A Change of Guard

សូមស្តាប់វិទ្យុសង្គ្រោះជាតិ Please read more Khmer news and listen to CNRP Radio at National Rescue Party. សូមស្តាប់វីទ្យុខ្មែរប៉ុស្តិ៍/Khmer Post Radio.
Follow Khmerization on Facebook/តាមដានខ្មែរូបនីយកម្មតាម Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/khmerization.khmerican

Thursday 11 December 2014

European Union agrees to investigate Cambodian sugar industry

Booming industry faces allegations of human rights abuses such as land grabs, forced displacement and child labour
Sugar Cambodia
Campaigners have been calling on the EU to investigate its trade ties since 2011. Photograph: Pring Samrang / Reuters/Reuters



The European Union has agreed to investigate forced displacement claims in relation to Cambodia’s troubled sugar industry. The move could see thousands of villagers compensated for illegally confiscated land and loss of earnings.
The Clean Sugar Campaign – which has been calling on the EU to investigate its trade ties with Cambodia’s sugar industry since 2011 – called the development “a pivotal step towards justice for thousands of Cambodian people who have suffered enormously at the hands of the sugar industry”.
The joint EU-Cambodia scheme has already been approved by the Cambodian government and is intended to “ensure redress” and restore “pre-project living standards and income levels” for those affected, campaigners said.
The EU confirmed the scheme in a statement seen by the Phnom Penh Post, in which it said the aim was to “fund technical expertise to develop a mechanism to audit claims in relation to sugarcane plantations in Cambodia, and ensure the implementation of any remedial measures that are found necessary”.
Cambodia’s booming sugarcane industry – which benefits from a preferential EU trade scheme called the Everything But Arms treaty – is rife with allegations of human rights abuses, among them illegal land grabs, forced displacement and child labour. Human rights groups claim that at least two villages in three provinces were entirely destroyed and thousands of hectares of rice plantations and orchards confiscated to make way for sugar plantations, leaving up to 2,500 families without homes, land or food.
Guardian report last year into the Thai-owned KSL plantation – which exported sugar to the EU for the sugar multinational Tate & Lyle – investigated allegations of child labour and other abuses. Villagers also described being subjected to physical violence, having their homes and property destroyed, their land confiscated without their consent; they also claimed one person had been killed while land was being forcibly cleared.
Some 200 Cambodian families are currently involved in a lawsuit against Tate & Lyle, claiming the company knew, or should have known, of the allegations against KSL, and allege the sugar company should compensate them for the value of the sugar grown on the land they say still belongs to them.
Following the Guardian investigation into alleged abuses, the drinks corporations Coca-Cola and Pepsico agreed to a “zero-tolerance policy” regarding land grabbing in their supply chain, while the ethical sugar coalition Bonsucrosuspended Tate & Lyle for failing to respond to allegations of abuse related to KSL dealings. The sugar company later resigned from Bonsucro in June this year.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Begin of Drgunzet's comment.

The abuses related to Cambodian sugar industry mostly involved land concessions to the Thais, Thai Cambodian tycoons.

It was widespread and horrible. But the CNRP opposition totally ignored it and shifted the attention to fight Vietnamese for their personal agenda.

I have pointed out the fact and a map recorded abuses showing the abuses, conflicts going on in Vietnamese zones were much lower, less than one tenth of the zones with the Thais and the Chinese. But the opposition folks don't care for the Cambodian poors suffering in the Thai and Chinese Zones. You folks are very evil.

http://www.licadho-cambodia.org/newart/map-land_conflicts-small-english.png

You want to fight the Vietnamese and don't care about the job loss, more children will be sold into prostitution, child's virginity. All you care is about fighting the Vietnamese.

I care about humanity and it's better to have Vietnamese to rule the Khmer. Khmer race is so much troublesome.

-Drgunzet-

Kim Ea said...

It is about time to pay attention to the tear and suffering of poor Khmer farmers , who have been neglect , ferocious destroy their lively hood by this administration and their barbaric cronies . It is a long time past that Khmer tear of suffering suppose to take serious attention from EU , Khmer poor families waiting with grief and sorrow to this absolute resolution from this greet nations . We Khmer poor , unfortunate families who live under dictatorship of modern world government , have a profound hope from these welcome justice organization to help and solve this problem one for all . We Khmer poor will die in wane if this Eu society not dare to dig up this injustice for us . Thank you courageous EU organization .