Chasing Trade Winds

This video and write up neglects to mention the role played by powerful Senator and businessman Ly Yong Phat in this story, and his (and others’) desire to cash in on the EU’s Everything But Arms tariff initiative. EBA can sometimes provide perverse incentives for land-grabbing and other human rights abuses. (Its drafters knew this, which is why they included a provision in its implementing regulations for investigations and even potential suspension of benefits in the event of documented/confirmed human rights abuses linked to the initiative.) In this case, EBA has led to a well documented surge in land-grabbing throughout Cambodia for sugar plantations. It’s time for a closer look at where your sugar is coming from and why, Europe.