Land
Value of new non-SEZ projects rises threefold
Effective management of the Covid-19 crisis in Cambodia has led to an increase in the number of government-approved investment projects outside the Kingdom’s special economic zones (SEZ) in the first two months of 2022, with a total capital investment of “more than $2 billion” – ...
Hin Pisei
Mining companies hunt for buried treasure on indigenous Cambodian land
Deep in the forests of northeast Cambodia, bamboo shoots criss-crossed rays of sunlight as 26-year-old Tang Kalann passed by open and covered pits near the Tang Se community, comprising four indigenous Jarai villages where he lives. For years, the mining firm Angkor Resources Corp., formerly Angkor ...
JACK BROOK
Kampong Chhnang villagers get in land dispute over clay digs
Chrey Bakk commune authorities in Kampong Chhnang province’s Rolea Ba’ier district are working to solve a land dispute between residents and a landowner who allegedly prevented the locals from digging for clay to make pot stoves. Commune chief Taing Buntot said on October 17 that more ...
Orm Bunthoeurn
Ministry reports illegal land grabs in Bokor National Park
Authorities have identified 201 cases of illegal land encroachment, involving more than 619 hectares, in Preah Monivong (Bokor) National Park from July 3 last year to July 31 this year. Ministry of Environment spokesman Neth Pheaktra said recently that the ministry had submitted an official letter ...
Son Minea
World Bank to Support Land Administration, Titling in Lao PDR
Land holders across Lao PDR, including some of the most vulnerable households, are expected to benefit from improved land administration and titling thanks to a project approved by the World Bank this week. The $31 million Enhancing Systematic Land Registration Project will be run by the government’s Ministry ...
Aiden Glendinning
Myanmar Junta Pushing Ahead with China-Backed Kyaukphyu SEZ and Port
The military regime is inviting bids to provide legal services to the Kyaukphyu Special Economic Zone (KPSEZ) and deep-sea port project in western Rakhine State, a key strategic component of China ‘s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The junta’s invitation to tender comes as China is ...
THE IRRAWADDY
Carving up the Cardamoms: Conservationists fear massive land grab in Cambodia
A new regulation signed into law in March this year but only unveiled publicly in May will see almost 127,000 hectares (313,800 acres) of previously protected land in Cambodia made available for sale or rent, prompting fears among conservationists about a land grab for some ...
GERALD FLYNN & ANDREW BALL & PHOUNG VANTHA
Mekong Development Zones Facilitating Illicit Activities: Report
Economic development zones in mainland Southeast Asia have contributed to a range of illicit activities, including drug trafficking and wildlife trafficking, according to a new report from C4ADS, a U.S.-based research organization. The report, which analyzes 110 economic development zones (EDZs) in the five lower Mekong nations – ...
Sebastian Strangio
Is there such a thing as a ‘green’ SEZ in Cambodia?
Svay Rieng, a town in south-eastern Cambodia, is both a gateway to Vietnam and for more than a decade now a hotbed of Cambodian industrial development. But a lack of compliance with environmental and labour regulations has raised tensions with local communities. The region is home ...
Chan Muyhong
Vietnamese Mother, Son Draw Eight-Year Prison Terms for Land-Rights Activism
A court in northern Vietnam’s Hoa Binh province on Wednesday sentenced land-rights activist Can Thi Theu and her son Trinh Ba Tu to eight years in prison each for posting online articles and livestream videos criticizing the government for its handling of a deadly land-rights ...
Reported by RFA’s Vietnamese Service. Translated by Anna Vu. Written in English by Richard Finney.