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Sample Letter
[INSERT AMBASSADOR NAME AND
ADDRESS see below ]
cc: [INSERT RELATED AID AGENCY CONTACT]
Dear Ambassador [INSERT NAME],
I write to you because I am deeply concerned about
the pervasive land grabbing that is occurring throughout Cambodia.
Of particular urgency is the Kong Yu/Kong Thom case in Ratanakiri,
– one of the most glaring examples of illegal land grabbing
in Cambodia. Through a series of bribes, lies and intimidation,
two indigenous Jarai communities have been divested of their ancestral
land by a member of Cambodia’s powerful elite – in this
case, the sister of the Minister of Economics and Finance and Economics,
who is also the wife of a Secretary of State in the Ministry of
Land Management. This land grab – which was facilitated by
local authorities – threatens the livelihood and continued
existence of those communities, and is illegal under several articles
of Cambodian law, including: articles 1, 2 ,4, 7, 10 of the Contract
Law (invalidating fraud and exploitation in contracts); articles
23-28, 265 of the Land Law (indigenous land protections); and articles
38, 45, 50, 58 of the UNTAC Criminal Law (criminal liability for
corruption, fraud, forgery, and bribery).
I understand that our country’s development
agency works with the Cambodian government to strengthen management
of land and natural resources through, inter alia, the Consultative
Group (CG) and Government Donor Coordination Committee meetings
(GDCC). However, I am deeply disturbed to learn that Chhan Saphan,
the husband of the businesswoman who seized the Kong Yu and Kong
Thom land, is a government representative in the CG-GDCC process,
and that Keat Chhon, the brother of that businesswoman, is the Chairman
of GDCC meetings. This naturally begs the question: What results
can we expect from our participation in the CG-GDCC process when
Cambodia’s representatives cannot stop illegal land grabs
by their own family members? By working with these individuals,
yet remaining silent on the Kong Yu/Kong Thom case, our country
will be condoning the illegal taking of indigenous lands. We cannot
allow this to happen.
In light of these facts, I urgently request the
following:
· Raise the case of Kong Yu and Kong Thom at the highest
diplomatic levels in Cambodia, and demand the return of the Jarai
communities’ land.
· Demand that all participants in the CG-GDCC process, both
those in the donor community and their government counterparts,
respect indigenous rights and put an end to illegal land alienation
in Cambodia.
· Review our country’s involvement in the CG-GDCC process
in light of its current membership, and the lack of progress in
the areas of indigenous land policy and management of land and natural
resources.
· Request an immediate moratorium on the alienation of indigenous
lands until indigenous land surveys and titling has occurred.
The international community must join together to
send the message that land grabbing which victimizes the most vulnerable
in Cambodia will not be tolerated by the donor community.
Thank you,
[INSERT NAME/ORGANIZATION]
Country Ambassador
CC: Aid Agency Contact
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