ANZ compensates Cambodian families forcibly evicted to make way for sugar plantation
ANZ has agreed to compensate hundreds of Cambodian families who were forcibly evicted from their land to make way for a controversial sugar plantation and refinery.
Phnom Penh Sugar, owned by tycoon and ruling party senator Ly Yong Phat, received a $40 million loan from ANZ joint venture ANZ Royal Bank in 2011.
Families were evicted from their farms with little compensation, and the project was rife with reports of child labour and unsafe work practices.
“We have experienced huge difficulties with our livelihoods since the sugar company took our land almost 10 years ago, and this contribution will greatly help our situation,” said Soeung Sokhom, one of the Cambodians affected by the project, in a statement from Inclusive Development International.
