"Lost land, broken promises: Koh Kong’s evict residents left in limbo after land deals" 10 March 2025

Four years after residents of coastal Koh Kong were evicted from their land by the Chinese state-owned Union Development Group under a long-term land lease, they say the promises of better lives and jobs at their relocation site have proven to be empty...

The dispute over the land lasted nearly two decades. Families in Kirisakor and neighboring Botum Sakor district resisted eviction, fighting for their land rights in a drawn-out battle that drained them of resources and hope. 

By 2021, more than 1,000 families, exhausted by the struggle, agreed to relocate nearly 50 kilometers from their homes under a land titling arrangement – one they saw as their only remaining option.

Noch accepted a compensation package of US$9,000, along with three hectares of farmland and a half-hectare plot for building a new house...But now, far from the coast, he struggles to make a living from the dry, infertile soil. There is little access to electricity and tap water, forcing residents to buy water, especially during the dry season. 

The UDG controls two major concession plots. One overlaps with Noch’s village, while another 9,100-hectare concession was granted to the company in August 2011.

The company was sanctioned by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for the “seizure and demolition of locals’ land” to make way for the $3.8 billion luxury resorts and casino project in Dara Sakor district of Koh Kong. The area has also been linked to reports of human trafficking tied to scam centers...

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Much of the leased land lies adjacent to or within Botum Sakor National Park, Cambodia’s largest protected area...According to Global Forest Watch, Kirisakor and Botum Sakor districts – both of which include parts of the national park and land concession areas – lost nearly 32,000 hectares of humid primary forest between 2002 and 2023...

This deforestation has also disrupted the lives of local communities, many of whom relied on non-timber forest products for survival...

Although much of UDG’s land remains underdeveloped, the company has managed to build casinos in Dara Sakor, near the coast, and has been recruiting staff through a Telegram channel and Facebook and TikTok posts...Some employees, speaking anonymously, said applicants are required to submit a video introduction in Chinese before being considered for a position. 

The recruitment practices have raised further questions about who truly benefits from these developments – and whether the promised economic opportunities for displaced communities, mainly fishermen and farmers, have ever materialized.

Despite multiple phone calls, UDG did not respond for comment before this story went to press...

The lack of transparency surrounding land concessions is a common issue in Cambodia. In many cases, questioning these developments can lead to threats, arrests or even imprisonment...