Consultation council ‘active’ on land work

THE secreta r iat head of t he Supreme Council for Consultation and Recommendation re sponded on Tue s day t o cr it icism his i nst it ut ion was not independent a nd did not do enoug h t o s ol v e l a nd disputes.

In hitting back at allegations that the council is merely the government’s servant and did not have any influence in tackling major issues, Chhim Phal Virun said council members submit reports directly to Prime Minister Hun Sen.

At a press conference on Tuesday, he said about 90 per cent of the reports relate to land disputes, and that the names of people who have positions in government are clearly indicated.

Through report writing and discussion with t he prime minister, each of the members a lways raises the main issues and revea ls the names and positions of officia ls who encroach on State la nd, he said.

“In response to the accusation that each member of this institution is the servant of the government, the work shows that each is trying to prove himself by reporting issues to the Prime Minister.

“If people see delegate reports, they will know. They do not only consist of the issues but also the names and positions of people involved.

These reports have reached Hun Sen already,” he said.

Phal Virun told The Post on Wednesday that most cases that his institution looked into involved land disputes (90 per cent). For each mission, a delegate writes a report and highlights related points and people.

“Specific names of officials related to land issues are in Phnom Penh, Siem Reap, Preah Sihanouk, Battambang, Pursat, Banteay Meanchey, Mondulkiri, Kampong Thom and more,” he said.

His institution, Phal Virun said, does not have a dut y to tack le any issue direct ly, and t hat it is t he government t hat releases lega l letters based on t he notes of the Prime Minister.

Rights group Adhoc spokesman Seung Senkarona told The Post on Wednesday that the work of t he council is new. He said this dut y in the past fel l to polit ica l parties to tack le land disputes for cit i zens.

Senkarona said he appreciates all the work because it serves to tackle issues for people. He expects all requests are handled without discrimination.

“I cannot evaluate all t he work in a politica l perspective, but I believe t hat if each role is f ulfilled, it benefits t he people. If citizens get advantage from it, it is acceptable,” he said.