The Australian mining company Southern Gold has resumed exploration activity in its Cambodian properties after suspending operations for the rainy season, said a company statement. "The objective of Southern Gold's first [Cambodian] drilling program is to confirm the scale and grade of gold and base metal mineralisation," said the statement. The company is partnered with the Japanese government-backed JOGMEC under an agreement that would see JOGMEC spend US$1 million over three years out of the total $4.5 million investment. In return, JOGMEC receives a 51 percent stake in three of the company's seven temements.