BANGKOK (AFP)--Cambodia's political elite has captured the country's oil and mineral wealth, putting its economic future at risk while international donors turn a blind eye, an environmental watchdog said Thursday.
London-based Global Witness said impoverished Cambodia has enough natural wealth to wean itself off foreign aid but international donors must do more to ensure the assets are properly managed.
In its new report entitled: "Country for Sale," the group said earnings from oil, gas and minerals were being "jeopardized by high-level corruption, nepotism and patronage" in allocating and managing the assets.
"The same political elite that pillaged the country's timber resources has now gained control of its mineral and petroleum wealth," said Global Witness Campaigns Director, Gavin Hayman.
"Unless this is changed, there is a real risk that the opportunity to lift a whole generation out of poverty will be squandered," he added.
The Cambodian government banned a previous damning report published by Global Witness on Cambodia's forests in June 2007, which claimed the same elites were illegally logging the nation's forests.
In its new report the group said oil, gas and mineral assets had been parceled out by a small number of powerbrokers surrounding Prime Minister Hun Sen and other senior officials.
It also suggested that millions of dollars paid by oil and mining companies to secure access to the resources might be missing from national accounts.
"Companies need to come clean on what they have paid to the government to secure access to these natural resources, or risk becoming complicit in a corrupt system," Hayman said.
So far more than 75 companies are working in Cambodia's extractive sectors, the report said, including some internationally known operators such as Chevron Corp. (CVX) and BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP).
Last month international donors pledged nearly $1 billion in development aid to Cambodia, their most generous aid package ever to the impoverished Southeast Asian nation.
But Global Witness said the agreements didn't go far enough in securing new governance measures for natural resources.
Cambodia expects to begin oil production of its offshore fields in 2011, following the discovery of oil in 2005 by Chevron.
The kingdom is sitting on an estimated hundreds of millions of barrels of crude - and three times as much natural gas - but it remains unclear how much of the black gold can actually be recovered.
London-based Global Witness said impoverished Cambodia has enough natural wealth to wean itself off foreign aid but international donors must do more to ensure the assets are properly managed.
In its new report entitled: "Country for Sale," the group said earnings from oil, gas and minerals were being "jeopardized by high-level corruption, nepotism and patronage" in allocating and managing the assets.
"The same political elite that pillaged the country's timber resources has now gained control of its mineral and petroleum wealth," said Global Witness Campaigns Director, Gavin Hayman.
"Unless this is changed, there is a real risk that the opportunity to lift a whole generation out of poverty will be squandered," he added.
The Cambodian government banned a previous damning report published by Global Witness on Cambodia's forests in June 2007, which claimed the same elites were illegally logging the nation's forests.
In its new report the group said oil, gas and mineral assets had been parceled out by a small number of powerbrokers surrounding Prime Minister Hun Sen and other senior officials.
It also suggested that millions of dollars paid by oil and mining companies to secure access to the resources might be missing from national accounts.
"Companies need to come clean on what they have paid to the government to secure access to these natural resources, or risk becoming complicit in a corrupt system," Hayman said.
So far more than 75 companies are working in Cambodia's extractive sectors, the report said, including some internationally known operators such as Chevron Corp. (CVX) and BHP Billiton Ltd. (BHP).
Last month international donors pledged nearly $1 billion in development aid to Cambodia, their most generous aid package ever to the impoverished Southeast Asian nation.
But Global Witness said the agreements didn't go far enough in securing new governance measures for natural resources.
Cambodia expects to begin oil production of its offshore fields in 2011, following the discovery of oil in 2005 by Chevron.
The kingdom is sitting on an estimated hundreds of millions of barrels of crude - and three times as much natural gas - but it remains unclear how much of the black gold can actually be recovered.
10 comments:
While Camnbodia is for sale, oppositions are not too sure what they are doing.
Kuoy Pichet
The intellectuals and the middle class are too happy with the crumbs to care about the sale.
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This global witness failed to comment that back in the 90's, everyone was doing illegal timber business, you dumb pricks. Not just the elites as these self-righteous foreigners like to believe. Back in the 90's, everyone was doing it, poor, middle-class, etc...
Also, this global witness is a bit of a fail in journalism too. Their report was what is happening at the moment. No, sir but what happened in the 90's. Why the fuck didn't they come out with the report back then when people actually were doing it? Why? Because they were part of the fucking group that benefit from that. Do your research people. This global witness was living on the payroll from the Cambodian government. Then, miraculously, when they were fired from their position, they happen to come up with some reports on illegal doing.
Doesn't that sound like something? Yes, it does. A dog doesn't his bone anymore and decides to attack his owner.
Just know one thing about all these self-enlightened foreign assholes, my Khmer people. It is their job to over-exploit a situation. They get paid if they have shit to report on Cambodia. If they have nothing to report, they would be taken off their position and there goes their paycheck. You get the idea behind this? It's like how it is here in the US, the cops get bonus if they give out certain amount of traffic tickets in the month. You want the bonus? Give out more traffic tickets to meet your quota.
And that's what they do it for. Not because they want to enforce the law so much or want to see a greater Cambodia in case of this global report people. No ladies and gentlemen. These assholes do it because that's how they get paid.
I repeat, they do it because it's how they get their fat paycheck, sir. Don't forget that. These foreigners don't give a shit about Cambodia. If they do, we would see more of them building schools and infrastructure in our country not just writing articles about this and that. They write because they get paid that way. Get it?
It's time to kick the human rights out of Cambodia.
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Hahaha, LOL, hahaha, Ah Global witness can't get over from being canned by Cambodia, hahaha, LOL, hahaha.
you talk about US and compared global witness like a dog without bone and decide to attack its owner. what a joke buddy! and you mention how police in us get their fat check as long as they issued fine ticket sufficient to meet qouta..you damn know alot!
however, you forget to compare that us stay on top as superpower country compared to cambodia as a beggar country under the current leadership. why don't you spend sometime figure out and do research about what mechanism or under what mentality or attitude of the US leadership that they succeed in arriving at their present status as mighty country?
go figure out and don't just bark this bark that like nothing wrong ever happen!you got that?
I knew who is 1;28pm.It sound like Kheiv exactly.He is so mad like crazy dog.He know that US police force make a commission to issue a tickets.He blame GW to do the report because of money.Of course because how they make a living.Kheiv try to do the same by hiring one guy who is good in English to seat in front of internet to back up his govt or to confused KI readers.This guy called a quick response.But the point is who is logical and could be trust,Hun Sen govt or GW?
I am mentally ashamed of our beloved highest educated Khmers who unconscientiously don't see the increasingly bleeding problems of CPP's Mighty accomplishments gradually destroying Srok Khmer. Until she is finally becoming Champa II and Khmer Krom or once again from Battambang to the East is belonged to Youn and from Battamband to the West is belonged to Siam, then they are too late to realize that Youn and Siam are not our beloved traditional brotherhoods.
Alas! Wait a second, my beloved brothers in here are not Khmer, they are Youn and Hellbelly-Boy.
Hey, if we abused slaves from Africa, and colonized other poor nations like the US did. I don't see any reason why we can't be as rich as the US is today.
Don't listen to Ah Dumb Potato Digger (7:03).
1:28 you fucking head is not how global witness doing it!
Is the cutting trees was true? Do ah hun Xen Family and mother fucker top CPP involved with it?
Do ah Hun Xen, now, secretly give all contract to only the one he like it without public oction?
Do you mother fucker destroy the ciountry, steal it, corrupted. And give eachothe a midle finger for job well done/
Mother fucker Okha Moha sit kING KONG DEGREE!!!!!!!
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