Cambodian villagers complain of eviction to make way for casino project

Cambodian villagers in Koh Kong say their lands have been bulldozed by China’s Union Development Group to make way for a casino on a 45,000-hectare concession inside Botum Sakor National Park, according to local reports. UDG is planning a $3.8 billion resort complex that will include a casino called "Angkor Wat on Sea." It will also include an international airport, a cruise ship port, apartment buildings, hotels and golf courses. Villagers who expected to lose their lands were promised $8,000 per hectare. Some 1,100 families have been thrown off their lands, according to a 2012 report by the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC) Some were offered as little as $300 a hectare.