Dear Editor,

In his letter in the Post of August 4, Russell Peterson added a positive observation

regarding the Government's good leadership (NGO view of forest law).

He says further that "the Government has taken the unprecedented steps of providing

compensation to project-affected people and of requesting NGOs to monitor..."

this in regard to the National Route 1 reconstruction.

I would like topoint out that the Government with the assistance of the World Bank

is in the process of providing compensation to project-affected people along NR 3

and NR 6, and that Cambodian Researchers for Development, a local NGO, not only has

conducted the inventory surveys but continues to monitor all aspects of the resettlement

and compensation. We might thus better speak of a trend of good governance than call

this an unprecedented step.

- John Vijghen, Coordinator, Resettlement Action Plan, NR3 and NR6