Koh Kong king bowed out of ‘blood sugar’ firm
A sugar company originally part-owned by ruling party Senator Ly Yong Phat that has long fought villagers over a land dispute in Koh Kong province is now under the complete control of two foreign-owned companies, statements released by the firms last week reveal. The Mitr Pohl Group, from Thailand, has acknowledged its 70 per cent ownership in the Koh Kong Plantation Co Ltd of which the final 30 per cent is owned by Taiwanese firm Ve Wong Corp. … A statement from Ve Wong Corp, released to the London-based Business & Human Rights Centre on July 24, said Ly Yong Phat sold his shares in Koh Kong Plantation Co Ltd in 2010, though no mention was made about ownership of the 9,700 hectare ELC. … Koh Kong Plantation Co Ltd has been targeted by the Boycott Blood Sugar campaign, led by a coalition of rights groups, which has called on the European Union to stop giving Cambodian sugar producers preferential trade benefits under the Everything But Arms Agreement. …
