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| A woman affected by a land concession granted to CPP senator Ly Yong Phat cries during a protest in Kampong Speu last March. (Photo by: Will Baxter) |
Friday, 15 July 2011
David Boyle
The Phnom Penh Post
A RACE to buy up land concessions, in which one investor emphasised the need to “act now” before available land became unavailabe, encouraged companies to side-step the Kingdom’s land law with the acquiescence of the government, a United States embassy cable asserts.
Companies openly discussed a loophole to avoid the 10,000-hectare limit placed on economic land concessions, US Chargé d’Affaires Theodore Allegra said in a May 2009 cable made public by WikiLeaks on Tuesday.
“Saroeun Soush was very eager to push ELCs, saying repeatedly that investors had to ‘act now’ before available land disappeared, and he even tried to offer [an embassy officer] a ‘finder’s fee’ for bringing in U.S. investors,” Allegra wrote, referring to the managing director of Asia Real Property.
Saroeun Soush, who was charged with forgery in December 2010 after an article by The Post revealed his company was fraudulent, advertised “everything from 11,000 hectare concessions in Mondulkiri Province to 46,000 hectare concessions in Kampot”, Allegra wrote.
By creating multiple subsidiaries that lease adjacent plots of land, companies were amassing conglomerated concessions far beyond the 10,000 hectare limit, the cable said.
Citing Yous Pheary, head of the Cambodian NGO Community Economic Development in Kratie, the cable said that a Chinese agricultural company had secured 50,000 hectares in Kratie’s Sambor district using this strategy.
But yesterday Puth Sorithy said he had never spoken to Allegra, nor said anything about a 50,000 hectare concession to US embassy officials.
A development drive had pushed the Cambodian government to pursue a “short sighted policy of bending rules and skipping processes” in order to provide quick access to land, Allegra wrote.
Concerns over the size of land concessions and related disputes were also voiced in earlier embassy cables.
In a February 2006 cable, an embassy official expressed concern that concessions above the 10,000-hectare limit were frequently being acquired by “well-connected business people making flimsy promises to develop the land”.
“Lands under economic land concessions are typically logged and the lumber sold, but rarely is further action taken to develop the land,” the cable stated.
A March 2008 cable, which highlighted US citizens embroiled in land disputes, stated that “land disputes have the potential to be destabilising, and could have a chilling effect on investment”.
Officials at the Ministry of Land Management could not be reached for comment by The Post yesterday.
12 comments:
Cambodian people allow that to happen
Only Cambodians wifes demonstrate and crying, where are the Cambodians men, have they got eggs...or they
take all time for Vietnamese whore like Sihanok...?
They keep voting for ccp.Wake up!!!
I see,
thanks, for this information...
Koh Tral Island must not be forgotten
By Ms. Rattana Keo
Why do Koh Tral Island, known in Vietnam as Phu Quoc, a sea and land area covering proximately over 30,000 km2 [Note: the actual land size of Koh Tral itself is 574 square kilometres (222 sq miles)] have been lost to Vietnam by whose treaty? Why don’t Cambodia government be transparent and explain to Cambodia army at front line and the whole nation about this? Why don't they include this into education system? Why?
Cambodian armies are fighting at front line for 4.6 km2 on the Thai border and what's about over 30,000km2 of Cambodia to Vietnam. Nobody dare to talk about it! Why? Cambodian armies you are decide the fate of your nation, Cambodian army as well as Cambodian people must rethink about this again and again. Is it fair?
Koh Tral Island, the sea and land area of over 30,000 square kilometres have been lost to Vietnam by the 1979 to 1985 treaties. The Cambodian army at front line as well as all Cambodian people must rethink again about these issues. Are Cambodian army fighting to protect the Cambodia Nation or protecting a very small group that own big lands, big properties or only protecting a small group but disguising as protecting the Khmer nation?
The Cambodian army at front lines suffer under rain, wind, bullets, bombs, lack of foods, lack of nutrition and their families have no health care assistance, no securities after they died but a very small group eat well, sleep well, sleep in first class hotel with air conditioning system with message from young girls, have first class medical care from oversea medical treatments, they are billionaires, millionaires who sell out the country to be rich and make the Cambodian people suffer everyday.
Who signed the treaty 1979-1985 that resulted in the loss over 30,000 km2 of Cambodia??? Why they are not being transparent and brave enough to inform all Cambodians and Cambodian army at front line about these issues? Why don't they include Koh Tral (Koh Tral size is bigger than the whole Phom Phen and bigger than Singapore [Note: Singapore's present land size is 704 km2 (271.8 sq mi)]) with heap of great natural resources, in the Cambodian education system?
