Related
Stories
- Has Cambodia become a country for sale?
- The lake that became a puddle
- Cambodian environmentalist killed
 |
| The killing of environmental campaigner Chut Wutty prompted worldwide condemnation |
The
Cambodian government has suspended the granting of land for development by
private companies in a bid to curb evictions and illegal logging.
The
government also said it would revoke land grants from companies that failed to
honour agreements by engaging in such activities.
Evictions
have displaced tens of thousands of people and rights groups say land grants
should be banned.
A prominent
activist was killed last month investigating illegal logging.
Chut Wutty
was shot dead by military police while travelling in a threatened forest region
in the south-west.
Details of
that incident are unclear but police say an officer was also killed in the exchange.
Environmental
activists say Cambodia's national parks and wildlife are under threat from
development by foreign companies.
Monday's
directive from Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said the government would
"temporarily suspend granting economic land concessions" to
"ensure equity and to strengthen the effectiveness" of leased land
management.
The order
comes as the UN envoy on human rights, Surya Subedi, visits to examine the
impact of such land concessions on local communities.
Typically
land "concessions", as they are known in Cambodia, are large tracts
of forested or rural land granted to companies who have permission for clearing
the territory to form plantations for cash crops such as rubber, oil palm and
sugar cane.
Related Article:
 |
| Residents from Borei Keila shout at riot police in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in protest at the destruction of their houses. Photograph: Mak Remissa/EPA |
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.