Jolie still funding Cambodian project

PHNOM PENH (Cambodia)—Angelina Jolie has set up an independent Cambodian organization to administer a conservation project for remote northwestern areas of the country, the director of the new group said Monday.
Jolie terminated the contract with Cambodian Vision in Development and U.S. conservation group WildAid, which had co-managed the project, in December, said Stephan Bognar, executive director of the Maddox Jolie Project. The new group is named for Jolie’s 5-year-old son Maddox, who was adopted from Cambodia in 2002.
The 31-year-old actress has promised up to $1.3 million over five years for the forest conservation program, which was approved by the Cambodia government in 2003.
Mounh Sarath, director of Cambodian Vision in Development, said Monday Jolie had violated the agreement “under which she agreed to provide funds to CVD.” Trevor Neilson, the philanthropic and political adviser for Jolie and her partner, Brad Pitt, denied the actress had reneged on any agreement.
“A decision was made to spend the money in a new way that would be more effective for the people of Cambodia,” Neilson said. “No agreement was broken. There was no reneging on any commitment.”
“Angelina has been funding projects in Cambodia for the last three years and is committed to doing her part to improve the lives of the Cambodian people,” he added. Scenes for Jolie’s 2001 movie, “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” were filmed at Cambodia’s famed Angkor Wat temple.—Agencies