Vietnamese rubber tycoon, Doan Nguyen Duc, the chairman of Hoang Anh Gia Lai (HAGL) Group, has been accused by Global Witness, a group that campaigns on resource issues, of land grabbing in Southeast Asia. In its report titled “Rubber Barons” Global Witness accused international investors including Deutsche Bank and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) – the private lending arm of the World Bank – of financing two of Vietnam’s biggest rubber companies, the privately-owned HAGL and the state-owned Vietnam Rubber Group (VRG), to acquire vast amounts of land for rubber plantations in Cambodia and Laos. According to the report, the two firms have caused widespread evictions, illegal logging and food insecurity in the countries.
Global Witness concluded the Vietnamese firms gained rights to more than 200,000 hectares (nearly 500,000 acres) of concession land through secretive deals with the Lao and Cambodian governments. Land was often sold without villagers' consent or knowledge and without compensation, the report alleges. Families were forced off their land or expected to work for the rubber plantation, although jobs were few and far between.
"When they resist, communities face violence, arrest and detention, often at the hands of armed Cambodian security forces who are on the investors' payroll," the report claims.
It alleges the IFC invested US$14.95 million in a Vietnamese fund that holds 5 percent equity in HAGL, while Deutsche Bank owns some $4.5-million-worth of HAGL shares. Deutsche Bank is also said to have 1.2-million shares in a subsidiary company of VRG amounting to more than $3 million
Global Witness concluded the Vietnamese firms gained rights to more than 200,000 hectares (nearly 500,000 acres) of concession land through secretive deals with the Lao and Cambodian governments. Land was often sold without villagers' consent or knowledge and without compensation, the report alleges. Families were forced off their land or expected to work for the rubber plantation, although jobs were few and far between.
"When they resist, communities face violence, arrest and detention, often at the hands of armed Cambodian security forces who are on the investors' payroll," the report claims.
It alleges the IFC invested US$14.95 million in a Vietnamese fund that holds 5 percent equity in HAGL, while Deutsche Bank owns some $4.5-million-worth of HAGL shares. Deutsche Bank is also said to have 1.2-million shares in a subsidiary company of VRG amounting to more than $3 million
No comments:
Post a Comment