PHNOM PENH: The President of the Japanese Association in Cambodia, Takahashi Fumaiki, requested the permission of the Prime Minister to bring Japanese investors to visit Cambodia in April 2022, who will also examine the possibility of helping to solve the flooding of Prek Tnaot river.

During the meeting with Prime Minister Hun Sen at the Office of the Council of Ministers on Tuesday morning, Mr. Takahashi requested the Prime Minister’s permission to allow his association to help solve the issue of the recent flooding of Prek Tnaot river during the rainy season, which has affected many local families.

The request was welcomed by Prime Minister Hun Sen, who ordered the Secretary-General of the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC), Sok Chenda Sophea, along with the Minister of Water Resources and other relevant units to review this project.

Prime Minister Hun Sen's personal assistant, Eang Sophalleth, told reporters after the meeting between the Premier and Mr. Takahashi, "Regarding the flood protection of Prek Tnaot river, the Prime Minister advised HE Sok Chenda Sophea to coordinate with HE Minister Lim Kean Hor, Minister of Water Resources and other relevant institutions to allow HE Takahashi's delegation make a presentation on this case."

During the meeting, the Japanese Association also officially handed over a plot of land to the Prime Minister to build a Cambodia-Japan Memorial Park named PKO Park. Prime Minister Hun Sen accepted the land and assigned the CDC to work with the Phnom Penh Capital Administration on the construction.

Prek Tnaot river originates from the Aoral Mountain in Kampong Speu province, flowing through to the border of Kandal province and Phnom Penh before reaching the Bassac River. Every rainy season, the flooding of Prek Tnaot disrupts the lives of those living along the river, especially those in Khan Dangkor and Khan Kambol, Phnom Penh.

In 2021, the flood of Prek Tnaot river affected more than 3,000 families and 11,000 people.