DAP: The breaking news in Cambodia

PHNOM PENH, July 30 (Xinhua) -- Construction sector had attracted a total investment of 868 million U.S. dollars in the first six months of 2012, up 36 percent from 637 million U.S. dollars at the same period last year, a report from the ministry of land management, urban planning and construction showed on Monday.

The report said that during the January-June period this year, the ministry had issued licenses to 849 construction projects, down 21 percent from 1,079 projects at the same period last year.

Lao Tip Seiha, deputy director-general of the ministry's construction general-department, explained that during the first half of this year, there was an increase in investment value, but a decrease in construction projects because projects this year were bigger in size than those of last year.

The projects included residential units, commercial buildings, apartments, hotels, agricultural product processing plants and garment factories.

Besides local ones, foreign investors involved in the projects are mostly from South Korea, China, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Construction sector is one of the four pillars supporting the economy. The sector attracted 2,129 projects with a total investment of 1.7 billion U.S. dollars last year.