Situation of Human Rights Violation by​ the Economic Concession Chinese Company in Kirisakor, Koh Kong province

Source: ADHOC Land Program

Situation of Human Rights Violation by​ the Economic Concession Chinese Company in Kirisakor, Koh Kong province

After Government granting Economic Land Concession over 36000 ha to Union Development Group Co., Ltd for development of Tourist Resort, China Town since 2008; 1143 families affected significantly and until now living condition of people is stepping down to zero, they lived in fear, vulnerable,in bad situation, unpleasant rights and freedom; especially they were marginalized with no support from Government or Donors at all.

Rights to speak up, to assembly, to protest legitimately of villagers were entirely infringed,it seems that they lived in side territorial secession area take place with terrible. Both economic and social sections are under protectorate by authoritarian group stay behind the Chinese company. Meanwhile, local authorities: village,commune, district and provincial level also incapable to protect villagers. The travel to inside and outside the compound was prevented or checked up thoroughly; cultivate products, crops and yields of fishing were not allowed people to collect, gather; prevented by armed forces. The barricades were setup prohibited human rights NGO, journalist, tourism, and travelers from passing to inside of old villages, the real situation of old village was hidden where remaining people are still living there.

Recently,although Chinese company try to construct and pave road, to construct working sites but it is for sake of company it was not done for people; the such development make livelihood and living condition of farmer and fishing people get devastated and ruined down because of the Economic Land Concession granted to Chinese company. The hard and long time manufacture humanly of pagoda, school, market and town by community forces was destroyed completely.

Background of Impact resolution:

The policy of impact resolution set up by government was ambiguous, imprecise and unreliable, in specific there was no responsible authority was come out when government delegated full power to inter-ministries working group but practically resolution committee was delegated continuously from one to one, from national level to provincial level and from provincial level to district level. For the district authority who are responsible for resolution are unable to make decision for resolution, decision was sent back to national level that make people unbelievable. Beside of sending troupe of armed forces displayed around villagers in order to chase and remove people, the government was not responsible for anything for suitable compensation. Concerning to impact resolution process, villagers always did not satisfy and accused authority for use fictitious promise and to lure people in return to removal to new relocation site. Government agent always said publicly that people will be improved with luxurious life, cheap water and electronic system​ if this area becoming ASEAN tourism resort. Government strongly promised to not take people’s land and house yet.

At first Government promised strongly that houses, plantations occupied by people will be cut off from economic land concession and also buy from people with market value for affected land if inevitable. But the promise never come true, it was just a scheme of authority to lure people for participation in development policy process. In dissimilarity after that we also found that exploitation and pressure were used by competent officials at all level.

The key promises by Government recorded by people as following:

On 27 November 2008H.E Mok Mareth, Minister of Environment, president of inter ministry commission and H.E Kun Kim, deputy of inter ministry commission hold a consultation meeting with people and collected thump print from people for supporting development project with promise to cut off people’s land or to buy with market value over affected land. After that there was new policy of resolution issued by government to remove people from old land to new area with the compensations of per family received 4mx6m of one wooden house, 40mx50m of housing land and 2 ha for farming land. For the plantations and farming land located in old area was paid300$ per hectare without objection. New school, pagoda, market hospital will be constructed in new relocation site.

Houses and lands in new area situated in jungle 20km far away from old area (sea area) where did not organized anything in advance. Villagers did not have any occupation for living rather than illegal job such as illegal logging, illegal poaching, illegal coal production etc.​ Recently villagers cannot struggle to live in new relocation site anymore; therefore they decided going back old area for earning even faced to armed forces.​For people who did not yet accept resolution policy they were also removed without any compensation.

At new area, people must to clear land by themselves for only housing land but for 2 hectares of farming land was not provided, this promise was abused by authority under the pretext of awaiting policy from government, authority said. Those are poisonous trick used by authority in order to evict people successfully following plan from national level.

Worse trouble in new relocation site

Approximately 5% of villagers struggled to live in new area, the other were coming back to old area while they faced a lot of difficulty that cannot resolve such as:

• Living naturally in jungle with wild animal
• No water resource
• No occupation
• Malaria area with no medicine and health service for treatment
• Hazardous area, the land is still under natural protection area people would be removed again.
• This area is under prohibition of clearing forest for land and not for hunting

The Concern of losing Koh Sdach area

Koh Sdach (Monarch Island) is a tourism resort, a town of economic, social resources for fishing community and administration people was already informed to remove by Chinese company but after the protest by people he residents were shut up by armed forces for not inform forced eviction to public media.

Phnom Penh on 5 December 2011

ADHOC Land Program