Siem Reap Province: The ground-breaking ceremony for two bypass roads in Siem Reap-Angkor region was celebrated on October 28, 2008 in Pradak pagoda, Pradak commune, Bantheaysrey district, under the presidency of H.E. Sou Phirin, Siem Reap governor and representative of deputy prime minister Sok An, Minister in charge of the Office of the Council of Ministers and as the president of APSARA Authority. The ceremony was also attended by H.E. Shin Hyun-suk, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea, Mr. Kim Byung-gwan, Representative of KOICA to the Kingdom of Cambodia as well as APSARA Authority officers, provincial deputy governor, district governor, director of department, unit around Siem Reap province, national and international guests, and around 2,000 meebers of the public

According to the report of Mr. Bun Narith, Director General of APSARA Authority,  the two roads will be paved to a width of 7 meters each with one measuring a total of 4,870 meters and the other 10.260 in length. The construction of these two roads will take 6 months and will cost more than 4 million US dollars.

The two bypass roads have been necessitated by the rapidly increasing population and numbers of tourists who visit the Siem Reap area year-on-year causing traffic congestion. The Royal government of Cambodia has built infrastructure in the provincial towns as well as in the Angkor site. Meanwhile, since Cambodia is short of funds, it has appealed for development partners from other countries to assist. The Republic of Korea has solved this matter by assisting with the construction of the two roads which will divert traffic away the road penetrating the historic site of Angkor-Wat.

H.E. Ambassador of the Republic of Korea has expressed his pride and stafisfaction to note that since the re-establishment of diplomatic ties between the Republic of Korea and the Kingdom of Cambodia in 1996, the two countries have continued to develop an ever-increasing cooperative relationship. Korea has played a leading role in various fields such as tourism, investment, cultural exchange, construction, IT, vocational training and banking and air traffic control in Cambodia. Furthermore, the Korean Government, as one of Cambodia¡¯s most important partners, has made every effort to help Cambodia¡¯s development through ODA with grant aid and soft loans. In particular, the current grant aid from Korea to Cambodia focuses on poverty reduction and the improvement of economic and soical infrastructure, based on Korea¡¯s experience of overcoming poverty and economic development. Korea decided to support the project for the paving of Siem Reap Bypass Road in response to the Cambodian government¡¯s request. He also noted that Korean tourists were ranked the largest group of foreigners visiting Cambodia in recent years.  As Siem Reap province has the historic Angkor-Wat to attract tourists from all over the world, he believed that this project is very meaningful to the tourism industry in Siem Reap.

Mr. Sou Phirin welcomed and thanked the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Cambodia, Mr. Kim Byung-gwan, Representative of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) and national and international guests for participating in the ceremony. Mr. Phirin also confirmed that in the 4th Mandate of Assembly, Royal Government of Cambodia which has Samdech Akka Moha Sena Padei Techo HUN SEN as the prime minister, the government is making every effort to develop the national economy as a  priority for poverty reduction. Infrastructure rehabilitation is a priority of the royal government of Cambodia because the transportation system links to Cambodia to the region and in the world and is central to economic integration

Mr. Sou Phirin informed that Angkor is part of the national heritage of Cambodia and is recognized as a world heritage site which the royal government of Cambodia has prepared to become a cultural tourist site by encouraging visits from tourists who come to Cambodia.