Land rights issues are hugely controversial in Cambodia; too few of those affected know about the laws, treaties and covenants that are designed to protect their rights. The presentation explores the effect that the lack of legal protection has had on most Cambodians.

1. Issues in Cambodia: Land Rights

2. Table of Contents Concept Note of Issues Land Law 2001 Land Concession Forced Eviction Land Dispute Sources

3. Overview In Cambodia today, hundreds of thousands of people are being removedfrom their homes, farmlands, forests, and fisheries as the country’s ruling elites and foreign investors plunder the country for private profit in the name of “ development “ 1 In rural areas, at least 3 million hectares-more than half of Cambodia’s total arable landmass-has been granted to private companies as concessions for development of agro-industrial plantation and mining project. 2 Poor and at-risk people are unable to use their full rights to claim their land because of corrupted legal practice in Cambodia

5. PM – Hun Sen

6. Minister of Land Management , Urban Planning, and Construction, IM Chhun LimThis law contains 19 chapters and 268 articles with different provisions. However, only some specific provisions will be discussed.

7. Land Law 2001 Article 48 : A land concession is a legal right established by a legal document issued under the discretion of the competent authority given to any natural person or legal entity or group of person to occupy a land and to exercise thereon the rights set forth by this law.

8. Land Law 2001Article 49

9. Land Law 2001Article 49

10. Land Law 2001

11. Land Concessions

12. Land Concessions

13. Forced Eviction Cambodia is party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social ad Cultural rights (ICESR) and other international human rights treaties which prohibit forced eviction and related human rights violations Also party to the International Covenant on Civil Political rights (ICCPR) Regardless, forced eviction has been carried out without adequate notice and consultation with those effected, without legal safe guards and assurances of adequate alternative accommodation

14. Forced Eviction

15. Forced Eviction

16. Land Dispute In 2005, it was estimated that one in fifteen Cambodian households was involved in a land dispute. (Oxfam GB,2005)

17. Sources 1 Licadho, The Myth of Development,2009. 2 www.sithi.org Land Law 2001 NGO forum Others