A Change of Guard

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Wednesday 11 April 2012

Small victory for villagers [A victory against a corrupt powerful minister]

Top: Suy Sem (front row) sitting next to Chea Kheng, his wife.

Bottom: Villagers embroiled in a land dispute with the KDC company at their homes in Kampong Chhnang province in September last year. Phto by Drek Stout

By Chhay Channyda
Wednesday, 11 April 2012
Phnom Penh Post

The Kampong Chhnang provincial court yesterday ordered the KDC company to produce proof of ownership for 105 land titles in the Kampong Tralach district, the subject of a land dispute that dates back to 2007.

Long Lun, attorney for 70-year-old Chat Batt from the Lorpeang village, who claims KDC unlawfully grabbed her land without payment, said yesterday he welcomed the court’s decision, which will force the company to prove their debated ownership of the land.

“The court also requested cadastral officials to file all relevant land measurements,” the attorney said.

In 2007, Lorpeang villagers claim that the KDC company, owned by Chea Kheng, wife of the Minister of Industry, Mines and Energy Suy Sem, took more than 500 hectares of their farmland with no payment or agreement. The company insists the land was purchased properly.

Since then, almost all of the working-age men in the village have gone to Thailand to work on fishing boats because they no longer have any land to farm.

Twenty-two families affected by the land dispute have filed individual complaints against KDC seeking the return of their farmland.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you the for judgments that favoring the people you did the right things Sir (Judge) Its time to fight back to these land crabbers thieves whose using power &influence or connection to Cpp to steal people's lands.I applause for the courage that you stand up for your poor people.Please don't let corruptions takes root any longer clean it up now for your sons&daughters generations. thanks ..from usa.

Menguist said...

This is the right and proper way for the court to handle the case. This should set as an example for many cases to come. I support and applause for such outcome.