Law Needs to be Enforced at Boeng Kak

Opinion Letter to the Cambodia Daily
Published on Friday, December 28, 2007
By: CHAK Sopheap

Referring to recent Articles on the Filling Boeng Kak Lake, Cambodia Daily, Wednesday and Thursday 2007, I am deeply concern about natural resource management in Cambodia. It is absolutely wrong, and dangerous for surrounding residents, once the company could proceed in its construction before the Environmental Impact Assessment has not been released.

More importantly, the agreement on filling the lake violated both 2001 Land Law, which states that “lakes are state public property and cannot be sold”, and Article 8 of the 1996 Law on Environmental Protection and Natural Resource Management, which reads: “The natural resources of the Kingdom of Cambodia, which include land, water, airspace, air [ …] shall be conserved, developed, and managed and used in a rational and sustainable manner”.

I would point to the good example of the government’s action over the Kob Srov Lake Case which resulted in the removal of Kandal provincial governor Khim Bo and his two deputies, and the demolition of the buildings. The government’s measures proved its accountability and receptiveness on the 1996 Law on Environmental Protection and Natural Resource Management, for which the government should continue this effort with other cases that abuse the law.

I would like to appeal to the government to enforce this law and ensure that any development projects be justified with both citizens' rights to development and the results of proper environmental impact assessments.

The End.

These are reference articles on the Lake Filling:

"reprinted with the permission of The CAMBODIA DAILY."