Cambodian sand exports to Singapore (Koh Kong, Mekong, Bassac)
- In August 2024 in Prey Veng, my bank took the houses and fields of five families.
- In 2020, extraction from my Mekong and Bassac reached 16 times my natural replenishment.
- My Koh Kong coast was dredged.
- Government and regulators Ung Dipola, Director General of Mines, Cambodia: Erosion was not caused by sand, and dredging covered only 4% of the river.
- Communities and civil society Villagers in Roka Koang (Kandal) and Prey Veng: A villager in Roka Koang has moved his house back repeatedly since 2016; five families in Prey Veng lost houses and fields to the river in August 2024.
- Government and regulators Cambodian ministry: Declared extraction of more than 13 million cubic metres in 2020 and said dredging could be beneficial to biodiversity.
- Researchers Satellite estimate (PlanetScope imagery) and Nanyang Technological University review: 59 million tonnes in 2020, about 39 million cubic metres; more than 50 million tonnes a year against about 20 million permitted, about 60% illegal.
Singapore's recorded sand imports from Cambodia for 2007 to 2015 were 72.7 million tonnes; Cambodia recorded exports of 2.8 million tonnes. Sand licences on the Koh Kong coast, the Mekong and the Bassac went to firms linked to senators and officials, and activists who documented the dredging were jailed.
UN Comtrade data as reported by Open Development Mekong; the sources reviewed puts the gap at about 26 times.
Status As of July 2026: no case over the sand licences is recorded; ten Mother Nature activists were sentenced to 6 to 8 years in July 2024; Cambodia's 2017 export ban was lifted in 2020; a July 2026 review put extraction on the Cambodian Mekong at more than 50 million tonnes a year against about 20 million tonnes permitted.
- Licence holders linked to senators and officials — Held sand licences in Koh Kong (firms linked to Ly Yong Phat and Mong Reththy) and on the Mekong and Bassac (Global Green, Jin Ling Construction, Sophearoth Aphivath). Global Witness
- Singapore — Received the sand; Global Witness valued the shipped sand at US$248 million in Singapore against US$28.7 million at the place of extraction. Cambodia Daily
- Riverbank and coastal communities — Riverbank collapse in Kandal and Prey Veng; the Koh Kong coast was dredged.
- Mother Nature activists — Prison terms in 2016 and 2024 and a 2018 conviction of two other activists. LICADHO
- Families in Prey Veng and Kandal — Houses and fields lost to the river.
What happened
A Global Witness report of 2010, reported by the Cambodia Daily, found that about 796,000 tonnes of sand a month were going from Koh Kong to Singapore. The sand was worth US$28.7 million at the place of extraction and US$248 million in Singapore. The licences had been granted behind closed doors to companies linked to Ly Yong Phat and Mong Reththy, both senators of the ruling Cambodian People's Party. Ly Yong Phat obtained his licence in Koh Kong after the 2009 export ban. The record shows no environmental assessment and no consultation of villagers, and Global Witness wrote that there was no evidence that the revenue reached the treasury.
In UN trade statistics (Comtrade) for 2007 to 2015, Cambodia declared exports of 2.8 million tonnes, while Singapore recorded imports of 72.7 million tonnes, valued at about US$752 million. For 2011 to 2015 the sources reviewed give more than US$400 million of value as absent from the records. Singapore's National Development Ministry has been recorded as saying that imports are commercial trade and that contractors must comply with the law of the source country.
Cambodia banned sand exports in 2017 and lifted the ban in 2020. On the Mekong and Bassac there were 49 licences covering 2,320 hectares, and extraction in 2020 was 11.7 million cubic metres, which the sources reviewed puts at 16 times natural replenishment. Licence holders include Global Green, run by the daughter of a timber businessman; Jin Ling Construction, linked to Prince Group, whose head Chen Zhi was an adviser to Hun Sen; and Sophearoth Aphivath, run by the daughter of General Meas Sophea. The wife of Ung Dipola, Director General of Mines, is recorded as co-director, in another company, with the manager of Sophearoth Aphivath. Ung Dipola said erosion was not caused by sand and that dredging covered only 4% of the river.
