Villagers in Land Dispute Ask Hu Jintao’s Help
In an effort to stop their homes from being swallowed up by a Chinese mega-tourism project, Koh Kong villagers said they will submit a petition to the Chinese Embassy today, calling for intervention from visiting Chinese President Hu Jintao. Villager representative Tith Ten, 54, from Kiri Sakor district’s Prek Khsach commune, said that a group of 20 villagers plan to bring a petition thumbprinted by 349 people to the Chinese Embassy in Phnom Penh as Mr. Hu arrives for his visit, which also coincides with next week’s Asean Summit. Since 2008, the Chinese company Union Development Group (UDG) has begun clearing—with permission from the government—36,000 hectares of forest on the Koh Kong province coastline to build a $3.8 billion tourism zone with hotels, golf courses and an airport. …
