Fishermen say a development on two islands could destroy their livelihoods

KARACHI, Nov 3 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - In the quarrel over building a gleaming "new Dubai" on two small islands off Pakistan's Arabian Sea coast, the voices of the fishermen who have plied these waters for centuries often go unheard.

Steering his boat out of the Jamote jetty in the village of Ebrahim Haideri, 25-year-old fisherman Shakil said the islands around which he catches fish, crab and shrimp are now patrolled by armed guards.

Main photo: The family of Chai Bunthonglek, a farmer who was killed in 2015 in a community farm in Klong Sai Pattana in Surat Thani province in southern Thailand, Aug 24, 2020. (Photo: Thomson Reuters Foundation/Rina Chandran)

SURAT THANI: Somruedee Bunthonglek has not repaired the bullet holes in the pickup truck her husband was driving when he survived an assassination attempt barely a year after her father was shot dead on the same communal farm in southern Thailand.

From forced displacement to conflict over resources, the coronavirus pandemic has created a “perfect storm” for land rights abuses - and the situation is likely to worsen, researchers and activists warned on Thursday.

The migration of men to rural areas due to lockdowns and job losses has increased competition over land, with a disproportionate impact on woman, said organisers of a land rights webinar.

The Ministries of Environment, and Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction have listed the Peam Krasop Wildlife Sanctuary in Koh Kong province and Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary in Mondulkiri province as state land to eliminate land grabbing offences.

The operations have gained support from community members who expect forest crimes to decline with the move.

A notice by the Ministry of Environment seen by The Post on Sunday said it is listing two natural protected areas – Peam Krasop Wildlife and Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuaries as state land.

The Land Portal Foundation is seeking a dynamic and highly motivated Information Management Officer to support us in leading the information and data sharing needs of the Land Portal.  The Information Management Officer will ensure the development of information partnerships, lead the development of land information ecosystems, contribute to open data capacity building efforts, as well as promote and enrich land data standards. 

Global Land Alliance seeks a dynamic, highly motivated and self-propelled consultant to engage with a wide range of regional stakeholders to increase engagement with the Prindex initiative, encourage the utilization of its research findings for policy reform, and expand the initiative in specific countries. This role will require near full time effort for a 12-month period, with the possibility of contract renewal for another 12 months.

Global Land Alliance seeks a dynamic, highly motivated and self-propelled consultant to engage with a wide range of regional stakeholders to increase engagement with the Prindex initiative, encourage the utilization of its research findings for policy reform, and expand the initiative in specific countries. This role will require near full time effort for a 12-month period, with the possibility of contract renewal for another 12 months.