The government has slashed about 250,000 hectares of land from 79
economic land concessions (ELCs), forest concessions and wildlife
protection concessions and will return it, replete with land titles, to
“poor people”, January’s Royal Book says.
The publication, issued on January 17 and obtained yesterday, says
the government has asked King Norodom Sihamoni to issue a sub-decree
reclaiming the land in 19 provinces from 37 companies including
Pheapimex, Casotim and TTY, which are locked in disputes with villagers.
“This is about giving land back to the people,” a line from the Royal
Book states, echoing recent statements by Prime Minister Hun Sen.
“It is a new activity within an old government policy.”
The requests, which were made between last July and January, comprise
37 economic land concessions, 36 concessions in state forests and six
in wildlife-protection areas, the Royal Book adds.
After a string of protests, including one in which TTY-hired guards
shot four villagers, Hun Sen placed a moratorium on the granting of land
concessions last May, although some continued to be granted because of a
clause that allowed concessions already in the works to proceed.
Hun Sen deployed thousands of volunteer students to measure land
across the country last June. His government has since issued more than
110,000 land certificates to villagers.
It is unclear how many people will benefit from the land returns, but
Kuch Veng, a representative of Kbal Trach commune, in Pursat province’s
Krakor district, said student volunteers had already issued land titles
to villagers in a dispute with Pheapimex, a company owned by Choeung
Sopheap, the wife of Cambodian People’s Party senator Lao Meng Khin.
The government has generally forbidden student volunteers to measure
disputed land, but in this instance the company had agreed to the
process beforehand, Veng said.
“Most of the people have received their land title, and the company does not dare to trouble them anymore,” he added.
A study published in November by NGO Cambodian Human Rights Action
Committee said the government’s policy on ELCs in recent years has been
hampered by a lack of transparency and has favoured the “small domestic
elite”, while poor governance has meant companies that violate the law
or their contracts have not been punished.
Am Sam Ath, a senior investigator for human rights group Licadho,
said returning the land to villagers and providing them security through
land titles would build up confidence and stability, enabling
agriculture to flourish.
“This is something that will reduce land disputes across the country,” he said.
Licadho figures updated last month say more than 2.1 million hectares
of land had been granted to private companies, including more than
106,000 hectares last year.
Opposition Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker Son Chhay yesterday
congratulated the prime minister for helping poor people – but said the
timing of the land return was motivated by a desire to win votes ahead
of July’s National Election.
“What the government is trying to do is a kind of propaganda,” Chhay
said. “They have been abusing people all these years – so much land has
been taken away – now they’re giving it back and getting reward for it.
“I believe the government should fully respect the ownership of the people and give back all the land it has taken.”
For the government’s land-return initiative to be effective, Chhay
added, authorities in rural areas needed to ensure companies were
honouring their contracts and abiding by the law.
“They’re the ones who provide information to the prime minister,”
Chhay said. “Often, this information does not reflect what’s happening
in these areas. It’s important for the prime minister to ensure the
policy is fully implemented and listen to the people, not depend on his
corrupt officials.”
Ou Virak, Cambodian Center for Human Rights president, said the
government’s decision to return the land showed the economic land
concessions issue did not have to be complicated.
“It shows that these concessions were illegal,” he said, referring to
wildlife protection land and state forest that would be returned. “That
land, the forest and state public land, should remain as such. It
shouldn’t belong to anyone.”
Concessions relating to normal farmland remained just as straightforward, he said.
“The land law will protect the people,” he said. “If villagers are
making use of it, that would make any ELC illegal or not properly
granted.
“[The government] should have a social impact assessment to acknowledge whether people are using the land.”
Lim Leangse, Hun Sen’s deputy cabinet chief, and Chan Sarun, minister
of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, could not be reached for
comment.
Phay Siphan, spokesman for the Council of Ministers, said he could
not speak about the issue and referred the Post to the Ministry of Land
Management, whose officials also could not be reached.