Senator Ly Yong Phat of the Cambodian People’s Party was sanctioned today under the Global Magnitsky Act by the United States Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC). In many ways, this announcement has the appearance of a significant moment in Cambodian history. Yet, what does it really mean to the parties involved?
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For labor and environmental rights activists and observers, this decision is a long time coming and will be viewed as a small victory for justice in a country irreparably marred by impunity.
Ly Yong Phat’s business empire prominently includes: illegal sand dredging, illegal deforestation, tobacco smuggling, illegal online gambling, money laundering, and industrial scale cybercrime operations. In the perpetration of these crimes – evidence of which spans decades – the collateral damage has been and continues to be substantial. Land grabbing, forced displacement, child labor, human trafficking, numerous wrongful deaths at his properties, and sweeping environmental devastation are just a few examples.
In full: https://thediplomat.com/2024/09/the-sanctioning-of-ly-yong-phat-milestone-or-mirage/
