Land, development issues top agenda at People's Forum
Land grabbing was a hot topic at the Asia-Europe People's Forum in Vientiane yesterday, as the appropriate use of land and improving people's livelihoods are issues that all developing countries have to grapple with
More than 100 delegates gathered at the French Centre to discuss the issue on the third day of the Forum. Five experts spoke on the topic, with lectures given by speakers from Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, the Philippines and Romania.
The aim of the session was to build links between groups and organisations from Southeast Asia and Europe working on land issues, resource rights, and agricultural policies.
Different countries have different challenges in relation to land, and the five speakers took turns to discuss land related issues and challenges in their respective countries, drawing parallels and differences between fellow nations and their own.
At the start of the session, delegates were given a handout detailing the Lao government's policy on land and development, which centres on converting land into capital, promoting development, and providing villages with better livelihoods.
The handout stressed that Laos' 7th National Socio-economic Development Plan and the National Growth and Poverty Eradication Strategy both emphasise the promotion of economic growth that is sustainable and brings security, peace, stability and continuous social progress and equity.
The national development plan also aims to ensure GDP growth of at least eight percent annually and for annual GDP per capita to increase to at least US$1,700 by 2015.
The thrust of the plan is to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015, which will set Laos on the path to graduating from least developed country status by 2020. This requires that Laos adopts appropriate technology, develops the skills of the workforce, and creates favourable investment conditions to help bring this about.
Following the presentations by the speakers, several delegates from Laos were keen to discuss the issue, particularly when it comes to making land available fo r industrial tree plantations. They were adamant that using land for industrial crops brings in significant cash flow and that local villagers also benefit.
A delegate from Xayaboury province, Mr Bouachanh, spoke on the issue, saying that it is government policy to promote commodity crops on an industrial scale in order to boost investment and improve people's livelihoods.
The government provides land for both domestic and foreign investors to establish cassava or rubber tree plantations, for example. This brings in money, he said, but stressed that investors should pay adequate compensation to those who lose their land.
“When rubber plantations are established this sometimes means that people have to relocate to new villages,” Mr Bouachanh said. “Until now I have never met anyone in my province who has not received compensation, and I do not see that they are any poorer after relocating.”
Another Lao delegate who voiced an opinion was Mrs Phonkeo, from Sekeu village in Thapangthong district, Savannakhet province. She said she agreed with the government's policy to promote rubber plantations, as local villagers could earn money by working as labourers on the plantations.
In the past, she said, many families in Sekeu village had no cash income because their village was located in a remote area.
But after a company came to plant rubber trees around their village, they didn't go hungry because they had money to buy food after working as labourers.
