With the construction of the now seemingly inevitable Lower Srepok 3 (LSP3) Dam in northeastern Cambodia moving forward, reportedly set to displace nearly 4,270 families, and flood vast areas of indigenous land, forests, and farmland, it remains clear that the government’s respect for environmental and indigenous protections remain secondary to the aggressive push for development.

As with previous dam projects, LSP3 is backed by elite interests, including Chinese state affiliated utility partners and Cambodian Royal Group whose deeply controversial role in the planning and addressing displacement in the aftermath of Lower Sesan 2 Dam serves as an underlying point of concern in the company’s current involvement in LSP3.

Further, a close review of the project’s opaque environmental and social impact assessment, suggests these actors, working in a public-private partnership with the government, now stand poised to repeat the same troubling patterns - minimal consultation, inadequate compensation and livelihood restoration plans and a blatant disregard for not only basic standards of participatory development, but also the principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent.

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited Royal Group, Royal Group Power, China (Cambodia) Rich International, Huaneng Hydrolancang International Energy, and Power China Huadong Engineering to respond to the allegations but they did not.