Irrawaddy.org
Cambodia is eroding its coast by dredging vast quantities of sand to sell to Singapore for expansion projects, with multimillion-dollar profits going to tycoons close to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, according to the London-based environmental watchdog Global Witness. Operations from just one Cambodian province were estimated to be worth US $248 million annually in retail value in Singapore, the group said. Cambodian law bans only river sand from export, but Global Witness said its investigators found that both sea and river sand have been exported since the law was passed. The group also criticized Singapore for the practice, pointing out that the wealthy island city-state “presents itself as a regional leader on environmental issues.”
Cambodia is eroding its coast by dredging vast quantities of sand to sell to Singapore for expansion projects, with multimillion-dollar profits going to tycoons close to Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, according to the London-based environmental watchdog Global Witness. Operations from just one Cambodian province were estimated to be worth US $248 million annually in retail value in Singapore, the group said. Cambodian law bans only river sand from export, but Global Witness said its investigators found that both sea and river sand have been exported since the law was passed. The group also criticized Singapore for the practice, pointing out that the wealthy island city-state “presents itself as a regional leader on environmental issues.”
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