Suy Sem's land-grabbing case - Op-Ed by Anonymous

Small victory for villagers

Villagers embroiled in a land dispute with the KDC company at their homes in Kampong Chhnang province in September last year. (Photo by Drek Stout)

Suy Sem (front row) sitting next to Chea Kheng, his wife

Wednesday, 11 April 2012
Chhay Channyda
The Phnom Penh Post

The Kampong Chhnang provincial court yesterday ordered the KDC company to produce proof of ownership for 105 land titles in the Kampong Tralach district, the subject of a land dispute that dates back to 2007.

Long Lun, attorney for 70-year-old Chat Batt from the Lorpeang village, who claims KDC unlawfully grabbed her land without payment, said yesterday he welcomed the court’s decision, which will force the company to prove their debated ownership of the land.

“The court also requested cadastral officials to file all relevant land measurements,” the attorney said.

In 2007, Lorpeang villagers claim that the KDC company, owned by Chea Kheng, wife of the Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy Suy Sem, took more than 500 hectares of their farmland with no payment or agreement. The company insists the land was purchased properly.

OZ denies allegations of bribery in Cambodia [-It smells like "CORRUPTION" here!]

Suy Sem, the minister of Industry, Mines and Energy and his wife

June 1, 2011
Colin Kruger
Business Day

OZ MINERALS and the Cambodian government have been forced to deny allegations of impropriety over reports that a transaction by OZ Minerals in 2009 led to hundreds of thousands of dollars being paid to the relatives of government officials.

The news comes as the US Securities and Exchange Commission continues its investigations into Cambodian bribery allegations involving BHP Billiton.

BHP has yet to confirm or deny that the investigations relate to a $US1 million ($936,000) payment to the Cambodian government in 2006 to secure bauxite leases.

The Cambodia Daily reported yesterday that OZ Minerals bought out Shin Ha, its partner in a goldmine, in 2009. More than $US1 million of the proceeds went to three women on the partner's board, who were reportedly closely related to officials in government departments, including the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy (MIME).

The newspaper said the trio were appointed in 2006, just before Shin Ha concluded a joint venture agreement with Oxiana, headed by Owen Hegarty. The company was later named OZ Minerals after merging with Zinifex.

Hearing today in activist case [against the KDC company]

Sam Chankea, Adhoc’s provincial coordinator in Kampong Chhnang province (centre), speaks to reporters outside the provincial court earlier this month. (Photo by: Photo Supplied)

Suy Sem (L) and his wife Chea Kheng (R)

Tuesday, 25 January 2011
May Titthara
The Phnom Penh Post

Kampong Chhnang provincial court is set to hand down a verdict today in a case against a local activist that rights groups have branded an attack on freedom of expression.

Sam Chankea, the Kampong Chhnang provincial coordinator for local rights group Adhoc, has been accused of defamation and disinformation by the development firm KDC International. KDC is owned by Chea Kheng, the wife of Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy Suy Sem.

The complaint against Sam Chankea stems from a December 2009 interview with Radio Free Asia in which he suggested that the clearance of disputed land in Kampong Tralach district by KDC may have been illegal.

Sam Chankea said yesterday that he was confident that the court did not have the evidence to convict him.

Hun Sen's regime supports Viet's mineral exploitation and hydroelectric power plants building in Cambodia so that it can buy back electricity from VN?

CPP Suy Sem shaking hand with Nguyen Tan Dung, the CPP's master

Vietnam and Cambodia boost relationship through electricity agreements

May 27, 2009
VNA (Hanoi)

“These electricity agreements have a strategic and long-term significance, indicating a special friendship between our neighbouring countries”, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung told visiting Cambodian Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy Suy Sem.

Speaking at a reception in the capital city of Hanoi on May 26, PM Dung was delighted at the result of the meeting between the Cambodian minister and the Vietnamese Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang.

The Prime Minister said that the two ministries needed to implement and expand agreements made in their meeting in order to boost relations in trade, investment and economic co-operation.

Minister Sem informed PM Dung that Cambodia planned to buy electricity from Vietnam through a 220KW transmission line between the two countries.

He said Cambodia would support and accelerate the implementation of projects signed with the Vietnam Coal and Mineral Industries Group to exploit minerals, and with the Electricity of Vietnam to build hydroelectric power plants in Cambodia.

Cambodia begs VN to build hydroelectric dams, establish mining resource maps, and provide cheap electricity ... at what cost though?

Suy Sem asks Vietnam to build hydroelectric dams on the Sesan River

Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Rasmei Kampuchea newspaper
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

During his visit to Vietnam, Suy Sem, the minister of industry, mining and energy, said that Cambodia is waiting for help from Vietnam to build two hydroelectric dams on the Sesan River.

Suy Sem told the Vietnamese News Agency on 13 July that these dams will be built in the Sesan 1 and Sesan 2 areas.

The same source indicated that during his visit to Vietnam, Suy Sem led a Cambodian delegation to discuss on numerous constructions with Vietnamese mining industries and experts from the Vietnamese ministry of industry, the Vietnamese department of natural resources and environment, and he was warmly welcomed by one of the Vietnamese deputy prime ministers.

The same source indicated that besides the construction of hydroelectric dams, Suy Sem also discussed with Vietnam to help provide cheap electricity to Cambodia, as well as the aid package provided by the Vietnamese government to establish a mining resource map in the Northeastern zone of Cambodia, and a number of other issues.

Based on past studies, the Sesan River flows across three provinces in Cambodia’s Northeast, and that 5 hydroelectric dam sites have been defined. The total amount of electricity that can be produced along the Sesan River would total 818 Megawatts (MW), if the 5 dams were to be built. The first dam site along the Sesan River would be located at the border between Cambodia and Vietnam which will have a capacity of 90 MW, the second dam would be built in Stung Treng province with a capacity of 420 MW, the third one in the Prek Leang 1 area with a capacity of 64 MW, the fourth one located at the Prek Leang 2 area with a capacity of 64 MW, and the fifth one in Ratanakiri province with a capacity of 180 MW.

The cost for the construction of the dams would be $1.388 billion, and the dams will be built soon under the cooperation with Vietnam.