Deforestation and forced removal amidst development projects in Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia

A massive economic development project adopted by the prime ministers of Viet Nam, Laos and Cambodia in 2004 has resulted in deforestation and removal of indigenous groups from the ancestral lands, according to the Democracy Project.

The government of Viet Nam has already destroyed its ancient forests of the Central Highlands, and deforestation continues at unprecedented levels in Cambodia and Laos. Throughout the region indigenous peoples, such as the Degar Montagnards and Hmong, are being forcibly removed from their lands.

Politicos, their cronies and international businesses are “cozily profiteering” while indigenous peoples are “suffering the loss of their way of life and resources to live,” writes the Democracy Project.

According to Human Rights Watch, the Cambodian government has made virtually no progress on key pledges to donors on human rights, the rule of law or judicial independence. The Montagnard Foundation has called for international donors to withdraw funding and review their overall aid commitments to Laos, Cambodia and Viet Nam.

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