Relocation farmland has been rejected by only 21 of about 600 families in their land dispute with agribusiness magnate and CPP Senator Ly Yong Phat in Kompong Speu province, authorities and land representatives said yesterday.
Land representative You Thou said affected families were left with no options and almost all had now decided to accept farmland at two separate relocation sites in Kompong Speu’s Thpong district.
The two sites, Phnom Pis and Russei Sach, are more than 17 km away from central Omlaing commune, where much of the land in the 18-month dispute is located. Villagers are claiming more than 2,000 hectares affected by Mr Yong Phat’s 8,000 hectare sugar plantation.
“Of course, more than 20 rejected, because they claimed the relocation sites are situated too far from their current farmland,” Ms Thou said.
The dispute began in January 2010 when the government granted Mr Yong Phat 10,000 hectares of land in Omlaing commune.
“What I can say is that some families unhappily accepted the swap because they had no option after such a long-running protest with no adequate resolution,” Ms Thou said.
Hap Dam, chief of Omlaing commune, said villagers were offered a larger plot at the relocation site than the land they had lost.
“Authorities and the company are still working with the families that rejected the offered resolution but we are not forcing or intimidating them to agree,” Ms Dam said.
She said the company’s Environmental Impact Assessment determined that 1,600 hectares were affected.
“The government and local authorities want local villagers to benefit from the sugar plantation’s large job creation,” she said, adding that villagers seemed satisfied with relocating.
Chheang Kim Sun, a representative for the sugar company, said about 10,000 local villagers had been employed to work at the plantation since affected families accepted the relocation deal. She said the company had completed about 30 percent of construction at the sites.
“We have cleared the relocation land to ensure villagers can cultivate crops easily,” Ms Kim Sun said. “Villagers are happy because the land’s quality is good.”