The measurements differ. In 2020 the ministry declared extraction of more than 13 million cubic metres on the Cambodian Mekong, while satellite estimates gave 59 million tonnes, about 39 million cubic metres; satellite-measured extraction had risen from 24 million tonnes in 2016. A review published in July 2026 by researchers at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University, in Reviews of Geophysics, put extraction on the Cambodian Mekong at more than 50 million tonnes a year against about 20 million tonnes permitted, with about 60% of it illegal. In Roka Koang commune, Kandal province, a villager has moved his house back from the riverbank repeatedly since 2016. In August 2024 in Prey Veng the houses and fields of five families went into the river; the district governor said a company held a contract with the provincial administration, and a Sand Resources Management Committee was then set up.
People who documented the trade were prosecuted. In 2016 three Mother Nature activists received prison terms and were ordered to pay US$25,000 to a sand company. In January 2018 RFA reported that two activists who filmed ships carrying silica sand off Senator Ly Yong Phat's economic zone were jailed and fined after a complaint by LYP Group. On 2 July 2024 ten Mother Nature activists were sentenced to 6 to 8 years for conspiracy. No case against the licence holders over the sand trade is recorded. In September 2025 Singapore's PUB said that a polder method at Tekong had cut sand use by about half.
- 2007Start of the period in which Singapore recorded 72.7 million tonnes of imports and Cambodia 2.8 million tonnes of exports (to 2015)
- 2009Cambodian sand export ban; Ly Yong Phat later obtains a sand licence in Koh Kong
- 2010Global Witness report: about 796,000 tonnes a month from Koh Kong to Singapore
- 2016Three Mother Nature activists receive prison terms and a US$25,000 compensation order; satellite-measured extraction on the Cambodian Mekong at 24 million tonnes
- 2017Cambodia bans sand exports
- 2018January: RFA reports two activists jailed and fined after a LYP Group complaint
- 2020Export ban lifted; extraction of 11.7 million cubic metres on the Mekong and Bassac; satellite estimate of 59 million tonnes
- 2023Singapore records sand imports of US$57.7 million, of which Malaysia US$50.9 million and the Philippines US$5.64 million
- 20242 July: ten Mother Nature activists sentenced to 6 to 8 years. August: five families in Prey Veng lose houses and fields to the river
- 20258 September: PUB reports the Tekong polder cut sand use by about half
- 202622 July: review by Nanyang Technological University researchers in Reviews of Geophysics on extraction on the Cambodian Mekong
What was said
Where accounts differ
Each party's account, side by side, with its source. The record does not settle these points; it shows them.
Cambodia declared exports of 2.8 million tonnes for 2007 to 2015; Singapore recorded imports of 72.7 million tonnes.
Open Development MekongImports are commercial trade, and contractors must comply with the law of the source country.
Erosion was not caused by sand, and dredging covered only 4% of the river.
A villager in Roka Koang has moved his house back repeatedly since 2016; five families in Prey Veng lost houses and fields to the river in August 2024.
Declared extraction of more than 13 million cubic metres in 2020 and said dredging could be beneficial to biodiversity.
59 million tonnes in 2020, about 39 million cubic metres; more than 50 million tonnes a year against about 20 million permitted, about 60% illegal.
How it looked
Shown
- Imports are commercial trade, and contractors must comply with the law of the source country.Singapore's National Development Ministry, as recorded in the sources reviewed
- Dredging could be beneficial to biodiversity.Cambodian ministry, as recorded in May 2022
Recorded
- Comtrade, 2007 to 2015: Cambodia declared exports of 2.8 million tonnes; Singapore recorded imports of 72.7 million tonnes (about US$752 million). More than US$400 million of value for 2011 to 2015 is absent from the records.
- Global Witness (2010): sand from Koh Kong, about 796,000 tonnes a month; licences to firms linked to two ruling-party senators; no evidence that revenue reached the treasury.
- Mekong and Bassac: 49 licences, 2,320 hectares; extraction of 11.7 million cubic metres in 2020, 16 times replenishment.
- Satellite estimates for the Cambodian Mekong: 24 million tonnes in 2016, 59 million tonnes in 2020; ministry declaration for 2020: more than 13 million cubic metres.
