A U.N. official asked the Cambodian government on July 5 to cancel a land concession that was granted to a Chinese forestry company on lands belonging to the Phenong. "The government and the company have disregarded the well-being, culture and livelihoods of the Phnong indigenous people who make up more than half the population of the province, and many breaches of the law and of human rights have been committed," Peter Leuprecht, U.N. Special Representative for Human Rights in Cambodia, told the U.N. News Center. "As with other economic land concessions, no environmental or social impact assessments were carried out, and local populations and authorities were neither informed nor consulted."
The Cambodian government in August provided 10,000 hectares of land to Wuzhishan L.S. Group, which reportedly immediately sprayed the Mondulkiri province with the herbicide glyphosate, leading to massive fires, hundreds of cattle deaths, and water damage. Because Cambodia's 2001 Land Law recognizes aboriginal title for indigenous groups, Leuprecht said the agreement never should have been approved by officials.
