Rights group Licadho has called on the government to make available statistics on the full extent of economic land concessions (ELCs) in response to data collected by the organisation over five years.
According to a statement issued by Licadho yesterday, government ministries have failed to provide comprehensive figures on ELCs, noting that various ministries have issued only incomplete lists of companies involved and concessions granted.
Am Sam Ath, a senior investigator at Licadho, said the government’s lack of transparency on ELCs meant that they were unable to collate complete data.
“The government should show the information clearly, especially on its webpage so that the real figures can be known.”
Neither Sao Sopheap, spokesperson for the Ministry of Environment, or Lor Raksmey, spokesman for the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries could be reached for comment yesterday.
However, Srun Darith, Ministry of Environment cabinet chief, claimed that his department had nothing to hide but that it also had the right to refuse the request.
