National Land-Dispute Body Yet To Resolve a Single Conflict
By Pin Sisovann
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
The National Authority for the Resolution of Land Disputes, created as a high-profile emergency solution for Cambodia's endemic land conflicts almost 10 months ago, has not yet resolved a single dispute, the authority's deputy chairman said Thursday.
Eng Chhay Fang, who is also an SRP lawmaker, said that since its establishment Feb 26, the group has collected more than 2,000 complaints from individuals embroiled in land disputes.
But the authority has been unable to resolve them because it simply does not have the legal authority to do so, he said.
"There is no law authorizing the authority to solve disputes," he said. "They are in the hands of the courts."
However, the authority has been able to confiscate a total of 20,000 hectares of illegally obtained state property this year. That land will be now distributed as a social concession to the poor, he maintained.
At a recent meeting of the authority, the body decided to start trying to focus on some of the less complicated land disputes and mediate to find solutions for them, Eng Chhay Eang said. This has not yet happened but will hopefully start soon, he added.
Prime Minister Hun Sen has warned of the dangers of land grabbing by powerful government officials on several occasions.
In December 2005, he warned that land-grabbing could spark a "farmer revolution."
He added that high-ranking officials and RCAF forces should compare themselves to ordinary people and stop violating the rights of the poor.
Eng Chhay Eang said that he thought a revolution prompted by land disputes is impossible.
Accelerating the issuing of land titles will stem new land disputes, he said. According to the World Bank, about 20,000 land titles are being issued a month.
Rights activists said land conflicts have worsened this year. Chan Soveth, an investigator with local rights group Adhoc, said that he sees signs of rebellion in disputes such as the one concerning 10,000 hectares of land in Battambang province's Bavel district where rogue RCAF soldiers who claim the land have been accused of torching homes and detaining villagers.
Nhiek Tho Dollar, director of the Land is Life NGO, said those forced from their homes in Phnom Penh's Tonle Bassac commune in May and June cannot survive at their squalid relocation site on the outskirts of the capital.
"[Hun Sen's] single effort cannot prevent it," he said of a possible revolution over land.
Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said the government recognizes there is a problem with land-grabbing. But he added that the problem will not prompt a revolution, and that efforts are underway to stem the disputes.
Eng Chhay Fang, who is also an SRP lawmaker, said that since its establishment Feb 26, the group has collected more than 2,000 complaints from individuals embroiled in land disputes.
But the authority has been unable to resolve them because it simply does not have the legal authority to do so, he said.
"There is no law authorizing the authority to solve disputes," he said. "They are in the hands of the courts."
However, the authority has been able to confiscate a total of 20,000 hectares of illegally obtained state property this year. That land will be now distributed as a social concession to the poor, he maintained.
At a recent meeting of the authority, the body decided to start trying to focus on some of the less complicated land disputes and mediate to find solutions for them, Eng Chhay Eang said. This has not yet happened but will hopefully start soon, he added.
Prime Minister Hun Sen has warned of the dangers of land grabbing by powerful government officials on several occasions.
In December 2005, he warned that land-grabbing could spark a "farmer revolution."
He added that high-ranking officials and RCAF forces should compare themselves to ordinary people and stop violating the rights of the poor.
Eng Chhay Eang said that he thought a revolution prompted by land disputes is impossible.
Accelerating the issuing of land titles will stem new land disputes, he said. According to the World Bank, about 20,000 land titles are being issued a month.
Rights activists said land conflicts have worsened this year. Chan Soveth, an investigator with local rights group Adhoc, said that he sees signs of rebellion in disputes such as the one concerning 10,000 hectares of land in Battambang province's Bavel district where rogue RCAF soldiers who claim the land have been accused of torching homes and detaining villagers.
Nhiek Tho Dollar, director of the Land is Life NGO, said those forced from their homes in Phnom Penh's Tonle Bassac commune in May and June cannot survive at their squalid relocation site on the outskirts of the capital.
"[Hun Sen's] single effort cannot prevent it," he said of a possible revolution over land.
Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said the government recognizes there is a problem with land-grabbing. But he added that the problem will not prompt a revolution, and that efforts are underway to stem the disputes.
1 comment:
It is a pity it has taken this long for SRP to realise the National Authority has no legal authority.
And it seems sad that it does not appreciate one of the ruling party's weaknesses.
SiS
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