In an attempt to cleanse their image, Hoang Anh Gia Lai Group (HAGL), a Vietnamese company, accused by the British NGO Global Witness of illegal land grabbing in Laos and Cambodia, has turned to the print media to win their case in the court of public opinion.
Lao media praise Hoang Anh Gia Lai after it was accused of criminal land grabbing by Global Witness
According to a recent report by Global Witness, a London-based non-governmental organisation, HAGL Group and state-owned Vietnam Rubber Group acquired more than 200,000 hectares of land through a series of deals with the Lao and Cambodian governments that lacked transparency. The report also said that the deal was backed by several international financiers, resulting in widespread devastation to the environment and livelihoods of locals.
Land was often sold without residents' consent or even their knowledge and without compensation. Families were forced off their land or expected to work for the rubber plantation, although jobs were few and far between, the report alleged.
In response HAGL Group held a meeting with its strategic partners and representatives from local and international newspapers, denying the accusations on May 17. The chairman of HAGL claimed that they had adhered to all laws and that the deals were approved by the respective governments.
Lao News Agency then published an article on May 22 praising the group’s "contributions", and Lao Phatthana Newspaper said that HAGL has initiated positive changes in Attapeu Province.
The article cited Party Secretary of Attapeu Province Khanphan Phommathat as saying that the area previously had backwards production methods and that the residents there faced many difficulties.
The Lao News Agency and Lao Phatthana Newspaper also claimed that HAGL invested in the poor provinces of Sekong and Attapeu and provided a loan of USD35 million for social services in these localities, including a hospital and residential areas.
Despite the praises of official news outlets and government spokespeople, however, Global Witness continues to stand by their report, which says these land deals were illegal and lacked transparency. They also claim to have documents to prove it.