The Cambodian Government has awarded French oil giant Total the rights to exploit oil in Block III offshore the Gulf of Thailand after a successful review of bidding documents, the French news agency AFP reported.
AFP quoted Prak Sokhon, Secretary of State for the Cambodian Council of Ministers, as saying that the country hopes its oil production activities will kick off in 2011.

US giant Chevron, which conducted surveys in six blocks off the coast of Cambodia, discovered oil in this area in 2005.

However, Prime Minister Hun Sen said that it is too early to calculate exactly how much oil there is, AFP said./.