Since 2008, the government of Cambodia has granted mining concessional licenses to approximately 128 local and foreign entities.
Those firms have been licensed for mineral exploration, dredging and quarrying throughout Cambodia, said the report entitled “Current Trends for Mining-Related Social and Environmental Impact in Cambodia”. The report was compiled by the Extractive Industry Social and Environment Impact (EISEI) Network, which consists of a number of non-governmental organizations.
128 concessions om 18 provinces.
The 128 concessions are located in 18 provinces out of the country’s 24 cities and provinces, covering more than 24,000 square kilometers, or approximately 13 percent of Cambodia’s total land area of 181,035 square kilometers.
International investors.
The investors in those projects come from Australia, the United States, South Korea, Vietnam, China, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, France besides Cambodia. The increasing demand of mineral resources from China, Australia, South Korea, Vietnam and Thailand have been driving up mining exploration in this impoverished Southeast Asian nation.
Cambodia is believed to be rich in metallic mineral, gold ore, bauxites, titanium, copper, and offshore oil and gas.