PM lauds support for vets as 200 plots gifted

PRIME Minister Hun Manet announced that 200 veterans and their families have been awarded plots of land in Svay Rieng province. He explained that the gifts aim to improve the livelihoods of families, and were part of the seventh-mandate government’s policy and programmes for Nation Building and Defence 2023-28.

He took to social media on January 17 to announce the grants, noting that Minister of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction Say Samal had presented title deeds to the plots – in Romeas Hek district’s Andong Trabek commune – to the lucky families the day prior.

“The plots of land that the government has allocated to the grantees are valuable assets which will improve the livelihoods of their families. This is example of the government’s care for the wellbeing of the public, especially veterans and vulnerable families,” he said.

Manet added that this is part of the implementation of the Nation Building and Defence 2023-28 programme. He described the registration of land and issuance of title deeds as a priority task for his government.

He noted that to date, the land management ministry has issued around five million title deeds to the public, and is set to issue an additional two million deeds.

Chey Tech, an independent socioeconomic analyst, supported the continued allocation of land to veterans and vulnerable families, saying the policy has eased their financial burdens and rewarded the sacrifices many had made for the nation.

“It is crucial to provide people with legal ownership of their property, as it gives them peace of mind. Now that the land belongs to them, they feel safe to develop it and cultivate crops or initiate construction projects, both of which contribute to the stimulation of the economy. They can also sell their land, or use it as collateral for business development loans,” he said.

The Nation Building and Defence 2023-2028 programme focuses on land management and construction. The government has called for the acceleration of land registration, especially for ethnic minority community members.

It is also continuing to offer social land concessions, allocating land to poor civil servants and veterans or members of the armed forces who live in the Kingdom’s border regions.