The Kompong Chhnang Provincial Court on Thursday informed dozens of families embroiled in a land dispute with a company owned by the wife of a government minister that a complaint they filed against two officials in October had been thrown out.
The notice, signed by deputy provincial prosecutor Long Sitha, said that a complaint made by residents of Ta Ches commune’s Lor Peang village had been “filed without being processed.”
In the complaint, 60 families accused Pel Chantha, former deputy chief of the Kompong Tralach district land management office, and Eng Narith, former deputy chief of the provincial land management department, of issuing illegal land titles.
Thursday’s notice contained few details as to why the complaint had been scrapped, and simply informed villagers to “appeal following the law” if they disagreed with the decision.
The Lor Peang families accuse the two officials of violating articles 261 and 264 of the country’s Land Law by abusing their authority in issuing land titles to the KDC International company on their land without consulting villagers.
Since 2007, 83 families have been feuding with the firm—owned by Chea Kheng, the wife of Mines and Energy Minister Suy Sem—over 183 hectares of land.
Seang Heng, a representative of the families, vowed to appeal the decision.
“After we filed the complaint to the court, we never got any information about the court procedure; we just got information today that the court filed our complaint without processing it,” Mr. Heng said. “It is a huge injustice for poor people,” he said.
Mr. Sitha declined to comment.
