The Dirty Business of Sand: Sand Dredging in Cambodia

Abstract

Global Witness, an international NGO, released its “Shifting Sand” report on sand-dredging in Cambodia in May 2010. The report highlighted the damage sand-dredging was causing to the livelihoods of local fishermen as well as the environment in the Koh Kong Province and alleged corrupt practices in the granting of licences. The sand was being exported to Singapore. Cambodia needed to sell its natural resources in order to develop and had attempted measures to protect its natural resources, however, the report showed that these efforts had not been very effective. The relationship between the Cambodian government and Global Witness had become strained due to earlier confrontations and the Cambodian government rejected the claims made in the latest report. The report, though, had generated interest among the international media and the team at Global Witness needed to define a strategy that would be most effective in stopping the sand dredging given the socio-political climate and the various resources it could mobilize from the government, public, media and development aid agencies.