Natives urge end to land rows
MORE than 800 families of the Kui indigenous communities of Salachhdor and Chaom Prich living on over 4,000ha in Kampong Thom province are appealing to the authorities for a speedy resolution to land disputes caused by encroachment by outside parties.
Nguon Heang, a representative of the Chaom Prich community in Sala Visay commune’s Talaek village in Prasat Balang district, said her community consisted of 669 families on 3,716ha that was divided into two areas.
The first consists of 319 families settled on more than 300ha of forest land.
The second consists of 350 families who are not permanently settled, ranging across more than 2,000ha. Of the 350 families, about 50 are being negatively impacted by private firms and traders who have now allegedly cleared 100ha with the intention of seizing it.
“They are clearing it day and night and we demand that the authorities speed up their investigation and offer solutions to the problems with land our community is having,” she said.
Luon Nuon, a representative of the Salachhdor community in Sala Visay commune’s Kokir village in Prasat
Balang district, said her community consisted of more than 200 families settled on 1,006ha but now all the land that remained for the community was only 361ha with 61ha of that being forest.
She claimed that the land had been lost because individuals and businesses from outside the region had arrived and then rapidly cleared and claimed it.
“My Kui indigenous people know less about how to do business, so they only work in the forest. I lost the land in the forest that Samdech [Prime Minister Hun Sen] entrusted to me to take care of though it belongs to the state.
“We’ve lost the forest, lakes and ponds. The old road that I used to walk on to the rice paddies has been blocked. So, I want this problem solved,” she said.
Prasat Balang district governor Vanak Sopheanith told The Post that in the past the district and provincial authorities had protected those two communities. They had gone on patrols there, filed court complaints on their behalf and educated the local people.
“The case is a small one, but we have continued to crack down on [the encroachments]. In the past, we had also gone there to educate them about the law. If there are reports from the communities, district authorities or anyone we will go there and crack down on them without fail,” he said.
Sala Visay commune Forestry Administration chief Phok Chetra said that in 2019 and 2020, the forest was heavily logged and the authorities had detained some loggers and also filed court complaints against some others.
“I don’t remember exactly how many we had detained and sent to court. Let me look up the records. But I would guess no fewer than 20 cases over a period of two years,” he said.
Chetra pointed out, however, that companies did not encroach on the land and that it was only individuals from other provinces that did so.
“Some of the people come from Kampong Cham province, some from other places. They buy it and then clear it. We have also seized excavators. We could not get there on time to catch them, so we then file a court complaint and search for them,” he said.
Chetra said community members had been instructed to patrol the area and exercise their rights as residents. And if they could not solve a problem, he said they had to report it to the authorities urgently and cooperate with them fully in order for the law to be successfully enforced.
THREE cooperate-bond-listed firms on February 15 reported solid businessperformance recovery in the fourth quarter of last year resulting from proactive government measures that kept economic activities afloat despite the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In its filing to Cambodia Securities Exchange (CSX), Advanced Bank of Asia Ltd (ABA) reported that 11,331 loans worth $724.2 million were disbursed in the fourth quarter. Its gross loan portfolio grew by 12 per cent quarter-on-quarter to $3.8 billion.
ABA said its deposit portfolio continued to grow in the fourth quarter, surging nine per cent quarter-on-quarter to $4.0 billion. Its client base climbed 12 per cent quarter-on-quarter to 1.4 million.
Its chairman Yves Jacquot said in the filing that the bank restructured 10,768 loans worth $551 million in the fourth quarter, with the share of restructured loans in the total portfolio dropping two percentage points quarter-on-quarter to 14 per cent.
He said: “ABA continues to implement its business strategy, focusing on digital finance products and productive loans to businesses in real sectors of the economy.
“While continuously innovating for banking solutions, the bank applies a robust risk management culture strengthened by audit and compliance functions.”
Leading automobile company RMA (Cambodia) Plc (RMAC) said in its filing that it closed out its fiscal 2020 year with solid fourth-quarter sales and net profit, which surged 20.7 per cent and 154.0 per cent year-on-year, respectively.
It said: “This strong performance needs to be highlighted and again demonstrates the power of our brands and the success of our teams in the automobile, agricultural and heavyequipment industries in Cambodia.”
Sales grew 55.2 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter, but tempered in the second quarter with a 40.9 per cent year-on-year contraction due to Covid19 restrictions, RMAC said. Third-quarter sales were still 0.4 per cent lower than the corresponding 2019 figure, even after showing “a promising turn-around”.
Its chairman Kevin Whitcraft said in the filing that RMAC maintained “healthy fundamentals” throughout last year by lowering its inventory level and working capital, while taking a cautious approach to spending. The product pipeline was kept at a healthy level as of the end of the fourth quarter.
He said: “The company continues to launch products from our suppliers focusing on the needs of Cambodian consumers and ensuring that we are providing products with latest technology features, focusing on lowering fuel consumption and with a constant view toward the safety of our customers in the products we sell.”
Meanwhile, Hattha Bank Plc (HKL) reported in its filing that the bank restructured more than 13,000 loans worth close to $140 million in the fourth quarter.
It said its loan portfolio grew 16 per cent quarter-on-quarter to $1.323 billion in the fourth quarter, while deposits ended 17 per cent higher quarter-on-quarter to set an all-time record of $793 million.
Its PAR30+ ratio reduced from 1.44 to 0.70 per cent as “we continued to strengthen asset quality management and customers improved their financial position”, it added.
PAR30+ is the percentage of the gross loan portfolio for all outstanding loans that are overdue by more than 30 days.
HKL chairman Dan Harsono said in the filing: “In the last quarter of 2020, [the] Cambodian economy continued to recover although the global situation of Covid-19 was still prolonged and affected all countries.
“Local businesses and domestic consumption, a vital engine of Cambodian economic growth, where severely impacted.
“I appreciated the proactive measures from the government and NBC [National Bank of Cambodia] in addressing the need of businesses, individuals and financial institutions. These efforts enabled business activities to continue [despite] challenges from the pandemic.”