Chinese ELC Rents Out Land to Cambodians

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Chinese ELC Rents Out Land to Cambodians

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Chinese Sugar Company Leases Parts of Cambodian Land Concession to Farmers
2020-05-19

A Chinese sugar company with a large long-term land concession in Cambodia came under fire from NGOs Tuesday for leasing parts of the concession to local villagers, collecting rent instead of engaging in the activities stipulated in its contract with the Cambodian government.

The Hengfu Group Sugar Industry, the mother company of five local subsidiaries in Cambodia, was awarded a 70-year concession in 2011 spanning 400,000 hectares (1,544 square miles) in Preah Vihear province in return for promising to invest U.S. $1 billion.

The Cambodian government held an opening ceremony for a factory on the concession in 2016, where Prime Minister HE noted that the companies invested $360 million for stage one of the development scheme.

But by charging rent to villagers that live there instead of using the land for sugar production, the company is in breach of contract, NGOs say.

The Chinese companies should return the land concession back to the government, and the government should return the land to the villagers, most of whom are from indigenous minorities, Lor Chan, the Preah Vihear provincial coordinator for The Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association told RFA’s Khmer Service.

“Many Cambodian villagers are leasing land from the Chinese companies,” he said.

Lor Chan added that following the concession, the local villagers filed complaints against the companies that are still pending.

“It is illegal. They breached their land concession contracts with the government. The companies have no legal ground to lease land to villagers,” he said.

The concession impacted thousands of villagers from 25 villages in three districts in the province, according to Phek Sophoan, of the Ponlok Khmer Organization, which advocates for the human rights of indigenous people living in the province’s highlands.

Phek Sophoan told RFA that outside villagers and government officials are also leasing the land as opportunists, taking advantage of the situation to encroach on land that should belong to the highlanders.

“The companies were awarded the land concession for sugar plantations. So when they are out of business, they must return the land back to the government so the people who used to cultivate it can do so again,” he said.

The companies suspended operations due to internal problems, but promised to resume in 2020, according Preah Vihear Provincial Agriculture Department Director Peung Tryda. The director stated this some time after they suspended operations. RFA attempted to contact him Tuesday, but he could not be reached.

RFA reached Preah Vihear Provincial Governor Prak Sovann, but he refused to comment about the situation.
https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambod ... 82025.html
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Re: Chinese ELC Rents Out Land to Cambodians

Post by CEOCambodiaNews »

At last there has been a resolution in the case of the Kuoy ethnic minority villagers, who were arrested in a long-running case of a land dispute with the Chinese Hengfu sugar company which started in 2014. The villagers have now all been released without charges by the Preah Vihear court.


Preah Vihear court drops charges against villagers

09 July 2020 | 23:06 ICT

The Preah Vihear Provincial Court has dropped all charges against eight ethnic Kuoy villagers who were in a land dispute with the Hengfu Group Sugar Industry Co Ltd since 2014.

Wednesday’s decision was made by the judge who tried the case on June 10. The eight were accused of detention and illegal confinement.

Defence lawyer Sam Tithseyha told The Post on Thursday it was the right decision because they are the victims and this decision shows their innocence as they are not guilty of the charges and have good names in society.

He said the court’s decision is a sign of a reformed system that delivers justice.

“The decision to let my clients go free is appreciated, and I suggest it serve as a model to all other provincial and municipal courts to keep as an example to find the truth in land conflicts between citizens and powerful men and companies,” he said.

In 2014, many citizens living at the Boss Thom village, Brame commune, Tbeng Meanchey district were having land conflicts with Heng Fu and two company bulldozers were allegedly seized.

After this happened, 16 citizens, including 14 ethnic Kuoy villagers, were accused of detention and illegal confinement.

One official from the Ponlok Khmer NGO was accused of conspiracy following a complaint from the bulldozer drivers of the Chinese company.

As the lawsuit and protests dragged on, the official and some citizens had their charges dropped by the court, Adhoc coordinator Lor Chan in Preah Vihear province told The Post.

Chan called Wednesday’s final decision good news for the community and the accused.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ ... -villagers
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