The US Treasury Department issued sanctions on Tuesday against a Chinese company developing the sprawling Dara Sakor tourism zone in Cambodia, the latest sign that Washington’s increasingly heated competition with Beijing has now spread to Southeast Asia.
The Treasury Department accused Union Development Group (UDG) of “seizure and demolition of local Cambodians’ land” for the construction of Dara Sakor, a coastal resort area spanning 36,000 hectares (90,000 acres) that is planned to include golf courses, casinos, luxury housing, an airport, and a port large enough for cruise ships.
According to the Treasury Department, UDG falsely registered as a Cambodian company in order to build on protected national park land. The company “forced Cambodians from their land and devastated the environment”, the department says.
