Statement: Suspend development projects destroying the Tompoun/Cheung Ek wetlands
On 27 July 2020, the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO), Cambodian Youth Network (CYN), Equitable Cambodia (EC) and Sahmakum Teang Tnaut (STT) jointly issued a report revealing human rights abuses and environmental devastation as private developments threaten to flood Phnom Penh. The research report entitled “Smoke on the Water: A human rights and social impact assessment of the destruction of the Tompoun/Cheung Ek wetlands” has found that millions of Cambodians will likely be affected by the destruction of the Tompoun/Cheung Ek wetlands by ING Holdings and other private corporations including Chip Mong, AEON Mall, Orkide Villa, and Borey Peng Huoth. Human rights and environmental groups surveyed 469 families living in or using the wetlands area and its rivers. The resulting report sheds light on the potentially devastating impacts of destroying 1,500 hectares of wetlands that sustain local communities and play a vital role in Phnom Penh’s waste management and flood prevention.
Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO)
