Losing Ground - Human Rights Party.

Losing Ground
Nature of Complaint:
Where:
Concession size:
Concession holder:
Affected villages:
Complaint to:
Encroachment of farmland and forest
Andong Meas district, Rattanakkiri province
6,866 hectares
Oryong Construction Company (Director Mr. Lim Songchhul)
Three ethnic Kachork villages (Kork, Talao and Tanong) and other communities in two
communes (Talao and Andong Meas)
Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and
Technical Secretariat for Economic Land Concessions
Ministry of Land Management, Construction and Urbanization
Land and Forestry Resolution Committee *
* Copies to: Prime Minister Hun Sen, Council of Ministers, Rattanakkiri Governor, Provincial Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, Provincial Department of Environment.
The villages and communities affected identify themselves
as predominantly indigenous people who established their
villages following the fall of the Khmer Rouge in 1979. They
live along the Sesan River and Vireak Chey National Park,
where they rely on non-timber forest products, fishing,
hunting and shifting their traditional shifting cultivation
techniques.
The concession extends beyond their district, but 1,000
hectares of it is in their district. The company received
approval to begin clearing 100 hectares on April 20, 2006,
the complaint says. This included dense forest and farmland.
No environmental or social impact assessment was conducted
and no consultations were held with local residents.
The complaint accuses the company of damaging fish
breeding areas in lakes and streams, encroaching on
farmland, grazing areas and forests residents relied on
for collecting non-timber products as well as wood for
construction of homes. Spirit forests vital to their culture
have been desecrated, the complaint says. The encroachment
has interfered with their traditional shifting agriculture
techniques by taking fields used for cultivation as well as
areas reserved for future cultivation, residents say. Both
collective and private ownership of indigenous land has been
violated.
It also accuses the company of expelling people from
their homes, fields and areas reserved for future homes.
Widespread environmental degradation has occurred. At the
same time, the concession has prevented the communities
from implementing land-use plans, community forest
development projects, and tourism projects that would
highlight their unique culture and arts.
The complaint stresses that the concession encroaches on
communal land belonging to the indigenous residents of
the villages and calls for an investigation of the concession
and punishment of those company employees who allegedly
violated laws.
Executives from Oryong Construction Ltd. visit
the concession site in Andong Meas
via helicopter, accompanied by armed military
personnel. Residents accuse the company of
encroaching on their land and desecrated their
spirit forests.
62 Forced Evictions and Intimidation in Cambodia