an Old Stand-By

Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer
Friday, 20 August 2010

Cambodians have long had a habit of buying and stocking gold, especially as jewelry, but that habit may be changing, thanks to gold’s continual rise in value.

“No one wants to buy gold now,” said Chea Ly, a Phnom Penh resident living near Deum Kor market who has stopped stocking jewelry herself. “We would rather sell it instead, or keep the money to buy something else.”

That’s because the common trading price of gold has climbed from around $700 an ounce in 2007 to more than $1,200 an ounce this week. Investors have been flocking to gold in recent years as a hedge against uncertainty in money and other markets.