S’ville families seek governor’s intervention in land dispute

AT LEAST 18 families from Village 3 in Sihanoukville’s Commune I are seeking prov incial governor Kuoch Chamroeun ’s inter vention in a year-old dispute with a couple who t hey accuse of bui lding structures on t heir land.

Duch Chan Samai, the v illagers’ representative, told The Post on Wednesday t hat Loek Lea k hena a nd her husband Kith Bun had blocked their access to the more t han 1ha la nd wit h fences since late last year.

“Villagers are hopeless now. We have filed a complaint to provincial administration many times. There was also an intervention from Minister of Justice Ang Vong Vathana, but nothing has come of it. There is still no solution.

“We request t he prov incia l governor to help resolve t his issue because t he couple ig nored t he aut hor it ies who attempted to stop them from building anything on the land. They have resumed t he construction,” he said.

He said the couple claimed to own the land based on an ownership certificate dated December 27, 1993. However, he sa id t hat cer t if icate had a lready been abrogated by t he gover n ment i n a n a nnouncement i ssued on Aug ust 22, 1999.

Leakhena told The Post on Wednesday that she had on numerous occasions requested a meeting with the villagers at the provincial hall in a bid to end the dispute, but they never showed up.

“If they [villagers] claim the provincial administration has ceded the land to them, then they need to bring their documentation to prove it. I have occupied the land and paid property taxes every year.

“My land is more than 2ha. They said my land documentation has been revoked, but who annulled it?” she asked.

Leak hena claimed the v illagers were not involved in the land dispute but were hired to protest by an unidentif ied indiv idua l who she cla imed had g rabbed over 1ha of her land.

“I have f i led a complaint to bot h t he prov i ncia l aut horit ies a nd t he cour t,” she sa id.

Y Thearin, the acting director of the provincial administration’s Inter-Sector Department, said he had assigned local authorities to halt construction on the disputed land pending a compromise.

“The prov incia l hall has been holding meetings to solve t he land dispute, but we haven’t come to a decision yet. The [Sihanoukville] authorities have gone to halt the construction so you can check wit h t hem,” he said.

In a letter dated August 20 and seen by The Post on Wednesday, Thearin briefed the provincial governor about the disputed land after the government revoked all ownership of land in Stung Hav district’s Kbal Chhay area, which also covered land owned by the couple.

The letter said the government decided to distribute parts of the land to villagers

The 18 families are poor and the governor had distributed the land to them. The couple’s claim to the land is not valid anymore

after the annulment. Thearin said the couple’s plot was part of the land to be distributed by the provincial governor.

Deputy provincial governor Sorn Kosal said he had already referred the case to the provincial authority.

“It’s out of our hands now. When Yun Min was still provincial governor, Chan Samai [the villagers’ representative] received a plot along with other needy villagers,” he said.

Sok Sok hom, the director of the Cambodian National Research Organisation (CNRO), said the couple had an ownership cer t if icate, but he was uncerta in where exactly t he land is located following the government’s annulment.

“The 18 families are poor and the governor had distributed the land to them. The couple’s claim to the land is not valid anymore [after the abrogation],” he said.