Some 400 households in Preah Vihear province have been given 15 days to vacate their farmland, which they’ve cultivated since early 2012, to make means for an financial land concession (ELC) that was granted to a Chinese language-owned firm. The eviction order has been seen as a violation towards human rights by a civil society group.
On Monday, about 100 individuals from two districts in Preah Vihear province gathered in Phnom Penh to submit a petition to the workplace of the Prime Minister’s Cupboard and the Land Administration Ministry following final week’s order by the provincial authorities to villagers to go away their land by the center of April this yr.
The villagers stated the dispute entails almost 397 farming households who work on the land that has been given to China Nice Trigger (Cambodia) Funding. The corporate was granted 5,980 hectares of land as a part of the ELC in Rovieng and Sangkum Thmei districts in 2012.
Villagers had been farming with out challenge till final yr when firm representatives and authorities started gathering data on land use, culminating in final week’s eviction order which stated that villagers have been discovered residing on the corporate’s undeveloped land.
Resident Mut Chheat, who got here to Phnom Penh to submit the petition, stated the villagers would proceed the protest till an answer is reached regardless of the eviction deadline.
“We don’t belief the commune and provincial degree authorities as a result of they pressured us by providing 1.2 million riel [approximately $300] compensation to maneuver out. If we don’t settle for it, they stated they’d handcuff us or ship us to court docket and imprison us,” he stated.
“We’ve been cultivating this land because the [early] 2020s and it’s our supply of earnings. In the event that they take it away, we can’t survive. As such, we don’t conform to the compensation,” Chheat stated, including that the quantity supplied is “too small”. His land measures 9 hectares.
“We solely want land for cultivating. We don’t want compensation,” Chheat stated.
A Preah Vihear Provincial Administration discover dated March 27, 2026 states that the federal government granted the ELC title to agro-industrial China Nice Trigger by means of a sub-decree on February 24, 2012.
It stated the corporate had accomplished the authorized procedures to register the state land, acquiring seven land titles totaling 5,871 hectares, and has carried out cultivation in phases. Nonetheless, some parts of the land remained empty which led to residents allegedly encroaching and occupying the registered state land, thus obstructing their funding actions.
After a number of rounds of mediation between the residents and investor, the latter agreed to resolve the matter by means of a win-win mechanism by providing residents who allegedly occupied the registered state land 1.2 million riel per hectare to vacate inside 15 days from March 30.
Operations director Am Sam Ath of NGO rights group, Licadho, stated the 15-day deadline ending April 13 may be very brief, noting that authorities ought to attempt to discover options that don’t embody compelled eviction, which is a “critical violation of residents’ rights”.
“The truth that residents lived and farmed on the land is as a result of native authorities allowing them. So, when there’s a drawback, authorities mustn’t blame residents. As an alternative, they should search peaceable options to keep away from compelled eviction,” Sam Ath remarked.
He stated earlier than granting ELCs, authorities and related establishments should implement the sub-decree on ELCs and land legislation, and be certain that prior session with native authorities and affected residents are performed. There ought to be a decision beforehand, in addition to an environmental impression evaluation report.
Preah Vihear provincial deputy governor Kim Chanpanha echoed their assertion however appealed to villagers to cooperate and settle for the compensation coverage supplied by the corporate.
“We are going to attempt to [strike a] compromise with the villagers in order that they depart peacefully,” he stated.
The provincial discover states that it “doesn’t intend to evict villagers”, nevertheless, Chanpanha talked about, the land belongs to the state and has been leased to the corporate.
There are about 150 households in Sangkum Thmei district, the place 48 households have agreed to simply accept compensation, whereas in Rovieng district, round 300 households live on personal state land. “The authorities are working to discover a resolution.”
“In Rovieng, as a primary step, now we have solely issued notices to the villagers and labored with the corporate and a working group to resolve the problem by providing compensation, like a charge for the villagers on the land that has been cleared,” he stated.
Land Administration Ministry spokesperson Seng Louth, authorities spokesperson Pen Bona, and a consultant of the Chinese language agency couldn’t be reached for remark.
1 views
