UDG ordered to stop clearing K Kong land
THE Koh Kong provincial governor on Tuesday said she has ordered Chinese firm Union Development Group to cease all land-clearing activities in Kiri Sakor district until authorities finish assessing damage claims by villagers whose crops were bulldozed this month.
“We told the company to stop their activity of clearing and local authorities are counting the cleared crops before solving the issue,” Governor Mithona Phouthorng said.
Some 30 villagers from Koh Sdach commune met with the governor and local officials on Friday after the company allegedly destroyed hundreds of coconut, mango and cashew trees to make way for part of a $3.8 billion beach resort development on a 45,000hectare land concession spanning two districts.
While Adhoc indicated that most of those villagers are having their claims assessed, two families told The Post on Tuesday their claims had been categorically dismissed.
An Sam Luon, 62, said she and “several” other families from a different village nearby were told by authorities that they had already been com- pensated some $8,000, which they denied ever receiving.
“They declined to give us a solution because we allegedly got compensation already, but we did not get any compensation whatsoever,” she said. “Even though we had land titles, we will not be compensated,” she said, alleging her coconut and cashew crops were also cleared by the company last week.
Saing Puy, 35, said she had joined the villagers’ complaint because her family’s coconut and cashew trees were allegedly destroyed by UDG in 2011 without compensation. Her claims were also denied.
Phouthorng acknowledged some families are not included in the planned compensation allotment before declining to clarify further. Representatives of UDG could not be reached.
Nheab Eurn, provincial coordinator for rights group Adhoc, said at least 10 families were excluded from compensation because it was determined their land had not been affected.
“The authority should not have declined to find solution for them because it is a big company and project, and villagers’ properties are affected and destroyed,” he said.