Current news briefings:
Land and Natural Resources Rights of Cambodia
October 1st –October 18th, 2013
“Complaint lodged against Commune Chief”
Villagers receive death threat by the CPP commune chief in Bakeo district Ratanakkiri province
Category: Land Right
Date: October 1st, 2013
Source: The Cambodia Daily (2013):
<http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/complaint-lodged-against-commune-chief-44004/>
“Controversial Dam Approved on Cambodia Laos Border”
Local Cambodians near the border of Laos are deeply concerned of the damages which Laos Don Sahong Dam construction may bring into their livelihood and the ecosystem.
Category: Natural Resources Rights
Date: October 4th, 2013
Source: The Cambodia Daily (2013):
< http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/controversial-dam-approved-on-cambodia-laos-border-44401/>
“Activists seek UN monitors”
UN intervention was called by the anti-logging activist requesting of thorough monitoring of the Kampong Speu province’s Phnom Oral Wildlife Sanctuary of illegal deforestation.
Category: illegal deforestation, Anti-logging, Natural Resources
Date: October 9th, 2013
Source: The Phnom Penh Post (2013):
<http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/activists-seek-un-monitors>
“Villagers in Land Row Complain of Death Threat”
Four villagers filed complaint to the Kampong Chhnang Provincial Court regarding the ongoing land dispute with KDC company and the death threats which they have received.
Category: Land Right
Date: October 9th, 2013
Source: The Cambodia Daily (2013):
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/villagers-in-land-row-complain-of-death-threat-44714/
“Scuffles at land rights protest”
Peaceful demonstration started in Wat Phnom on the World Habitat Day turns into violent clash with police force. A tense standoff unfolded when the authorities – dressed in riot gear – refused to allow the protesters to meet with the city governor and hand in the petition to him personally. As a result, the five demonstrators were injured
Category: Land Right
Date: October 11th, 2013
Source: The Phnom Penh Post (2013):
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/scuffles-land-rights-protest
“Injured anti-eviction activists file complaint against local officials”
A complaint was filed with the Phnom Penh Municipal Court by 10 former residents of the BoengKak Lake community against four Daun Penh district officials who they deem to be responsible for the attack that took place 2 weeks ago, on the 22nd of September, during a peaceful protest at Wat Phnom. They accuse them of intentional violence and attempted murder. Some witnesses said that they overheard the accused giving orders to the perpetrators on that night.
Category:Land Rights
Date: October, 12th, 2013
Source: The Cambodia Daily (2013):
“Ethnic villagers point finger at land official”
ADHOC investigated and claimed that the Cadastral officer of Ratanakiri province, Khin Sophal, illegally bought land titles, illegally grabbing land and selling forest land of the Jarai ethnic minority to a businesswoman.
Category:Land Rights, illegal land grabbing
Date: October, 15th, 2013
Source: The Phnom Penh Post (2013):
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ethnic-villagers-point-finger-land-official
“Jarai forest case gets its chance on appeal”
“The Appeal Court has taken up a land grab case of a Jarai ethnic minority community which was originally dropped by the Ranatankkiri Provicial Court”(Titthara,2013). The community complained that “Chea Chanrith Aphivath Co, Ltd illegally bulldoze their homes and they are requesting the company to reforest the trees” (ibid)
Category:Land Rights, illegal land grabbing
Date: October, 15th, 2013
Source: The Phnom Penh Post (2013):
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/jarai-forest-case-gets-its-chance-appeal
“Ex-Finance Minister’s sister buys up more ethnic Jarai Lands”
Following last year’s pressures from the authorities on Jarai people to accept private land titles rather than community land titles, the ex-Finance Minister’s sister, through an intermediary, has bought 150 hectares of ethnic Jarai Lands in Ratanakkiri province from 50 families who were in need of moneyin the last 2 months.The members of the community, which have been involved in a land dispute with her forseveral years, have recently started to complain that the trees are being cut down on those lands which are an essential part of the Jarai culture.
Category:Land Rights
Date: October, 15th, 2013
Source: The Cambodia Daily (2013):
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/ex-finance-ministers-sister-buys-up-more-ethnic-jarai-lands-45093/
“Appeal Court to try stalled case of murdered journalist”
The murder of the journalist Hang Serei Odom, who had been exposing cases of illegal logging by the local military police shortly before his death, is going to be heard by the Appeal Court in Phnom Penh. The 2 suspects, a military police captain and his wife, had been set free in spite of some evidence by the Ratanakkiri Provincial Court which had found that this evidence was not enough and decided to drop the charges in August.
Category: Illegal logging
Date: October, 15th, 2013
Source: The Cambodia Daily (2013):
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/appeal-court-to-try-stalled-case-of-murdered-journalist-45107/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=appeal-court-to-try-stalled-case-of-murdered-journalist
“Authorities deny claims ex-minister’s sister buying Jarai land”
The local authorities said yesterday that the intermediary who had bought the Jarai Land had not done it for the ex-minister’s sister, contrary to what ADHOC workers and the villagers had claimed but for a businessman.
