Vietnamese Agribusiness Giant HAGL Destroys Indigenous Lands
Indigenous villages in Cambodia’s Ratanakiri province had waited years for Vietnamese rubber company Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) to finally return their sacred lands, as they had promised to do in a 2015 mediated agreement. Instead, during March, HAGL carried out sweeping clearances of land that had been earmarked for return to the communities through […]
Australia’s ANZ to compensate Cambodian families over land loss – Nikkei Asian Review
Bank admits due diligence “failings” in loan to sugar company that bulldozed villages. Australia’s ANZ will compensate hundreds of families forcibly evicted by a Cambodian sugar plantation and refinery to which it loaned $40 million a decade ago. Experts say the settlement sets an important precedent for how other major banks deal with human rights […]
ANZ agrees to landmark settlement with Cambodian farmers displaced by sugar company it financed
ANZ has agreed to provide a financial package to Cambodian families forcibly displaced by a sugar company the Australian bank loaned money to in 2011. The agreement, the first of its kind by a commercial bank, sets an important human rights precedent for the banking industry worldwide.
UK Government Body Accepts OECD Complaint against Sugar “Sustainability” Group
A Win for Corporate Accountability and Displaced Cambodian Communities The UK National Contact Point for the OECD, a government body that monitors the operations of British businesses overseas, has ruled admissible a landmark complaint against the sugar industry’s sustainability certification body, Bonsucro. The decision establishes that London-based Bonsucro is bound by OECD standards on responsible business conduct […]
Cambodian farmers take Thai sugar giant to court | Al’Jazeera
Phnom Penh, Cambodia – After years of protesting, two Cambodian farmers make their case this week in a Bangkok court against Thai sugar giant Mitr Phol, who they blame for the loss of their livelihoods.
Cambodian indigenous communities win back their sacred land from Vietnamese rubber developer
(Banlung) – Twelve indigenous communities in Cambodia’s northeastern province of Ratanakiri scored a major victory today when the government announced it was returning to them 20 spirit mountains and dozens of other spiritually significant areas that had been grabbed by the Vietnamese agribusiness giant Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL). The communities have been embroiled in […]
Calling out the BS in BonSucro
Commentary: Why multi-stakeholder initiatives need to be held accountable for their rights-abusing members, by David Pred and Natalie Bugalski READ FULL ARTICLE ▶
Human rights complaint filed to UK government against ethical sugar association Bonsucro
Representatives of more than 700 Cambodian families who were violently displaced to make way for a sugar plantation have filed a formal complaint against Bonsucro, the sugar industry’s sustainability certification body, for breaches of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises.
Thai court accepts Cambodian land grabbing case, orders mediation
(Bangkok) – A Thai court has accepted a landmark lawsuit filed by plaintiffs representing a class of over 700 Cambodian farming families accusing Asia’s largest sugar producer of grabbing their land and destroying their livelihoods. In line with Thai legal procedure, the judges have asked the plaintiffs and the defendant, the Thai sugar giant Mitr […]
Forcibly Displaced Cambodians File Historic Lawsuit against Asia’s Largest Sugar Producer
Displaced farmers from Cambodia have filed a landmark class-action lawsuit against the Thai sugar giant Mitr Phol. The legal complaint was filed in a Thai civil court by two plaintiffs representing a class of approximately 3000 people who were violently displaced and dispossessed of their land and livelihoods in five remote villages in northwestern Cambodia […]