Boeung Kak residents delivered a petition to the Singaporean Embassy yesterday, calling on it to pressure Singapore-listed HLH Group to halt dealings with a controversial development project at the site until a land row is settled.

HLH Group entered a $14.9 million purchase deal in June for 1.3 hectares of land there.

“We have asked the embassy to tell the investor [HLH Group] not to buy any land from Boeung Kak area, and to take their deposit back until there is a resettlement for the remaining residents,” Boeung Kak resident Sear Sareth said yesterday, adding that the group would return to the embassy in two weeks to protest if their demands were not met.

In 2007, City Hall agreed to a $79 million, 99-year lease with Lao Meng Khin, a ruling party senator and owner of Shukaku, to develop 133 hectares at Boeung Kak. Shukaku then began to fill in the lake and residents were forced to leave with compensation offers some still protest against today.