The Dara Sakor Project is situated on 36,000 hectares leased under concession to Union Development Group in 2008 for 99 years. The development zone covers around 20% of Cambodia’s coastline. On completion, the project will comprise three main areas, focusing on tourism, industry and commerce, and technology and innovation. From the outset, the project has been controversial, occupying as it does sensitive natural areas, and it has been mired in land conflicts. More recently, speculation over its potential military uses fed into growing Sino-US rivalry in the Indo-Pacific.

Project Impacts

• Environment: Parts of the concession sit within Botom Sakor National Park, which is home to a variety of threatened and endemic species, raising concerns about the project’s impact on biodiversity. Much of the forest within the concession has been cleared.
• Land: The concession area is home to numerous villages that have come into conflict with UDG, including those of indigenous groups. This has had significant impacts on livelihoods for local communities. More than a decade since the concession was granted, land conflicts have not been fully resolved.
• Governance: UDG has been accused of corruption as part of its sanctioning by the US Government and of being a proxy for potential Chinese military interests in Cambodia. Investors involved in the project have been linked to organised crime.