ថ្ងៃសុក្រ ១រោច ខែមាឃ ឆ្នាំជូត ទោស័ក ព.ស.២៥៦៤ ត្រូវនឹងថ្ងៃទី២៩ ខែមករា គ.ស.២០២១
Friday the 1st Waning Moon of Māgha B.E.2564 equivalent to January 29, A.D.2020 Year of the Rat
In a Facebook post, Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen described the country’s first few drops of oil as “a blessing for Cambodia” and “an important first step”.

The project, which started pumping oil at the end of December, had been 15 years in the making and had suffered several false starts.

Hun Sen said oil production would be a boon for Cambodia’s economy from 2021 onwards and that revenues from the sector would be used to improve education and health.

Cambodia might well look with envy at some of its neighbours, with substantial oil industries that make a key contribution to government revenues.

But will its nascent oil sector be able to make a real difference to Cambodia’s economic future?

Hard times
The country could use a boost. It suffered a sharp economic downturn due to the Covid-19 pandemic, after two decades of strong growth.

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