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Flash Info | Activists Questioned over Koh Kong Island Campaign7 January 2024
Around 12 youth and environmental activists and a foreign national were taken into custody and questioned for several hours by local Phnom Penh and immigration authorities after peacefully advocating for the preservation of a coastal island in Koh Kong province.
The activists were exercising, holding banners and taking photographs on Phnom Penh riverside this morning while being monitored by non-uniformed security personnel. As they were leaving the area, Daun Penh district security guards forced them onto a truck and took them to the district office for questioning.
30 March 2023
More than 1,000 community members from Siem Reap, Koh Kong and Kampong Speu provinces gathered in Phnom Penh between 27 March and 29 March to petition for solutions to ongoing land disputes affecting their homes and livelihoods, in some cases facing restrictions on movement and assembly from local authorities.
Between 27 and 28 March, about 150 people from seven Siem Reap communities gathered in Phnom Penh, where representatives submitted petitions to the Ministry of Interior and Ministry of National Defence on behalf of approximately 10,000 families who live within Angkor Archaeological Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site that includes the temple of Angkor Wat. Their petitions included a request for the government to return land titles to community members, enact protections for the Kleang Tuek 78 reservoir, and provide fair compensation to those already affected by evictions within the site. The government has previously said the evictions are necessary to maintain the area’s UNESCO World Heritage status.
6 September 2022
Authorities pressured and prevented dozens of members of communities embroiled in land conflicts from travelling to Phnom Penh this morning to join with more than 800 other land community members delivering petitions to government ministries.
Around 500 people from Koh Kong province and some 360 more from Kampong Speu province rallied in the capital to demand the government resolve longstanding land disputes and deliver land titles and/or fair compensation to communities left waiting for years. Representatives of six Koh Kong communities and three Kampong Speu communities delivered petitions to the ministries of justice, interior and land management as well as Prime Minister Hun Sen’s cabinet on Tuesday amid a heavy police presence.
En route to Phnom Penh, police stopped dozens of members of Kampong Speu’s Amleang Land Community and compelled community representatives to sign agreements not to cause “social insecurity” in Phnom Penh before allowing seven of their eight vehicles to continue, claiming some vans were overloaded with passengers.
31 July 2020
We, the undersigned youths, civil society groups and grassroots communities, are very concerned by the Royal Government of Cambodia granting Koh Kong S.E.Z Col, Ltd, a company publicly known as being owned by Ly Yong Phat – a powerful tycoon widely known for his involvement in human rights abuses, land rights violations and the destruction of natural resources – the license to develop Koh Kong Krao island in Koh Kong province. The authorization given to this company will potentially be a serious threat to natural resources on the island and biodiversity in the sea, including deforestation, wildlife extinction, illegal buildings constructed on the beach, water pollution in the sea, loss natural beauty of the island and loss the benefit for Cambodian people, etc.
For example, in the case on Koh Rong Samloem island, there is illegal construction on the beach land and polluted water draining into the sea. Another case is Songsaa island; after the development, most Cambodian people cannot afford to stay on the island, because the price of accommodation is too expensive. Therefore, we are very concerned about the planned development of the island by the company, and call for the government to remove the development license for Koh Kong Krao island from the company and to take all effective measures to preserve the national resources and biodiversity in the sea surrounding the island.
6 March 2018
More than 100 villagers from communities affected by land grabbing in Koh Kong’s Sre Ambel district demonstrated today outside a factory owned by Koh Kong Sugar Industry Co. Ltd.
The protestors, from Chi Kha Leu, Chi Kha Kraom and Dang Peng communes, were met by about 50 police and military police outside the factory.
The communities have fought for compensation since 2006 when hundreds of families were dispossessed by economic land concessions granted to sugar companies, one of which was partly owned by ruling party Senator Ly Yong Phat.
25 March 2016
Today, about 300 people from four communes in Sre Ambel and Botom Sakor districts, Koh Kong, marched to submit petitions to their district governors protesting land grabbing by sugar producers.
The communities delivered the petitions to the district governors demanding their support in an ongoing land conflict with Thai company KSL, majority owner of Koh Kong Plantation Co and Koh Kong Sugar Co. The conflict with KSL relates to the land grabbing of over 900 hectares of land and the loss of livelihoods for local families after the company, at the time co-owned by CPP Senator Ly Yong Phat, were granted adjacent land concessions for the two subsidiary companies totaling almost 20,000 hectares.