Category:Land Rights
Date: October, 16th, 2013
Source: The Cambodia Daily (2013):
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/authorities-deny-claims-ex-ministers-sister-buying-jarai-land-45224/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=authorities-deny-claims-ex-ministers-sister-buying-jarai-land
“Evictees Block Monivong Boulevard, Demand New Homes”
Community anti-eviction activists and the neighborhood of Borei Keila and Boeng Kak Lake clashed with the police during the protest in front of the City Hall. Each community representative delivered the petitions to the municipal deputy governor demanding better compensations and an adequate housing relocation.
Date: October, 18th, 2013
Source: The Cambodia Daily (2013):
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/evictees-block-monivong-boulevard-demand-new-homes-45429/
“Government suspends logging in Stung Treng Dam Concession”
Following some complaints about the logging activities of M. Kith Meng’s firm that would have taken place outside the boundaries of the company’s concession for the Lower Sesan 2 dam, the government issued an order to cease logging in the area until the boundaries of the proposed dam are demarcated.
Category: Illegal logging
Date: October, 25th, 2013
Source: The Cambodia Daily (2013):
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/government-suspends-logging-in-stung-treng-dam-concession-45878/
“Protesters stop Try Pheap tractor from clearing land in Preah Vihear”
More than 100 people stopped a tractor owned by Try Pheap’s company from clearing a 150 meter strip next to this same company’s concession on which the villagers had settled since 2010 with the approval from commune officials. The authorities claim that the land is being cleared to turn it into a social land concession but some rights groups said they were suspecting that the real purpose could be to extend Mr. Pheap’s plantation.
Category: Land dispute
Date: October, 25th, 2013
Source: The Cambodia Daily (2013):
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/protesters-stop-try-pheap-tractor-from-clearing-land-in-preah-vihear-45891/
“More ‘empty promises’ for Boeung Kak”
Governor Pa Socheatvong failed once again, according to the Boeung Kak Lake residents, to fulfill the promise that he had made on Monday during a meeting with 76 families of the community that land measuring for 32 families land titles would start on Wednesday, 25.City hall officials answered that they were working on it but were busy with the protests.
Category: Land dispute
Date: October, 25th, 2013
Source: The Phnom Penh Post (2013):
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/still-waiting-more-%E2%80%98empty-promises%E2%80%99-boeung-kak
“RCAF evicting for bases: NGO”
An ADHOC report released on October 27 highlights the fact that nearly 1000 families in fourteen provinces have been evicted in the past 5 years, ostensibly to build military basis.
Category: Land dispute
Date: October, 28th, 2013
Source: The Phnom Penh Post (2013):
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/rcaf-evicting-bases-ngo
“Logging Mogul blasted: NGO slams Try Pheap for destroying forests”
Local NGO alleged tycoon Try Pheap company of illegally logging trees in the protected forest areas in Cambodia. The National Resource and Wildlife Preservation Organization (NRWPO) said that “the team spent four months investigating and ..figured out that all the royal-decree-protected areas located throughout the country have been logged and cleared haphazardly without any internvention.” However company representative denied the accusation by saying that everything has been done with the agreement with the government.
Category:Illegal Logging
Date: October, 29th , 2013
Source: The Phnom Penh Post (2013):
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/logging-mogul-blasted
“Prime real estate may be set for development”
The 5000-square-meter plot of land situated near Wat Ounalom and Kandal market previously owned by Sokimex Group has, according to Daun Penh district governor Sok Sambath, been sold to a Korean company which intends to build a hotel and offices on the land previously occupied by several local businesses. The construction has so far been delayed because of the political instability triggered by the elections.
Category: Land investment
Date: October, 30th, 2013
Source: The Cambodia Daily (2013):
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/business/prime-real-estate-may-be-set-for-development-46269/
“Preah Vihear Families ordered to make way for bulldozers”
Following last week’s protests against the clearing of a 150 meters strip of land next to Try Pheap company, Preah Vihear deputy governor Kan Vuthy ordered the villagers to make way for the bulldozers in order to create a SLC. The families concerned by the eviction have been offered replacement land but they refuse it because it is a heavily forested area.
Category: Land dispute
Date: October, 30th, 2013
Source: The Cambodia Daily (2013):
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/preah-vihear-families-ordered-to-make-way-for-bulldozers-46265/
“Critics say Laos dam harm-mitigation plan is untested, unproven”
A recent report resulting from an environmental impact assessment carried out by Laos which offered various solutions to mitigate the negative impact on the fisheries of the Don Sahong Dam has been highly criticized by Ian Baird, a well-known researcher in the field for the lack of certainty concerning the results of the methods advocated.
Category: Ecology
Date: November, 1st, 2013
Source: The Cambodia Daily (2013):
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/critics-say-laos-dam-harm-mitigation-plan-is-untested%E2%80%88unproven-46459/
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Important: The information found below is a general aid in searching for the articles related exclusively to the Land, Natural Resources Rights and Management in Cambodia. This information contains a brief summary of the articles and the linked sources from The Cambodia Daily and The Phnom Penh Post, the two English-language daily newspaper based in Cambodia. The information intends to be updated each week of the month. ADHOC- Cambodia is not responsible for the accuracy of any information written in the articles
