![]() ![]() The ministry also emphasized its limited role in the oversight of the businesses involved in the sand trade. “The discrepancies in sand export data could be the result of the different reporting regimes of each country.” ![]() “The ministry admits that it still faces some challenges in managing the sand export businesses,” it said in a statement. In its official response, however, the ministry attempted to deflect criticism, blaming the use of different reporting regimes by different countries for the differences. “This matter is being treated very carefully and as a priority because it involves national budget,” he said. Ministry of Mines spokesman Meng Saktheara admitted that corruption could be a factor, saying the sand could have been smuggled out of Cambodia or sand dredgers from other countries could be using Cambodia to camouflage their own activities. “The ministry needs to find out about this.” “We wanted the ministry to be informed of the impact of the sand exports and how it badly impacts the communities,” San Chey told RFA’s Khmer Service. San Chey, executive director of the Affiliated Network of Social Accountability, who signed the letter, said corruption could have been the key factor in the unrecorded sand exports. reports is troubling as sand mining can have severe environmental impact and costs Cambodia’s treasury millions. The vast discrepancy between the official numbers and numbers gleaned from U.N. 31 letter to Minister of Mines and Energy Suy Sem. “We note the decisions of the governments of Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia to ban or restrict sand exports to Singapore due to environmental concerns, and we urge your excellency to consider instituting a similar ban or restriction in Cambodia, in the interests of Cambodia’s long-term sustainable development,” wrote the 47 groups in an Oct. data shows that Cambodia exported $752 million in sand to Singapore over the past eight years, but Phnom Penh only reported that about $5 million worth of sand was exported to the island nation that is the world’s top destination for the material. Nearly 50 civil society organizations called for the Cambodian government to join some other Southeast Asian nations and ban or severely restrict exports of sand to Singapore after it was revealed that nearly $750 million worth of the building material has disappeared from the country. ![]()
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