The House Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, within the Foreign Affairs Committee, will hold a field hearing on Friday at California State Polytechnic University in Pomona to evaluate the effect of land grabbing in Southeast Asia.
The hearing, titled “Property Rights and Development in South Asia,” will be held at 10 a.m. PDT in the Bronco Student Center.
“For years, the United States has sought to help promote security and economic growth in the Philippines and Cambodia,” U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said. “While there have been some successes, many citizens in Southeast Asia are still denied basic protections under the law – including the right to secure property, raise capital and participate freely in the economy. This field hearing will seek to address these continuing concerns by hearing from witnesses who have long studied how land grabbing has significantly impacted the lives of Filipinos and Cambodians, as well as U.S. officials charged with promoting development in these important countries.”
The goal of the hearing is to provide better protection and service for citizens who live abroad.
“We convene this hearing to explore land tenure, property rights and the rule of law in Southeast Asia,” Rep. Matt Salmon (R-AZ), chairman of the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, said. “In order to better serve our citizens and protect their rights abroad, I look forward to hearing from our administration and private panel for their perspectives on how we can best work with governments in Southeast Asia to improve the rule of law, accountability and transparency.”