Amid the economic fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic, Preah Sihanouk provincial deputy governor Long Dimanche revealed that the province has identified hundreds of unfinished or abandoned construction projects. Each case will undergo evaluation in order to receive government support as part of ongoing measures.

A dedicated working group, led by the Ministry of Economy and Finance, has as of October 23 identified nearly 400 such projects during the first phase of addressing the issue.

These sites are categorised as incomplete buildings and must be rectified to access the government’s support package.

“We are actively addressing this issue, but we cannot yet provide a definite number of buildings to be sorted out,” he said.

“In our efforts, the working group has already pinpointed the locations of unfinished buildings. We will present these sites to potential investors or developers for them to assess suitable business opportunities for these areas,” he added.

He said the working group deliberated on establishing a clear mechanism to settle each case, aligning with the government’s principles regarding the implementation of support package measures.

“Therefore, the establishment of these mechanisms will facilitate the acceptance of requests from building owners and landowners, enabling the gradual resolution of unfinished building issues in the province, one case at a time,” he said.

The provincial authorities recently held a meeting with inter-ministerial representatives to promote and encourage the implementation of a “measure package” aimed at dealing with stalled investment projects in the province. This initiative is designed to be ready for receiving requests from project owners or developers, with the goal of achieving out-of-court resolutions in line with the government’s “win-win spirit”.