About 100 villagers marched through Koh Kong province’s Sre Ambel district on Saturday, handing out leaflets in an effort to inform the public about their land dispute with Thailand’s Khon Kaen Sugar Industry Limited (KSL).
The marchers passed out the leaflets to motorists in Chi Khor Loeu commune as part of an ongoing campaign to convince local authorities to help resolve their dispute, according to Teng Kao, a representative of the villagers.
“On Saturday morning, we held a march and handed out 450 leaflets to [motorbike] passengers,” Mr. Kao said.
“We spread information about our land dispute, to put pressure on the authorities to find a solution for us,” he said, adding that the leaflets also included information about further planned protests.
“If there is still no solution, we will march from our homes to the commune, district and provincial offices. We want the firm to pay us damages, because we have not been able to grow anything on our farms for a long time,” Mr. Kao said.
KSL has been accused of forcing hundreds of farmers off their land in Koh Kong to make space for sugarcane plantations.