The communities have been actively protesting the land grabs by the sugar company since the dispute began in 2006.
20 January 2016
Today over 300 protesters from four communes, Kandoul, Chi Kha Leu, Chi Kha Kraom and Dang Peng delivered petitions to their respective commune offices to protest land grabbing by sugar producers in Sre Ambel district. The protest is the latest in a series of actions by the communities since the dispute began in 2006.
The communities delivered the petition to their commune chiefs demanding their support for the return of land and compensation for 753 families after a decade-long dispute with the Thai sugar company KSL. The conflict with the sugar company concerns the land grabbing of over 900 hectares of land and the loss of livelihoods for local families after the companies, at the time co-owned by CPP Senator Ly Yong Phat, were granted adjacent land concessions totaling almost 20,000 hectares.
After delivering the petition to all four commune offices the protesters returned to their homes after setting a two week deadline for the authorities to provide a resolution.
17 December 2015
To celebrate International Human Rights Day (IHRD), about 10,000 people from rural and urban communities participated in 20 marches and events across the country from December 6 to December 10. These were organized by the informal network Friends of December 10th, which includes youth, land communities, associations, farmers, monks, and NGOs.
On December 10, groups peacefully marched from various locations in Phnom Penh toward the Ministry of Justice to demand that the government resolve Cambodia’s land conflict epidemic; reform the judicial system and release human rights defenders and activists; raise the minimum wage and respect labour rights; end state-sponsored violence; and respect freedoms of expression, association and peaceful assembly. This year’s IHRD theme was ‘Justice’.
13 March 2015
To celebrate International Women’s Day 2015 LICADHO, together with the Highlanders Association of Cambodia, organised a forum in Ban Lung, Ratanakiri for people affected by land grabbing. The forum was attended by over 100 representatives from eight different indigenous communities from within Ratanakiri and by land rights activists from other provinces around the country. The theme of the forum was the effect of land conflicts on women and the majority of the participants were women. The participants shared their experiences and ideas and many performed songs they had written telling the stories of their land disputes. We profile six of the women who attended the forum. Their stories illustrate the many hardships faced by women affected by land disputes as well as their remarkable spirit and resilience.
9 October 2014
This morning 250 villagers from three villages, Trapaing Kandorl, Chi Khor, and Chhouk, marched to deliver a petition to Chi Kha Leu commune hall and Sre Ambel district office to petition authorities over a long running land dispute regarding an overlapping economic land concession, that involved Oknha Ly Yong Phat and is used to produce sugar for Thai sugar-manufacturer, Khon Kaen Sugar (KSL).
The district governor and commune leader for Chi Kha Leu received their petitions after which the villagers then marched to Koh Kong Sugar, where a representative for the company accepted their petition as well.
The villagers plan to deliver another petition to the provincial hall if there is no resolution between district authorities and Koh Kong Sugar following today's activities.
21 August 2014
On August 18, 2014, the Phnom Penh Sugar Co. Ltd., took out advertisements in several major Cambodian newspapers accusing Equitable Cambodia’s Executive Director, Mr. Eang Vuthy, of making false and misleading statements about Oknha Ly Yong Phat, and causing “irreparable damage” to the Senator’s reputation as well as that of his business, Phnom Penh Sugar.
While the Senator may currently have no involvement in the management or ownership of Khon Kaen Sugar Company’s in Koh Kong province or Mitr Pohl Sugar Company’s in Oddar Meanchey province, there is strong evidence that Ly Yong Phat was involved with each of these companies and with the forcible eviction of thousands of villagers.
17 July 2014
Deputy Leader of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) has today received a summons for questioning at 8am on July 25. This follows the arrest on July 15 and 16 of five CNRP MPs elect and one grassroots activist. All six were arrested in connection with the violence of July 15 in Freedom Park and charged under Cambodia’s Criminal Code articles 28 and 218 (instigating aggravated intentional violence), 495 (inciting others to commit a felony) and 459 (leading an insurrectional movement). The latter charge carries a sentence of up to 30 years’ imprisonment. All six are currently held in pre-trial detention at CC1 and CC2 prisons.