- Court outcomes: 2016, three activists; January 2018, two activists; 2 July 2024, ten activists sentenced to 6 to 8 years. No case against licence holders over sand is recorded.
- The US Treasury sanctioned Ly Yong Phat on 12 September 2024 for forced labour in scam compounds, and the US and UK sanctioned Chen Zhi on 14 October 2025, followed by a US indictment and his arrest and transfer to China on 6 January 2026. These measures were not taken over sand or evictions; of the two, only Chen Zhi is personally charged.
Who gained
Reached nature or the ground
Gained elsewhere
Responses on record
- singapore-government: Imports are commercial trade, and contractors must comply with the law of the source country (National Development Ministry, as recorded in the sources reviewed).
- pub-singapore (2025-09-08): An 800-hectare polder at Tekong cut sand use by about half compared with conventional reclamation, and more than 10 million cubic metres of clay were reused. · PUB Singapore
- cambodia-government: Director General of Mines Ung Dipola said erosion was not caused by sand and that dredging covered only 4% of the river.
- cambodia-government (2022-05): A ministry declared extraction of more than 13 million cubic metres on the Mekong and said dredging could be beneficial to biodiversity.
- cambodia-government (2024-08): The Prey Veng district governor said a company held a contract with the provincial administration; a Sand Resources Management Committee was then set up.
- lyp-group (2018-01): Filed the complaint that led to two activists being jailed over filming sand ships off its economic zone. · RFA
In court and with insurers
Lawsuits and rulings
- 2016Claimant won$0.03m US$25,000 compensation to the sand company (US$ millions)Prosecution of three Mother Nature activists (sand company complaint)· Criminal · Sand company (complainant) → Three Mother Nature activists
The three activists received prison terms of 18 months and were ordered to pay US$25,000 to a sand company.
- 2018-01-26Claimant wonProsecution of two activists who filmed sand ships off Ly Yong Phat's economic zone· Criminal · LYP Group (complainant) → Two activists
RFA reported on 26 January 2018 that the two activists, who filmed ships carrying silica sand off Senator Ly Yong Phat's economic zone, were jailed and fined after a complaint by LYP Group. RFA
- 2024-07-02Claimant wonProsecution of ten Mother Nature activists for conspiracy· Criminal · State prosecution → Ten Mother Nature activists
On 2 July 2024 ten activists of the organisation, which documented sand exports and coastal destruction, were sentenced to 6 to 8 years on a conspiracy charge. the sources reviewed notes that the charges are not directly tied to the sand business. LICADHO
Insurers
What nature saw
Nature's report opens this page. Below: further outcomes measured on the ground.
What we don't know
Nature
Figures
- Insufficient Singapore land area: Reported land area, 1960 to 2019; secondary report only.
Accounts
- Disputed How much sand went from Cambodia to Singapore?
Record
- None on record Global Witness found no evidence that licence revenue from the Koh Kong sand reached the state treasury.
- None on record No environmental assessment or consultation of villagers is recorded for the Koh Kong licences.
- None on record More than US$400 million of value for 2011 to 2015 is absent from the records of both countries.
- None on record No criminal or civil case against the licence holders over the sand trade is recorded.
- None on record the sources reviewed does not specify whether the 2010 value figures (US$28.7 million and US$248 million) cover a month or a longer period.
- Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: that bed lowering in the Cambodian Mekong reduced reverse flow into the Tonle Sap by 40% to 50% in 1998 to 2018 (source).
- Insufficient Reported but not independently verified: that Singapore's land area grew from 581.5 to 725.7 square kilometres between 1960 and 2019, and that it imported about 517 million tonnes of sand in 20 years (Singapore government page and a UN-attributed figure; reported).
Did the harm stop?
Cambodia's 2017 export ban was lifted in 2020. Satellite-measured extraction on the Cambodian Mekong rose from 24 million tonnes in 2016 to 59 million tonnes in 2020.
Who paid?
Villagers whose houses and fields were lost to riverbank collapse; activists who documented the trade were jailed and fined. No penalty on the licence holders is recorded.
