PHNOM PENH, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Cambodia said on Monday it had pulled out of a World Bank project aimed at settling land disputes, raising further concern about forced evictions in the impoverished Southeast Asian country.
Prime Minister Hun Sen said the World Bank's administrative procedures were too complicated and Cambodia no longer wished to be part of the project.
"We decided to end the partnership with the World Bank," Hun Sen said during a meeting devoted to the annual census report.
"And the remaining money...they can take it back," he said, adding that terms of the arrangement were "very complicated".
Land ownership is a controversial issue in Cambodia, where legal documents were destroyed and state institutions collapsed under the Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970s and the civil war that followed.
A period of unprecedented growth since 2004 has boosted land prices, particularly in the capital Phnom Penh, leading to a spike in the number of evictions and triggering fierce criticism of the government by aid donors.
The World Bank joined other donors in July to ask the government to halt the evictions and the problem was raised again during a visit by its vice-president for East Asia and the Pacific Region, James Adams.
The scheme had provided $24.3 million for land management and administration projects over the last seven years, during which 1.1 million title deeds were issued.
The World Bank and rights groups said the termination of the deal, decided last week but not announced until Monday, would compound the problem of land-grabbing in Cambodia and hobble campaigns to eradicate poverty.
"The government wants to have the right to evict people and sell the land to companies, forcing people to sell for only small compensation," said Ou Vireak of the US-funded Cambodia Centre for Human Rights.
"It is a sad day for Cambodia, for the poor, and for the victims of the land grabbing."
(Reporting by Ek Madra; Editing by Martin Petty and Ron Popeski)
Prime Minister Hun Sen said the World Bank's administrative procedures were too complicated and Cambodia no longer wished to be part of the project.
"We decided to end the partnership with the World Bank," Hun Sen said during a meeting devoted to the annual census report.
"And the remaining money...they can take it back," he said, adding that terms of the arrangement were "very complicated".
Land ownership is a controversial issue in Cambodia, where legal documents were destroyed and state institutions collapsed under the Khmer Rouge regime of the 1970s and the civil war that followed.
A period of unprecedented growth since 2004 has boosted land prices, particularly in the capital Phnom Penh, leading to a spike in the number of evictions and triggering fierce criticism of the government by aid donors.
The World Bank joined other donors in July to ask the government to halt the evictions and the problem was raised again during a visit by its vice-president for East Asia and the Pacific Region, James Adams.
The scheme had provided $24.3 million for land management and administration projects over the last seven years, during which 1.1 million title deeds were issued.
The World Bank and rights groups said the termination of the deal, decided last week but not announced until Monday, would compound the problem of land-grabbing in Cambodia and hobble campaigns to eradicate poverty.
"The government wants to have the right to evict people and sell the land to companies, forcing people to sell for only small compensation," said Ou Vireak of the US-funded Cambodia Centre for Human Rights.
"It is a sad day for Cambodia, for the poor, and for the victims of the land grabbing."
(Reporting by Ek Madra; Editing by Martin Petty and Ron Popeski)
Big dump ah kwack....you don't even know how to do the math....that's y u said it's too complicated...
ReplyDeleteDemocratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime had committed:
ReplyDeleteTortures
Executions
Massacres
Atrocities
Crimes Against Humanity
Starvations
Overwork to Death
Slavery
Rapes
Human Abuses
Assault and Battery
Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime had committed:
Assassinations
Assassinated Journalists
Assassinated Political Opponents
Assassinated Leader of the Free Trade Union
Attempted Assassinations on Chea Vichea and Sam Rainsy
Attempted Murders on Chea Vichea and Sam Rainsy
Executed members of FUNCINPEC Party
Murders members and activists of Sam Rainsy Party
Killings
Extrajudicial Execution
Grenade Attack
Terrorism
Drive by Shooting
Tortures
Intimidations
Death Threats
Threatening
Human Abductions
Human Rights Abuses
Human Trafficking
Drugs Trafficking
Under Age Child Sex
Corruptions
Bribery
Illegal Mass Evictions
Illegal Land Grabbing
Illegal Firearms
Illegal Logging
Illegal Deforestation
Illegally use of remote detonation on Sokha Helicopter, while Hok Lundy and others military official on board.
Illegally Sold State Properties
Illegally Remove Parliamentary Immunity of Parliament Members
Plunder National Resources
Acid Attacks
Turn Cambodia into a Lawless Country
Oppression
Injustice
Steal Votes
Bring Foreigners from Veitnam to vote in Cambodia for Cambodian People's Party.
Abuse the Court as a tools for CPP to send political opponents and journalists to jail.
Abuse of Power
Abuse the Laws
Abuse the National Election Committee
Abuse the National Assembly
Violate the Laws
Violate the Constitution
Violate the Paris Accords
Impunity
Under the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime, no criminals that has been committed crimes against journalists, political opponents, leader of the Free Trade Union, innocent men, women and children have ever been brought to justice.
(Prime Minister Hun Sen said the World Bank's administrative procedures were too complicated and Cambodia no longer wished to be part of the project.
ReplyDelete"We decided to end the partnership with the World Bank," Hun Sen said during a meeting devoted to the annual census report.
"And the remaining money...they can take it back," he said, adding that terms of the arrangement were "very complicated".)
Source: Reuters
I know all along that the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime government is incompetent to run the country.
The Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime government only know how to commit crimes.
Crimes list my 1:00 AM.
I was right and always right.
"I was right and always right" as soon as you blab you mouth with that, you and your list will not be taken seriously anymore. It is so typical when the coconut(head-just in case you don't know)gets too big.
ReplyDeleteTo Khmer Rouge supporters
ReplyDeleteAh PPU
Ah New Phally
Ah Khmer-Australian
Ah Angkorian Krama Man
Ah Thana
Ah Thes Meas
You're support Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime who is killing innocent Khmer peoples.
Please do me a favor don't ever tell anyone that you are Khmer, because you make Khmer peoples look bad.
Yeah, six of them are brainwashed by CPP members.
ReplyDeleteHun Sen can't do what he wants now he doesn't want it . Who is going to get hurt ? I am sure it's not going to be Hun Sen or his millionair friends.
ReplyDeleteI am not surprised it's too complicated for Hun Sen and CPP because they are too dumb to figure it out .
ReplyDeleteI thought New Phally advice PM Hun Sen not to grab more land, I was wrong, he did advice PM Hun Sen to do the other way around.
ReplyDeleteHow can you help Cambodia lok New Phally?
Cambodia Town
ReplyDeleteLong Beach, Ca
Maybe Samdech Deycho Hun Sen will reconsidere his order in hold for rethinking; the reasons were importants to avoid easy reproduction fake title. The second reasons were avoiding confrontation between police and people that can be catastrophic for Cambodia .
New Phally
H S could not agree with WB because he serves different purpose and people fro WB. He serves himself and rich families such yeay Phan, Phou... He is a populist of fake heart. He is a hard buy to educated people,but a good sell to his elite groups and less knowledgeable people.KhOpen,
ReplyDelete2.19PM you are the one that should not tell other people that you are Khmer because you are not an "open minded" person, so stay away from this site. Most Khmer overseas are not bias and we don't take side. We are sending information on how to improve in the development of our country and nation, by providing knowledge and skills as well a window from the outside world for our khmer people to see and learn from like Aust, USA, Singa etc. You are a fool by not trying to learn from past mistakes. You have limited yourself from further improvement. So, stay away from this site and let other khmer new generations learn from these knowledge that we overseas people are providing, So, By By!...
ReplyDelete