TWENTY-FIVE families in Battambang province plan to begin planting a section of land that has been claimed by a military unit as soon as today, a representative said.

Soeun Soth, 34, said local officials had encouraged the families to plant on 390 hectares of land in Samlot district that is at the centre of a dispute with Royal Cambodian Armed Forces Military Region 5.

On July 4, villagers said they had been shot at by the soldiers, an allegation military officials denied. Three days later, villagers said 53 of 78 families that are party to the dispute received permission to plant on the land, but that the other 25 did not receive anything.

“We will go to plant the crops tomorrow, and we don’t know if violence will happen or not,” Soeun Soth said yesterday.

Military Region 5 deputy commander Tuy Bun Ly said he would not negotiate with the families.

Deputy district Governor In Savrith said he did not know how the military would respond to the planting attempts.