Sunday, November 21, 2010

Economic Land Concession Negatively Impacts on Local Livelihood

The Coalition of Civil Society Organizations, including the Cambodian Human Rights Actions Committees (CHRAC), the NGO Forum and the Housing Rights Task Force (HRTF) issued a joint statement on Wednesday, May 12, 2010 regarding illegal economic land concessions which were granted by the government to various companies, which belonged to a person, an action which is inconsistent with the 2001 Land Law and Sub-degree on Economic Land Concession No. 146.

According to research undertaken by the above organizations, the government provided the same company owner (the same natural person) with numerous economic land concessions, infringing the above laws and affecting local villagers’ standard of living. The companies involved are Koh Kong Sugar Industry Company, which received 9,700 hectares in Sre Ambil district, Koh Kong province and affected 400 families; a group of three companies, Angkor Sugar Investment Company which received 9,863 hectares, Cane and Sugar Velly Company which received 10,925 hectares and Tonle Sugar Cane Company which received 12, 167 hectares; and Phnom Penh Penh Sugar Company which received 8,343 hectares in Amlaing commune, Thporng district, Kampong Speu province, affecting 11 villages.

Prior to this, in March 2010, ethnic minority groups from 15 provinces in Cambodia who were the victims of such concessions had requested the government suspend the companies in question. However, to date, the villagers’ concerns have been ignored by the authorities.

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