Sources
Government and regulators
- Empoldering method of land reclamation cuts sand usage by halfPUB Singapore · 2025-09-08
- SandSG101 (Singapore government) · 2019
Press and investigations
- Cambodia Daily report by P. Vrieze on sand shipments from Koh Kong to SingaporeCambodia Daily · 2010-04-11
- Dredging figures do not add upOpen Development Mekong · 2016
- Cambodian activists jailed, fined over sand-dredging monitoringRFA · 2018-01-26
Communities and civil society
- Global Witness: Shifting SandGlobal Witness · 2010-05
- Mother Nature activists violently arrested, sentenced to 6-8 yearsLICADHO · 2024-07-02
Standard-setters and registries
- Singapore sand bilateral product profileOEC · 2023
Connected cases
- Mekong sand mining (Cambodia, Vietnam) Cambodia and Vietnam · 2007–2026 Related matter
- Global Witness (NGO) — here: NGO; 2010 report on the Koh Kong sand trade; there: NGO; 2010 report on Koh Kong sand exports and licences
- Mother Nature Cambodia (NGO) — here: NGO; activists prosecuted in 2016, 2018 and 2024; there: Activist group convicted in 2016 and 2024
- Mekong upstream dams and the decline of Tonle Sap flow reversal Cambodia · 1962–2026 Related matter
- Malaysia banned sea-sand exports to Singapore in 2018, reported only in 2019 Singapore · 2018
- Government of Singapore (Ministry of National Development) (Government) — here: Importer of the sand; Ministry of National Development; there: Buyer of imported sand; said its imports were commercial
- Global Witness (NGO) — here: NGO; 2010 report on the Koh Kong sand trade; there: Found Singapore's response inadequate
- 45Q lobby coalition's founding director was named to head DOE carbon office United States · 2011–2025
- Global Witness (NGO) — here: NGO; 2010 report on the Koh Kong sand trade; there: NGO whose 2023 figures are cited
- Cambodia fills Phnom Penh's Boeung Kak lake with sand under 99-year lease Cambodia · 2007–2011
- Government of Cambodia (Government) — here: Licensing authority; ministries and provincial administrations; there: lessor of the lake
- Carbon credit rating agencies and Space Intelligence rebuttal (Sylvera, BeZero) United Kingdom · 2022–2026
- Government of Singapore (Ministry of National Development) (Government) — here: Importer of the sand; Ministry of National Development; there: Government that tendered the three raters and set the exclusion rule
- Johor and Batam data centres for Singapore Malaysia / Indonesia / Singapore · 2019–2026
- Government of Singapore (Ministry of National Development) (Government) — here: Importer of the sand; Ministry of National Development; there: Set the moratorium and quota on data centres
- Koç and Sabancı named partners of COP31 climate summit in Antalya Türkiye · 2026
- Global Witness (NGO) — here: NGO; 2010 report on the Koh Kong sand trade; there: Published the participant counts
- Marange diamonds and the Kimberley Process (Zimbabwe) Zimbabwe · 2008–2025
- Global Witness (NGO) — here: NGO; 2010 report on the Koh Kong sand trade; there: NGO that left the Kimberley Process in 2011
- Myanmar Kachin heavy rare earth mining and Kok River arsenic Thailand · 2025
- Global Witness (NGO) — here: NGO; 2010 report on the Koh Kong sand trade; there: NGO; reported on heavy rare earth mining in Myanmar
- Myanmar rare earth mining districts lost 32,720 hectares of tree cover Myanmar · 2025
- Global Witness (NGO) — here: NGO; 2010 report on the Koh Kong sand trade; there: Investigating NGO; reported China's imports from Myanmar
- Quest CCS (Shell, Alberta) Canada · 2015–2020
- Global Witness (NGO) — here: NGO; 2010 report on the Koh Kong sand trade; there: NGO that published the capture-versus-emissions comparison
- Saweto killings Peru · 2014–2026
- Global Witness (NGO) — here: NGO; 2010 report on the Koh Kong sand trade; there: Reported the 2026 arrests
- Ten Mother Nature activists sentenced over documenting sand dredging Cambodia · 2018–2024
- LYP Group (Company) — here: Company of Senator Ly Yong Phat; Koh Kong sand licences; complainant against activists; there: company whose complaint led to the 2018 jailing of two activists