Hun Sen orders temporary halt to economic land concessions [Only after UN envoy visited victims of land grabbing]

PHNOM PENH, 7 May 2012 (Cambodia Herald) – Prime Minister Hun Sen (pictured) ordered Monday a temporary halt to economic land concessions and the confiscation of land from any companies that have broken the law. [Only after UN envoy visited victims of land grabbing].
"The government has decided to instruct relevant ministries, institutions and authorities to abide by a four-point resolution which includes suspending grants of economic land concessions," he said.

Hun Sen said the move would "maintain equity and refine the effectiveness of economic land concession management" and followed policies on land use, division and management under the second phase of the government’s triangular strategy.

Companies face land confiscation if they illegally fell timber for trading, abuse land or exploit it from people in their communities or keep it under government control.

The announcement coincided with a May 4-11 visit to Cambodia by Surya Subedi, UN special rapporteur for human rights who is expected to present a report on Cambodian land concessions to the United Nations Human Rights Council in September.

One of the report's main aims is to encourage transparency in granting and managing land concessions, said the local branch of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

According to human rights group Adhoc, the government last year granted private companies 123 economic land concessions totaling 751,882 hectares, of which two thirds was separated from forest conservation areas. Overall concessions to 225 companies have exceeded 2.2 million hectares, it says.