Losing Ground - Human Rights Party.

Losing Ground
homes, assaulting community members and having others
arrested. They accuse the company of destroying their
peace, violating their property, stealing livestock, destroying
orchards and gardens. “We never worried about the loss of
animals and had no troubles with letting the cattle graze
freely, but now, if we do not watch closely, our cattle will be
taken away or killed,” the complaint says.
The complaint says the company violated the Land Law
and Sub-Decree on Economic Land Concessions in five ways:
1) the concession occupies land belonging to indigenous
people, not land registered as Sate Private Land (Article 58
of the Land Law); 2) the company exceeded its concession
by clearing 60,000 hectares of land; 3) the company started
clearing the land before signing the concession contract;
4) no consultations were held with affected communities;
and 5) company employees have attacked residents and shot
or stolen livestock. Moreover, no environmental impact
assessment was conducted prior to the granting of the
concession, the complaint says.
The residents ask for the concession to be cancelled, that
the company stop clearing forests and planting pine trees and
acacia, compensate them for damages and recognize their
rights as landowners. “This land belongs to our communities
and is the heritage of our ancestors," the complaint says.
Where:
Nature of Complaint:
Land allegedly grabbed:
Alleged land grabbers:
Affected villages:
Complaint to:
O’Chum district, Rattanakkiri province
Alleged illegal land grabbing
25 hectares
Group led by a military officer
Two villages (Koulen Choeng Torng Krapoung and Torng Kramal)
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries
Ministry of Land Management, Construction and Urbanization
Land and Forestry Resolution Authority *
* Copies to: Prime Minister Hun Sen, Council of Ministers, Rattanakkiri provincial governor, Provincial Department of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, Provincial Department of
Environment.
The complaint says ethnic Kreung residents of the affected
villages tried to contact Prime Minister Hun Sen for direct
assistance through various channels, including travelling to
Phnom Penh to attempt to meet him and sending emails.
They have had no response to date. The complaint says that
an unknown company has been clearing their land for a
rubber plantation and the company is led by a high ranking
military official in the province’s Banlung district. They are
unclear whether the company is registered or is merely a
group of high-ranking individuals who are allegedly acting
in disregard of the law.
The complaint says the activities are possibly being carried
out by a group of private individuals who have not even
requested permission to clear forest. They say the destruction
of communal forest has been occurring over several years
and that they have been threatened by the military officer
they believe is responsible for the forest clearing. They allege
that the officer has colluded with local officials to occupy
and destroy their forest. Attempts to seek assistance from
local authorities have been futile, the complaint said. They
say they have been unable to find any documents giving the
company permission to clear the forest.
They say they settled in the area in 1989 and have relied
on traditional shifting agricultural techniques as well as
collecting non-timber forest products for their livelihood.
Previously, their cattle grazed freely on the land and sections
that have been cleared were spirit forests. They say they have
also lost land used for cultivation.
The complaint calls on the government to investigate
the case, punish those who have allegedly violated laws,
recognize their rights to private and communal ownership of
the land, and help them protect the environment. They also
call on the government to ensure that their sacred sites are
not desecrated as these are integral to their community and
future generations. The complaint expresses concern that
the next generation will be disconnected from its heritage,
as well as impoverished, should the alleged land grabbing
continue.
Forced Evictions and Intimidation in Cambodia
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