It appears that Kem Sokha is also wanted for questioning in connection with the July 15 violence. The summons states that he will be questioned in order to clarify his responsibilities as a CNRP leader.
Two additional CNRP MPs elect, Long Ry and Nuth Romdoul, and one other CNRP activist Khin Chamreun have been named in court documents as having been formally accused by the case prosecutor.
21 June 2014
This morning, Surya P. Subedi, United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights in Cambodia, visited and held discussions with land grab victims in Chikhor Leu village, Sre Ambel District, Koh Kong province. The land overlapped with an economic land concession given over to the production of sugar which was linked to ruling-party senator Ly Yong Phat.
In the afternoon, Subedi also visited Spean Ches community, Village 6, in Preah Sihanouk province. Some residents of this community were among the over 100 families violently evicted on April 20, 2007 from a plot of land 500 meters away in Commune 4, Mittapheap District, Sihanoukville, by 150 armed forces including military. Subedi held discussions with community members before meeting with the provincial governor.
Subedi’s visit throws light on long-standing land grabbing cases that remain unresolved. In both cases, the state-involved land grabs happened over half a decade ago.
23 July 2013
The Guardian newspaper recently ran a damning expose of child labor on the KSL Group sugar plantations in Cambodia that supply the sugar giant Tate & Lyle Sugars. Rather than acting quickly to address the abuses, the companies seem to have resorted to a strategy of denial and legal bullying in an attempt to defend their tarnished reputations.
31 May 2013
Two Cambodian NGOs, LICADHO and Equitable Cambodia filed a petition on behalf of 602 complainants about serious human rights violations linked to large sugar concessions held by Thai sugar giant, Mitr Phol Sugar Corporation.
2 April 2010
The use of military police by government-affiliated companies and individuals to forcibly evict villagers featured prominently in land grabbing cases in first quarter of 2010, leaving over 2,500 families at risk of losing their homes or livelihood.
LICADHO received 23 complaints of land grabbing between January and March 2010, ten of which involved the violent eviction of individuals following the grant of economic land concessions by government ministers to relatives or elites, and their affiliated companies.
2 April 2010
On 26 March 2010, more than 600 - entangled in a land dispute with Okhna Ly Yong Phat's sugar plantation - villagers gathered on National Road 4, blocking the road for almost two hours, and demanded the release of their two representatives, Khem Vuth and You Tho, who had been arrested two days earlier. This led to heavy traffic congestion and prompted the deputy provincial governor, court officials and provincial police commissioner to talk with villagers. After lengthy negotiations, the villagers agreed to move and discuss the matter at the provincial court.
On 29 March 2010 Mr. You and Mr. Vuthy were released on bail and placed under surveillance.
25 March 2010
We, the undersigned civil society organizations, condemn the Kompong Speu Provincial Court’s decision yesterday to arrest and detain two community representatives involved in the ongoing Omlaing Commune land dispute. The bogus charges against the two community representatives constitute yet another instance of Cambodia’s rich and powerful using the judicial system as a tool of enrichment and weapon of intimidation. We also condemn the response of mixed police forces to the villagers who came to the provincial court to show their support.
Omlaing Commune Council member You Thou and community leader Khem Vuthy were arrested on charges that they incited villagers to burn two temporary shelters used by construction workers belonging to Ly Yong Phat’s Phnom Penh Sugar Company. The two representatives also stand accused of colluding to set the structures on fire.
19 November 2009
On October 9, 2009, homes belonging to over 100 families from Bos village in Oddar Meanchey's Konkriel commune, were burned and bulldozed down by a contingent of approximately 150 police, military police, and hired demolition workers. The forced eviction was part of a long standing land dispute between the evicted residents and the Angkor Sugar Company. The Company is owned by Ly Yong Phat, a member of the ruling Cambodian People's Party and a State Senator who claims ownership over the disputed land.
Forestry Administration officials and RCAF troops from Battalion 42 set up roadblocks at the entrances to the village barring human rights workers and the media from entering the village to observe the eviction.
12 October 2009
This briefing paper lays the historical timeline of a community in Konkriel commune, Samraong district, Oddar Meanchey, from its initial settlement in 1998 until its forced eviction in October 2009.