Look at Hun Sen's families, relatives and friends- they are billionaires, millionaires. Where did they get the money from when we all just got out of war with empty hands [in 1979]? Hun Sen always say in his speeches that Cambodia had just risen up from the ashes of war, just got up from Year Zero with empty hands and how come they are billionaires, millionaires but 90% of innocent Cambodian people are so poor and struggling with their livelihood every day?
Smart Khmer girl, President Ms. Rattana Keo,
អាស្វាគឹម ហុង! ខ្មែរគ្រប់គ្នាស្គាល់ថាអាស្វាឯងជា
ចារកិច្ចយួនហាណូយច្បាស់ណាស់ ដូច្នេះអាស្វាឯង
មិនចាំបាច់និយាយដោះស្រាយអីទេ សូម្បីតែស្វាគ្នាអាយួនឯងក៏បានដឹងដែរ។ គ្រាន់តែ
មើលមុខអាស្វាឯងទៅក៏ខ្មែរអាចស្គាល់ថាមុខយួនដែរ
អាស្វាចង្រៃ។
កូនខ្មែរត្រូវតែនាំគ្នាងើបឡើងប្រឆាំងជាមួយពួកអាកញ្ជៈយួនជាដាច់ខាត! យួនឈ្លានពានប្រទេសយើងទាំងស្រុងហើយ! បើ
យើងជាខ្មែរមិនហ៊ាននាំគ្នាងើបប្រឆាំងជាមួយពួកវាទេ
នោះពួកវានឹងសម្លាប់ឈាមខ្មែរសុទ្ធចោលទាំងអស់
សូម្បីតែម្នាក់ក៏ពួកវាមិនទុកឱយរស់ដែរ។ នាំគ្នាងើប
ក្រែងយើងនៅរស់តែបើយើងនៅសង្ងំស្ងៀមនោះយើង
ពិតជាស្លាប់ផុតពូជ។
អាកញ្ជៈយួន ហ៊ុន សែនវាប្រហែលជាមិនង៉ាបនឹង
គ្រាប់កាំភ្លើងទេ វាត្រូវង៉ាប់នឹងអាយួនដែលជាចៅហ្វាយរបស់ ចាក់ថ្នាំសម្លាប់ចោលបំបាត់ភស្តុតាង អាកញ្ជៈយួនរូប
នេះគឺដាច់ខាតត្រូវតែង៉ាប់។ ពួកកុម្មុយនីស្តអ្នកដឹង
រឿងច្រើនត្រូវតែសម្លាប់ចោល ទុកនាំបែកការ។ ខ្មែរ
ទាំងអស់ដែលកំពុងបំរើអា ហ៊ុន សែនសព្វថ្ងៃ យួន
ត្រូវរកលេះយកទៅសម្លាប់ចោលម្តងមួយៗទាល់តែអស់គឺឥតរួចខ្លួនឡើយ យួនគ្រាន់តែខ្ចីស្លឹកឈូកខ្មែរខ្ចប់ម្ហូបអាហារវាតែប៉ុណ្ណោះ ណៅពេលណាពួកវាស៊ីម្ហូបអស់ពួកវានឹងបោះស្លឹកឈូកខ្មែរចោលហើយ។ សូមស្លឺកឈូកខ្មែរចងចាំសម្តីរបស់ខ្ញុំ!!!!!
(ខ្មែរឈាមសុទ្ធ)
ឈាមខ្មែរមិនសម្លាប់ឈាមខ្មែរដូចគ្នាទេ! តែនេះវាជាឈាមយួនហាណូយ! ដូច្នេះពួកវាមិន
ញញើតដៃនឹងសម្លាប់ឈាមខ្មែរនោះទេ។
THESE LANDS GRAB /LANDS CONCESSION ARE GENOCIDE OF THE CAMBODIAN PEOPLE IN DISGUISE, THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY MUST STOP THIS ILLIGAL ACT IMMEDIATELY.
THE UNITED NATIOINS MUST INTERVENE NOW BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE.
WORLD ENVIRONMENTAL ACTIVISTS, PLEASE JOIN HANDS TO STOP THE DEFORESTATION OF CAMBODIA UNDER THE DISGUISE OF INVESTMENTS / RUBBER PLANTATIONS ETC...
THANK YOU ALL IN ADVANCE.
it's not fair they make people suffer like this!
ពួកឃាតករទាំងអស់ត្រូវតែប្រឈោមមុខជាមួយពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរ
និងច្បាប់តុលាការអន្តរជាតិ គឺមានអាស្តេចplay boy សី ហនុ, អាហ៊ុន សែន, អាជា ស៊ីមនិងអា
ហេង សំរិនជាដើម។
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