On Coast, Chinese Development Pushes Thousands From Land

Thousands of families in the remote coastal province of Koh Kong have been evicted or are facing eviction in the face of a Chinese resort development project. Some families have moved unwillingly to relocation sites. Some are refusing to leave, setting the stage for another land dispute. The families are facing eviction from a 36,000-hectare resort development by the Chinese Union Development Group, which holds a 99-year lease on the land. Chinese hydrodam developments have already damaged major parts of Koh Kong, home to the Cardamom Mountains, Cambodia’s richest source of biodiversity. The resort adds to the difficulties facing residents of the province, which has also seen major evictions and disputes rising from the growth of a massive sugar plantation. Part one of a two-part series. (Say Mony, Koh Kong)