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Article

18 Dec 2021

Author:
Sorn Sarath &Chea Sokny, CamboJA

Cambodia: Villagers affected by Thai sugar company file complaint to US court to urge Coca-Cola to release information about its suppliers

"Cambodian farmers hurt by Thai sugar company sue for Coca-Cola to release information", 18 December 2021

Cambodian farmers violently evicted more than a decade ago filed a petition in a US court this week to compel Coca-Cola to turn over evidence as part of an ongoing case against Thai sugar giant, Mitr Phol Sugar co.

…, more than 700 families in 26 villages were forced to give up their land for a 9,400 hectare concession, according to a report from Inclusive Development International. To make way for the industrial sugarcane plantation, families were violently pushed from their land, with their homes and crops destroyed…, the Thai National Human Rights Commission found Mitr Phol responsible and ordered the company to remedy the situation. When no compensation was offered, the families sued the company in Thai courts ...

Eang Vuthy, executive director of Equitable Cambodia, which is providing legal assistance for the victims, told … that the Thai court will start hearing the case against Mitr Phol ...

“In the process, [lawyers] need to ask the U.S court to help them obtain documents from Coca-Cola to support the case against Mitr Phol,” he said.

…, after revealing that Mitr Phol was one of its top sugar providers, Coca-Cola announced it was auditing its supply chain amid a “zero tolerance” policy for land grabs. The case filed in the Northern District of Georgia asks for the beverage company to publicly disclose those findings.

Ko Phan told … that since her house and crops were destroyed to make room for the Mitr Phol plantation …, the family has yet to receive any financial compensation or land from the government…

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