Military Chiefs of 4th Military Region Are Using Local People as Shield in Grabbing Land on Dangrek Mountain Range
By Sar Botum
Moneakseka Khmer
Translated from Khmer and posted online
The forests on the Dangrek Mountain Range in Oddar Meanchey province have been cleared almost to the last tree and the land thereof has been divvied up and staked out by the people. According to those living in Anlung Veng district, however, the people were merely hired hands paid a minuscule sum to clear the forested land for the commanders of the 4th Military Region.
It is said that if the military chiefs wanted the forested land along the Dangrek Mountain Range they did not have to dirty their hands by taking this land themselves. They just spent a little money hiring the local people to clear it and waited to take possession of the cleared land once all the trees were felled. In this way, they would not risk being criticized.
Because of this use of money by the military to push for the clearing of the forests, the once densely covered Dangrek Mountain Range has become a barren, denuded region where land has been portioned off and sold from hand to hand. The competent authorities have appeared indifferent to the fate of this region.
According to the local people, the forests on the Dangrek Mountain Range, especially in Anlung Veng district, have been logged on a large scale since it was rumored that this area would become a tourist zone and that plans were made to open an international border gate there.
At present, the land in this region is worth as much as the real estate at Poipet, that is, the seller can get no less than US$50 per square meter.
Some locations have already been set aside for the construction of large casinos, which is another factor that has boosted land price even more.
In this situation, the soldiers of the 4th Military Region are not the only ones to have pursued their ugly ambitions by destroying the forests and grabbing the state-owned real estate; each of the local authorities has also been known to be in possession of countless plots of land.
This large-scale land-grabbing campaign along the Dangrek Mountain Range launched by the soldiers of the 4th Military Region and the local authorities of Anlung Veng district has increased in intensity since the time Hun Sen issued his 8-page instruction to various provinces to strictly deal with anyone who dares to grab state-owned land. Nevertheless, the land-grabbing cases in the region of the Dangrek Mountain Range through the devious trick of using the local people as a front for their ambitions would make it quite difficult to unmask the true faces of those who have really grabbed state-own property.
It should be noted that so far several generals and officials have been arrested and charged with grabbing and misappropriating the people's land. Nevertheless, it has been observed that those arrested were just involved in the internal fighting among the government officials. The truth is a number of senior officials, as well as many capitalist businessmen are known to have grabbed the people's land on a surprisingly large scale but they have been ignored; no one seems to care about them.
It is this apathy that has greatly encouraged rogue officials, as well as a number of companies to expand their savage activities in grabbing the state-owned and people's land indiscriminately and with impunity.
For Cambodia, the issue of land grabs by influential people and dishonest capitalists known to have close relations with Hun Sen and aligned with the Cambodian Peoples Party [CPP] has been strongly criticized by national and international public opinion.
However, the measures taken by the government against these despicable activities were mere window dressing. The Hun Sen government has never shown a true will to contain this phenomenon of state-owned and people's land grabbing.
The so-called National Land Dispute Resolution Commission created in March last year and placed under the control of Sok An, father-in-law of Hun Sen's daughter, is no better than a scarecrow. It cannot take any effective step against the persons who have misappropriated the state-owned and people's land. This is because some members of this commission themselves are involved in state-owned and people's land grabbing.
The stalemate of this commission has caused the land dispute to become increasingly explosive to the point that an extraordinary meeting of the CPP decided to hand the authority to resolve this land dispute back to Hun Sen.
However, although Hun Sen has been entrusted with the power to conduct surgery on the land issue, it is still believed that this measure will not be effective enough to substantially resolve the problem.
Regarding this issue, Sam Rainsy has no belief whatsoever in its success. This opposition party leader has not given the least credence to what Hun Sen declared in this connection, including his using of big words, such as war against land grabbing, and his recent instruction.
Hun Sen's declaration concerning the land issue is just an intermittent, short-lived veneer that is not correct and cannot be trusted.
In light of the situation of the widespread logging on the Dangrek Mountain Range ordered by the soldiers of the 4th Military Region and authorities of Anlung Veng district, which coincides with Hun Sen's instruction, it can be said that this is the worse mockery, for they are not afraid to use the people to confront Hun Sen. However, the important thing is whether it is possible to unmask the villainous opportunists.
