A/HRC/12/41 page 13 He was released and temporarily allowed by the Vietnamese authorities to return to Cambodia where he expressed the desire to remain. In spite of Government assurances to the contrary, he was refused issuance of an identity card that would improve his protection under the law. Afraid of being returned to Viet Nam, he fled to Thailand in mid-April 2009 and sought political asylum. While this case is exceptional, it illustrates the difficulties that Khmer Krom face when advocating their rights or views. While OHCHR understands the political sensitivity of the issue in the context of the relationship between Cambodia and Viet Nam, all Cambodian citizens should enjoy the same protection under national law. D. Land and livelihoods 44. The Land and Livelihoods Programme works with the Government, local communities, NGOs, the private sector and development actors: (a) to support the Government’s responsibility to ensure compliance of its policies and practices with national law and international standards pertaining to land and housing; (b) to improve the protection of land and housing rights and find joint and fair solutions to land disputes; (c) to increase and improve access to justice and remedies for people claiming or defending land rights in urban and rural areas; and (d) to increase the integration of human rights into the work of United Nations agencies, international organizations and business enterprises in Cambodia. 45. Land conflicts and forced evictions affect large numbers of people in Cambodia. Over 150,000 people have been evicted in recent years and as many are estimated to be facing eviction nationwide. Poor people living in informal settlements in urban areas since the 1980s, small-scale farmers and indigenous communities are particularly vulnerable. Land conflicts are rooted in insecurity of land tenure and the lack of effective implementation of laws protecting land and property rights, in particular the Land Law of 2001. The slow pace of land title registration means that most people lack proper titles in a context of rising land prices and speculation, major urban and economic development, interference of private interests with the granting and sale of public land, and land grabbing by rich and powerful elements. This situation is aggravated by the lack of effective redress against land spoliation. 46. OHCHR considers that if the Land Law was effectively implemented, many land conflicts would not arise, those arising would find fair solutions, and that land conflicts require heightened attention on the part of the highest authorities. 47. In rural areas, OHCHR has continued to monitor the granting of economic land concessions (ELC) and their impact on the rights of local communities. In many cases, no environmental and social assessments are conducted prior to the granting of ELC, contrary to the sub-decree on ELC, and no consultation with affected communities takes place. The recommendations of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for human rights in Cambodia in his 2007 study on economic land concessions2 have been mostly ignored by the Government. 2 Available at http://cambodia.ohchr.org.