News

Sesan II reservoir a laundry for illegal timber

Filthy trucks loaded with luxury timber rule the red-earth roads in this heavily deforested district. Each day, dozens of 10-wheelers bounce along the pot-holed roads, carting logs of the much-sought Thnong timber. And while some of the cargo is legal, much of it is not. ...

 Matt Blomberg and Phann Ana
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/sesan-ii-reservoir-a-laundry-for-illegal-timber-60575/

Activists to be questioned in meddling suit

15 January 2014
The Phnom Penh Post
Community forest / Crime and law enforcement / Forests and forestry / Judiciary and courts / Land / Land policy and administration / Law and judiciary / Protected forest
Boeng Per Wildlife Sanctuary / E Sarou / Koung Sambat / Preah Vihear Provincial Court / Try Pheap / Try Pheap Import Export

Ten land activists are set to be questioned today by Preah Vihear provincial court over their involvement in halting the drilling of a well in a community forest in November last year, rights monitors said yesterday. Lor Chhan, provincial coordinator for rights group Adhoc, told the Post the ...

 Phak Seangly
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/activists-be-questioned-meddling-suit

Try Pheap Firm in Talks to Replicate Timber Deal

Well-known timber magnate Try Pheap is preparing to expand cross-country with a scheme that already gives him exclusive rights to buy all the wood felled on economic land concessions (ELCs) in Ratanakkiri province, a spokesman for the businessman said. The Agriculture Ministry’s Forestry Administration in February ...

 Zsombor Peter and Aun Pheap
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/try-pheap-firm-in-talks-to-replicate-timber-deal-48511/

ELC in Nature Preserve Is Illegal, Government Spokesman Says

An “unofficial” land concession granted earlier this year to an agro-industry firm that has logged luxury hardwood in Ratanakkiri province’s Lumphat Wildlife Sanctuary is in violation of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s 2012 moratorium on new economic land concessions (ELCs), a government spokesman said Tuesday. Phay Siphan, ...

 Aun Pheap and Ben Woods
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/elc-in-nature-preserve-is-illegal-government-spokesman-says-47379/

Villagers claim CPP arm-twisting

19 July 2013
The Phnom Penh Post
Land / Land tenure and land titling
Adhoc / Cambodia National Rescue Party / CNRP / CPP / Disputed Land / Farmland / Hang Puthea / illegal land deals / land conflicts / Land dispute / National Election Commission / NEC / Neutral & Impartial Committee for Free & Fair Elections in Cambodia / Neutral and Impartial Committee for Free and Fair Election in Cambodia (NICFEC) / Prom Norn / Pursat / Pursat Province / Tep Nytha / Thma Da Commune / Thma Da Commune Chief / Try Pheap Import Export / Tycoon Try Pheap / Veal Veng district

About 40 families of ex-Khmer Rouge and government soldiers in Pursat province’s Veal Veng district complained to rights group Adhoc yesterday, accusing officials of forcing them to thumbprint a contract saying they would vote CPP so the party could resolve an ongoing land dispute, an ...

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/villagers-claim-cpp-arm-twisting

Mystery Surrounds Ratanakkiri’s First Special Economic Zone

17 July 2013
The Cambodia Daily
Agricultural production / Agriculture and fishing / Crop products and commodities / Economic land concessions and plantations / Economy and commerce / Environment and natural resources / Forest products / Forests and forestry / Human rights / Investment / Land / Logging and timber / Public land lease / Social development / Special economic zones / Trade
Adhoc / Andong Meas district / Asean Heritage Parks / casinos / Cassava / conservation areas / construction / Council for the Development of Cambodia / deforestation / ELCs / Environment and natural resources policy and administration / Environmental & Natural Resources / Environmental Protection / export processing zones / free trade areas / Hun Sen / illegal logging / industrial zones / Investment / Land concessions / logging / mining / Ministry of Agriculture / O’Yadaw district / O’Yadaw district governor Dak Sar / Paknhai commune / Pao Ham / Port / Prime Minister Hun Sen / Protected areas / protected forests / Ratanakkiri / Ratanakkiri governor Pao Ham / Ratanakkiri Province / residential areas / roads / Rocham Hlech / rubber / service areas / Sesan river / SEZ / Special Economic Zone / timber / timber trade / tourist areas / Try Pheap company / Try Pheap Import Export / Virachey National Park

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 ...

http://www.cambodiadaily.com/business/mystery-surrounds-ratanakkiris-first-special-economic-zone-35235/

Despite Land Loss, Minorities Back Status Quo

15 July 2013
The Cambodia Daily
Agricultural production / Agriculture and fishing / Crop products and commodities / Economic land concessions and plantations / Economy and commerce / Elections / Environment and natural resources / Ethnic minorities and indigenous people / Government / Human rights / Land / Land tenure and land titling / Pepper / Public land lease / Rubber / Social development
Adhoc / agro-industry / An Mady Group / ancestral land / Andong Meas district / Andong Meas district governor Nong Darith / Banlung / Bunlung Town / Cambodian Red Cross / Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle / cashew plantations / Cassava / cassava plantations / concessions / construction / CPP / CRC / Development Triangle agreement / Displacement / Economic Development / economic land concession / ELCs / ethnic minorities / Finance Minister Keat Chhon / Hoang Anh Gia Lai / Hun Sen / indigenous peoples land / indigenous peoples rights / Inh village / Institute of Developing Economies-Japanese External Trade Organization / Investment / Jarai / Jarai ethnic minority / Kachak ethnic minority / Keat Chhon / Keat Kolney / Kompong Cham / Kompong Cham Province / Kong Yu / Kong Yu village / land / Land policy and administration / land prices / Land rights / Land tenure and titling / Land-grabbing / latex / malaria / O’Yadaw district / pepper plantations / Plantations / Prime Minister Hun Sen / Ratanakkiri / Ratanakkiri Province / Road construction / roads / rubber / rubber plantations / schools / secondary forests / Talav commune / Trade / Try Pheap Import Export / UN / United Nations / Virachey National Park

Romam Gvin could be described as a counterintuitive voter. Intuition might lead you to believe that Mr. Gvin blames the government for the loss of his land to the Vietnamese rubber company that now owns everything for as far as the eye can see here in ...

http://www.cambodiadaily.com/elections/despite-land-loss-minorities-back-status-quo-34786/

Firm Given Rights to All ELC Timber in Ratanakkiri

The Ministry of Agriculture has signed a deal with Try Pheap Import Export to give the firm the right to purchase all timber felled in economic land concessions (ELCs) in Ratanakkiri province, according to a letter sent from the Agriculture Ministry to the Forestry Administration ...

http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/firm-given-rights-to-all-elc-timber-in-ratanakkiri-22788/