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| Villagers from Kampong Chhnang’s Lorpeang Village, pictured last year, have recently been granted permission to farm land that has been disputed since 2007 with the KDC company. Photograph: Derek Stout/Phnom Penh Post |
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| CPP Land Thief Chea Kheng, the wife of CPP minister Suy Sem (Photo:Mondulkeo, RFA) |
Chhay Channyda
The Phnom Penh Post
Forty Kampong Chhnang villagers embroiled in a long-running land dispute with KDC International, a company owned by the wife of a senior CPP official, farmed contested land without interference on Monday, prompting some to wonder if they were being coaxed to vote for the ruling party in the coming commune elections.
Villagers were confused as to why no one barred them from the land, which is claimed by KDC and its owner Chea Kheng, wife of CPP-affiliated Industry, Mines and Energy Minister Suy Sem.
However, village representative Reach Seima suspects the new accommodation is simply because “it’s time to vote”.
“When we entered, the guard told us to bring more villagers to [farm] on this land,” he said. “We wondered is that a trick of the company? [The CPP] are good to us because they don’t want to lose votes.”
The land has been in dispute since 2007, when KDC International bulldozed 145 hectares of farmland in Lorpeang village in Kampong Chhnang’s Ta Ches commune without compensating local residents.
In early May, the provincial court ruled against a villager who demanded 30 acres of land from KDC, despite the company failing to provide proof of ownership.
According to Reach Seima, CPP commune chief Suos Siphay told Lorpeang villagers that he could resolve their dispute if re-elected. Villagers, he said, were unconvinced.
“We will vote according to our will to change the old commune chief, and replace him,” Reach Siema said.
Suos Siphay said he did not know the background of the Lorpeang land dispute because he was elected after it began, and denied promising villagers he could solve their land issues.
”I campaigned in that village to tell them I’d take care of all people’s problems,” he said. “But in this land dispute, I dared not to promise them because it’s in the court’s hands. If it wasn’t at court, I would intervene.”
Sam Chankea, a provincial coordinator for the rights group Adhoc, said that KDC’s motivations were political.
“In the election period, the company is not serious or it would affect votes for its political party [CPP],” he said.
KDC representatives could not be reached for comment.
6 comments:
After CPP sack you again and this time you all will die or slave of them when you all dumb stupid to vote them.
this article is difficult to read. the writing has wierd punctuation, load meaning, and unclear sentences. PPP should have better editors and should be clear about the writing style to adopt, us or non-us, not mixed.
She is a CROOK FAT ASS. All she wants and vote for her CPP. After election she will rob POOR people again. Go to hell FAT ASS!
in cambodia anyone can abuse the system if they are not educated and reminded about the rule of law, the changes, the land rights, human rights, civil rights, etc, etc... that's why, it should be about the rule of law and justice, not about some personal greed, prejudice, discrimination, etc, etc, really. i don't care who you are, if you violate the rule of law and abuse the system or take advantage of the weak system or loophole, etc, you are evil and shouldn't be the leader, period. yes, cambodia has change and time changes too, so get educated for a change, really. god bless all.
it is bad sign when you see people in power get involve in some form of dispute with the public in society. leaders are expected to abide by the rule of law, not self-righteous and use that power to abuse the system, etc, really! i don't care who you are, it's about doing the right thing, ok!
if leadership abuse power, maybe they shouldn't belong in the leadership group, maybe they ought to resign from that privileged group. i still say the rule of law is best for all in cambodia, like it or not, live with it for it is a form of justice when we all live under the rule of law. the weak will die, the strong with survive, unless the weak is change and educated, etc. and stupidity never help in all of this, you know.
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