Villagers in Svay Rieng yesterday accused the An Mardy rubber company of intimidating villagers to force 60 families out of their homes in Romeas Hek district, as part of a land dispute in which the company has cleared 290 hectares since 2007.
Two of the families had already left their homes in Tros commune under threats from the company, police and Forestry Administration officials, said commune representative Ros Mao.
“The company chopped down the villagers’ fruit trees and cleared land around their homes from April 30 until May 2,” said Ms Mao. “Police and Forestry Administration officials threatened villagers that if anyone opposed activities, they would shoot and make arrests to put [villagers] in the provincial prison.”
Ms Mao said villagers refused to relocate to small plots offered about 7 km away.
Lim Heng, deputy director general at An Mardy, declined to comment yesterday.
Another villager, Ros Sarin, 47, said the company resumed clearing his land in early April. Police and forestry officials “threatened to shoot us if we went against them. We were very afraid,” he said.
Deputy district governor Phen Sokun said that two months ago, the authorities and An Mardy representatives told 62 families to move and stop encroaching on the company’s land concession. Mr Sokun denied that police and forestry officials threatened villagers with guns or possible imprisonment.
“The company paid for their fruit trees and made a well for them. Some villagers have been relocated and agreed to compensation,” Mr Sokun said, noting that the government was offering two hectares of land to each family.
Mr Sokun said An Mardy was granted a 3,960-hectare economic concession to grow rubber in Romeas Hek district in 2007.
Tros commune chief Pov Vong said the 62 families who lived and grew cassava on the land since 2002 must move to make way for a rubber plantation. “Villagers are living in the middle of a land concession. It is beyond my ability to help them,” Mr Vong said. “Those villagers have no land titles.”
