RATANAKIRI: Ratanakiri Governor Nhem Sam Oeun plans to unveil plans for a new airport with an area of about 1,400 hectares in the Lumphat district, while the old airport will be turned into a large park in the center of Banlung, the capital of the Ratanakiri province.

Speaking at a press conference to discuss his administrations’s accomplishments over the last five years on the morning of 4 April 2023, the governor said that the new airport is in its planning stages and is open to investors. Located in the Lumphat district on an area of more than 1,400 hectares, the new airport will be centrally located at the convergence of Ratanakiri, Mondulkiri, Stung Treng and Kratie provinces.

"We have allocated 1,400-hectares for the airport, which is very large. We invite investors to come and see,” he said.

The provincial governor added that the old airport cannot be renovated into a modern facility and will thus be converted into a large park in the center of the city where the Independence Monument is being built.

Governor Nhem Sam Oeun emphasized that Ratanakiri province is Cambodia’s fifth largest economic hub and has potential in three areas: tourism, agro-industry and mineral resources. The administration’s current focus is on tourism potential.