Free Land To Settle Dispute

Banteay Meanchey provincial authorities on Thursday pro­mised to settle a land dispute between Minister of Information Lu Laysreng and more than 100 families he says are squatting on his land.

According to Lu Laysreng, the families have been squatting on the Poipet district land since the factional fighting of 1997. But the families said the land is theirs and have refused to move, pro­vincial officials said.

Provincial authorities are hoping to settle the dispute by offering the families parcels of land elsewhere in the district, Banteay Meanchey Deputy Governor Nhiek Kim Chhun said.

“It is not their land, so they have to move. I will give them new land around the area,” Nhiek Kim Chhun said.

The disputed 5 hectares of land lie about 100 meters south of a railway station in Poipet, near the Cambodian-Thai border. Since the war ended, property values have been rising steadily in the border area, putting pressure on the poorest residents, officials say.

Lu Laysreng is not the only landowner in the area with squatters on his property, and some squatters even have the backing and blessings of armed soldiers, local authorities said.

Lu Laysreng said Thursday he bought the land in 1991, and gained title to it in 1993. He claims he is being victimized by the squatters.

“I know there are bad people and powerful men that grab other people’s land, but citizens are capable of this as well,” Lu Laysreng said. “If people do not respect the law, how are you going to build the country’s prosperity?”

District police say they have been unable to convince the families to move on, but Nhiek Kim Chhun said he feels confident that the pro­mise of free land will defuse the situation.

“They have no future if they live on other people’s land,” Nhiek Kim Chhun said. “Now they have a chance to have new land, so they should accept it. If they do not agree with our proposal, we will let the courts decide.”

 

 

 

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