Mystery Surrounds Ratanakkiri’s First Special Economic Zone
Construction of a special economic zone (SEZ) near the Vietnamese border in Ratanakkiri province’s eastern O’Yadaw district is on track, but who exactly will avail of the facility and its services remains a mystery—even for senior provincial officials. The latest announced venture of agro-industry land concession giant Try Pheap Import Export, the SEZ in Paknhai commune is situated nearby businessman Try Pheap’s new border-hugging casino and will be a sizable 136 hectares when completed, according to government documents. Despite the key location and uniqueness of the SEZ, Ratanakkiri governor Pao Ham Phan said Tuesday he knows almost nothing about the project, which came to light in a sub-decree, signed on May 7 by Prime Minister Hun Sen. “Now it is under construction,” Mr. Ham Phan said. “Maybe it will be a dry port,” he said, referring to zones where goods are stored before trans-shipment. Similar head-scratching about the SEZ was evident among residents of Paknhai commune during a visit to the area on Friday, while local government officials said they were completely in the dark. … The sub-decree establishing the SEZ in law also provides few details, but instructs all relevant ministries and provincial governors to facilitate its construction. According to the Council for the Development of Cambodia, a SEZ can include a general industrial zone, an export-processing zone and a production area, which can also have a free trade area, service area, residential area and tourist area. In February, the Ministry of Agriculture signed a deal with Mr. Pheap to permit his firm to purchase all trees felled inside economic land concessions in the entire province of Ratanakkiri. Explaining the decision, provincial governor Mr. Ham Phan said in May that the monopoly would help regulate the market for legal timber in the province. Local rights group Adhoc said the deal could spur illegal logging and accelerate deforestation in the province as it would offer a means for the unscrupulous to illegally fell trees and process them legally. In February 2011, Mr. Pheap was granted two 70-year leases covering 18,855 hectares of land to operate land concessions within the Virachey National Park. The government has granted land concessions in Ratanakkiri to 27 companies covering a total of 222,933 hectares land, according to figures compiled by local human rights group Adhoc. …
