State Hands Land to Lawmaker, Senator’s Family

A ruling-party parliamentarian, a CPP senator’s family member and a business associate of the prime minister’s daughter are among the latest recipients of state-land transfers that have been distributing lakes, forests and wildlife sanctuaries to the country’s elite. The government granted thousands of hectares of social land concessions in Koh Kong, Mondulkiri and Kampong Thom provinces, in addition to grants of private land to officials and business owners.

 

The latest batch of land grants — all signed by Prime Minister Hun Sen in March but published by the Council of Ministers this week — included two social land concessions controlled by the World Bank under its Lased land distribution program.

A map of a concession granted within Kampong Thom province’s on March 15, 2022 as part of the World Bank’s LASED III program. (Danielle Keeton-Olsen/VOD)

The first, signed on March 15, granted 793 hectares in Kampong Thom province under the Lased system. Based on protected area maps, a portion of the concession would overlap with Boeng Per Wildlife Sanctuary, but the sub decree did not mention whether it would involve declassifying a protected area.

 

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