Mitr Phol
Villagers watch a farmhouse burn in Oddar Meanchey province's O'Bat Moan village in 2009. (Licadho)

Briefs: Sugar Firm Reprimanded, More US Lobbyists, Corruption Rankings

Controversial sugar giant Mitr Phol should not be part of a sustainable sugarcane industry platform, said a U.K. government body. Cambodia has hired new Washington lobbyists for $720,000. The country ranked 157th of 180 in Transparency International’s latest corruption index.

Sugar

Thai Court to Hear Class-Action Case from 700 Cambodian Families

A Bangkok court will this week hold a hearing to consider whether to accept a class-action lawsuit against the Thailand-based Mitr Phol — the fourth-largest sugar producer in the world — filed by 700 Cambodian families who were declared illegally dispossessed of land by Thailand’s Human Rights Commission.