By Sar Botum
Moneakseka Khmer
Translated from Khmer and posted online
The forests on the Dangrek Mountain Range in Oddar Meanchey province have been cleared almost to the last tree and the land thereof has been divvied up and staked out by the people. According to those living in Anlung Veng district, however, the people were merely hired hands paid a minuscule sum to clear the forested land for the commanders of the 4th Military Region.
It is said that if the military chiefs wanted the forested land along the Dangrek Mountain Range they did not have to dirty their hands by taking this land themselves. They just spent a little money hiring the local people to clear it and waited to take possession of the cleared land once all the trees were felled. In this way, they would not risk being criticized.
Because of this use of money by the military to push for the clearing of the forests, the once densely covered Dangrek Mountain Range has become a barren, denuded region where land has been portioned off and sold from hand to hand. The competent authorities have appeared indifferent to the fate of this region.
According to the local people, the forests on the Dangrek Mountain Range, especially in Anlung Veng district, have been logged on a large scale since it was rumored that this area would become a tourist zone and that plans were made to open an international border gate there.
At present, the land in this region is worth as much as the real estate at Poipet, that is, the seller can get no less than US$50 per square meter.
Some locations have already been set aside for the construction of large casinos, which is another factor that has boosted land price even more.
In this situation, the soldiers of the 4th Military Region are not the only ones to have pursued their ugly ambitions by destroying the forests and grabbing the state-owned real estate; each of the local authorities has also been known to be in possession of countless plots of land.
This large-scale land-grabbing campaign along the Dangrek Mountain Range launched by the soldiers of the 4th Military Region and the local authorities of Anlung Veng district has increased in intensity since the time Hun Sen issued his 8-page instruction to various provinces to strictly deal with anyone who dares to grab state-owned land. Nevertheless, the land-grabbing cases in the region of the Dangrek Mountain Range through the devious trick of using the local people as a front for their ambitions would make it quite difficult to unmask the true faces of those who have really grabbed state-own property.
It should be noted that so far several generals and officials have been arrested and charged with grabbing and misappropriating the people's land. Nevertheless, it has been observed that those arrested were just involved in the internal fighting among the government officials. The truth is a number of senior officials, as well as many capitalist businessmen are known to have grabbed the people's land on a surprisingly large scale but they have been ignored; no one seems to care about them.
It is this apathy that has greatly encouraged rogue officials, as well as a number of companies to expand their savage activities in grabbing the state-owned and people's land indiscriminately and with impunity.
For Cambodia, the issue of land grabs by influential people and dishonest capitalists known to have close relations with Hun Sen and aligned with the Cambodian Peoples Party [CPP] has been strongly criticized by national and international public opinion.
However, the measures taken by the government against these despicable activities were mere window dressing. The Hun Sen government has never shown a true will to contain this phenomenon of state-owned and people's land grabbing.
The so-called National Land Dispute Resolution Commission created in March last year and placed under the control of Sok An, father-in-law of Hun Sen's daughter, is no better than a scarecrow. It cannot take any effective step against the persons who have misappropriated the state-owned and people's land. This is because some members of this commission themselves are involved in state-owned and people's land grabbing.
The stalemate of this commission has caused the land dispute to become increasingly explosive to the point that an extraordinary meeting of the CPP decided to hand the authority to resolve this land dispute back to Hun Sen.
However, although Hun Sen has been entrusted with the power to conduct surgery on the land issue, it is still believed that this measure will not be effective enough to substantially resolve the problem.
Regarding this issue, Sam Rainsy has no belief whatsoever in its success. This opposition party leader has not given the least credence to what Hun Sen declared in this connection, including his using of big words, such as war against land grabbing, and his recent instruction.
Hun Sen's declaration concerning the land issue is just an intermittent, short-lived veneer that is not correct and cannot be trusted.
In light of the situation of the widespread logging on the Dangrek Mountain Range ordered by the soldiers of the 4th Military Region and authorities of Anlung Veng district, which coincides with Hun Sen's instruction, it can be said that this is the worse mockery, for they are not afraid to use the people to confront Hun Sen. However, the important thing is whether it is possible to unmask the villainous opportunists.
4 comments:
It's saddened in the State of Cambodia!
Watch YouTube "Sihanouk & Vietcong"
What is so sad about it?
Ask your mother when your father has AID!
Post a Comment