On the morning of January 18, 2026, a groundbreaking ceremony was held in Doung commune, Bati district, Takeo, for a concrete road 605 metres long and five metres wide linking Ta Non and Svay Khom villages. Funded by the China Foundation for Peace and Development (CFPD) through the Civil Society Alliance Forum, the ceremony was chaired by forum board chairman Kem Rath Viseth. About 100 people attended, including the Bati governor, Doung commune chief and council, chiefs of all eight villages, the government working group supporting the commune and residents.
Speaking for Doung residents, commune chief Nop Touch expressed great joy and deep thanks to Kem Rath Viseth for close cooperation with CFPD in selecting Doung for poverty-reduction projects and consistently supporting the administration in improving livelihoods. He said the commune was fortunate and Ta Non particularly so, having been named a Cambodia–China Friendship Model Village. Its progress offered development opportunities to other villages. The concrete road would connect Ta Non’s economic lifeline with Svay Khom, facilitating access and improving general commune infrastructure.
Bati Governor Phuon Chhim said, on behalf of all district residents, that Bati was developing continuously through the government’s local working group led by Kem Rath Viseth. He praised CFPD and the forum’s close cooperation in addressing residents’ real needs and urged everyone to maintain the road for long-term use, as it would ease transport of farm produce and access to schools, hospitals and markets while reducing rainy-season difficulties.
Representing the donor, Kem Rath Viseth said the road supported the Cambodian government, led by Prime Minister Hun Manet, in rural recovery and development. It was another meaningful achievement demonstrating strong cooperation between CFPD and the forum in rural infrastructure and livelihoods. He stressed that it was not merely a transport route but a development road connecting local communities economically, socially and culturally.
Ta Non’s network of concrete roads, solar-powered electricity, clean-water station, multipurpose building, wells, greenery and other development resulted from cooperation between the forum and CFPD. The 605-metre road begun that morning was expected to finish soon and would add important infrastructure for local economic development, access to social services and stronger, sustainable economic links throughout Doung commune.
Source: Club of Cambodian Journalists
Edited by: Chinda Titi
