PM overturns decree Tycoon to return land to evicted families
AFTER spending years locked in a land dispute, villagers in Preah Sihanouk’s Prey Nop district received a conclusion they could only have dreamed of: land whose provenance is still being litigated would be returned to them, homes that had been razed at the order of authorities would be rebuilt, all expenses paid. All of it settled in less than a day.
That unprecedented conclusion, however, came not at the behest of the courts, but thanks to an order issued by Prime Minister Hun Sen. The premier directly intervened in the dispute on Sunday with a directive that voided a sub-decree granting the land to tycoon Cheam Phen who owns the rights to Leo beer in Cambodia following a court decision.
In a letter, Hun Sen ordered Deputy Prime Minister Bin Chhin, presi- dent of the national authority for land dispute resolutions, to fix the problem.
“The governor of Preah Sihanouk, all ministries and institutions concerned shall implement the decision from the day of signing,” the letter added.
In a separate letter, Hun Sen called on tycoon and CPP Senator Mong Reththy to allow the 49 families to stay on his compound while their homes are being re-constructed at Hun Sen’s expense and by Reththy’s construction company – an offer Reththy has made in the past.
Yesterday, the premier dispatched Reththy, Chhin and his son Hun Manith to the area to deliver the news in person.
In 2007, the Preah Sihanouk Provincial Court awarded the contested land to Phen. Villagers appealed the decision, which remained pending as of earlier this month, when authorities – after weeks of threats – bulldozed the homes of 21 families, many of whom had been living there for more than a decade.
Phen offered each family compensation and a 20-by-30-metre plot of land and home, but villagers rejected the offer, demanding a return of the land and new homes. Their lawyers argued that an eviction should never have