Breaking news: Machines have arrived and digging has already started after soil excavation for a future airport was authorized by Mondulkiri provincial authorities on community village land occupied by Bunong indigenous people, including a sacred indigenous burial ground, without any consultation with the villagers or the village and commune chiefs.
People say that the works started without any prior notification, and the villagers are particularly upset about the disturbance to their community burial land.

Mondulkiri families concerned for land as airport work begins
Long Kimmarita | Publication date 04 June 2019

Several families in O’Raing district’s Sen Monorom commune in Mondulkiri province express concern that they will lose their plantation and community burial land after seeing machinery arrive to excavate soil for the construction of an airport.

They say the excavation is taking place in a different location than that designated by the authorities and it had encroached on their land.

Saroeun Borath, 32, told The Post on Monday that on Sunday afternoon, a digger had begun excavating soil to a depth of approximately 1m.

He said the excavation went beyond the site demarcated by posts for the airport’s construction and encroached more than 1km onto their land.

Borath said the authorities did not discuss the matter with the villagers prior to beginning the work.

After the villagers came in large numbers to ask a digger operator to see documentation and enquire who had ordered the work to be carried out, he said, the operator moved to the correct location within the area marked by the boundary posts.

“I asked the village and commune chiefs about the excavation, and they said they were unaware of it. Then I asked the district governor and he said the location was intended to be used as a runway,” Borath said.

Borath said the land belongs to the community and one part is used for burials of the Bunong indigenous people and for herding cattle, while the rest is used as cashew nut and pepper plantations.

He said the soil excavation works affected some 40 residents’ land spanning approximately 100ha, and that on Monday, the residents held a gathering and agreed on two points.

Firstly, they requested the authorities to explain why soil had been excavated outside the proposed airport’s boundary posts and what they planned to do next. And, before any construction takes place, the residents unanimously agreed that discussions should be held with them first.
Secondly, they said, the community burial land be protected and no development of any kind is allowed there.

O’Raing district governor Siek Mony told The Post that the work was being carried out where airport infrastructure was slated to be built and it was not in the wrong location as the residents had claimed.
However, he said following the protest, the authorities had ordered a temporary halt to the excavation, pending a solution being found.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ ... 7vmcdzrfNM

Lima site 1
This development tells you all you need to know regarding the intentions of the new colonial owners

It is awful to see this airship being built. And I am not so sceptical as previous posts about the economics of an air service to Mondulkiri.

It think what FLBent is alluding to above- there is about to be an big escalation of Chinese driven exploitation of this natural resource rich region.
They will fill the planes with chinese "gold" diggers of all descriptions, for sure, when it all becomes open slather.

Maybe, only maybe, ecotourism development can at least provide a counter-voice.
(And yes, eco-tourists do catch aeroplanes.)

Land earmarked for Mondulkiri new airport
04 Jul 2019
Mondulkiri authorities have selected an area for the development of the province’s new airport, an official of the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation said.

A plot of land consisting of 300 hectares and located in O’Raing district has been chosen by local authorities for the development of a domestic airport, said Sin Chanserey Vutha, spokesman for SSCA. This plot will now be submitted to the government for approval. If given a green light, a feasibility study will follow.

“Mondulkiri authorities have submitted the parcel they have chosen for the project but construction has not begun,” Mr Vutha said.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50620571/l ... w-airport/

This is Cambodia: while some say that the construction of the future airport has not begun, others say differently:
posting.php?mode=reply&f=9&t=28422#pr340611

April 18, 2020
Initial Master Plan Study for Mondulkiri’s Airport Completed

Cambodia’s State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA) has completed the study of an initial master plan to develop a domestic airport in Mondulkiri province.

The news was shared by the SSCA’s Technical Deputy Director General and Spokesperson H.E. Sin Chansereyvutha during a press conference on SSCA’s recent progress review and planning yesterday at the Council of Ministers in Phnom Penh.

The study was carried out following the northeastern province being given priority as a potential tourist destination.

According to H.E. Sin Chansereyvutha, the next step will be a detailed social and environmental impact study leading to the construction of the airport on a site of about 300 hectares.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50714556/i ... completed/

» Wed Jun 05, 2019 4:32 am

Breaking news: Machines have arrived and digging has already started after soil excavation for a future airport was authorized by Mondulkiri provincial authorities

Sat Apr 18, 2020 9:30 pm

April 18, 2020
Initial Master Plan Study for Mondulkiri’s Airport Completed

Cambodia’s State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA) has completed the study of an initial master plan to develop a domestic airport in Mondulkiri province.



Always a good idea to start the ground work first before you do a study and master plan of the development .

So, now you want to kick them for being ahead of the curve, Dunc?
some people are never satisfied

The old photos of the provincial airports look like NZ airports in the sixties. Lots of Fokker Friendships.

Looks like the future airport is not quite ready for takeoff...

Land for Domestic Airport in Mondulkiri Province Selected
AKP Phnom Penh, July 16, 2020 --

The construction of a domestic airport in Mondulkiri province is soon to begin as land for the airfield has been selected, said provincial official.

The new airport is scheduled to be built outside the province’s Sen Monorom city, while the old airport has been renovated and developed into a public park.

Mondulkiri Provincial Governor H.E. Svay Sam Eang said that the authorities had chosen a land of 600 hectares located some 22 kilometres from the Sen Monorom city for the new airport construction.

“Provincial authorities have marked the boundary and gave compensation to affected people in the area and now we are waiting only for construction once the State Secretariat of Civil Aviation has budget or find any investment partners to build it,” H.E. Svay Sam Eang said at a press conference held here at the Office of Council of the Ministers on July 16.
AKP

Mondulkiri Airport Approved in Principle
06/01/2021
The Cambodian government has approved in principle the development of a new Mondulkiri Airport in the Kingdom’s northeast with a Chinese company, Powerchina International Group, selected as its partner on the project.

Photo Credit: Construction.property.com

On the final day of 2020, the partnership in the form of a public-private partnership (PPP) is reported to have been approved and signed by the Council of Ministers’ Permanent Secretary of State Hing Thoraxy.

Powerchina will start with studying and development of the proposal for the construction of the airport reported local media. The State Secretariat of Civil Aviation (SSCA) will carry out the feasibility study but Powerchina will cover the costs.

At this stage, the SCCA could not give more details on the airport plans or the total costs of the project.

In mid-2020, Mondulkiri provincial authorities had announced they were marking the boundaries of a 600ha portion of land, situated 22km from Sen Monorom town in O’Raing district’s, to build a new Monulkiri airport.

At the time, the Secretariat Of Civil Aviation (SCCA) estimated a new airport would be built on an area of ​​300 hectares and is estimated to cost more than USD $60 million. At the time, it was believed the new airport would have an 1800-metre runway.
https://www.b2b-cambodia.com/news/mondu ... principle/