World Bank To Review Environmental Complaints Against Company
The World Bank says it will investigate reports from indigenous groups in Cambodia that a company funded by the bank’s International Finance Corporation is involved in deforestation and land grabs. The bank’s Office of the Compliance Adviser Ombudsman, or CAO, will first examine the credibility of the allegations by the groups against the company, Hoang Anh Gia Lai, Emily Horgan, a spokeswoman for the office, told VOA Khmer. … Supporters of the 17 hill tribe groups from northeastern Cambodia say they believe the complaint will meet World Bank standards for review. The tribes jointly filed a complaint over the company to the World Bank last week. … The tribes say some 2,000 families could be affected by a concession granted to the company, which has begun clearing some 47,000 hectares of land in the province. Megan MacInnes, a campaigner for the environmental watchdog Global Witness, said she expects the CAO to address the issues in the complaint. “What we hope is that the CAO will undertake an assessment of the situation and then lead the mediation process between the communities affected in Ratanakiri and Hoang Anh Gia Lai and also with the Cambodian government,” she said. …
Sok Khemara
http://www.voacambodia.com/content/world-bank-to-review-environmental-complaints-against-company/1853122.html
