Land disputes

Prime Minister Hun Sen has warned again that economic land concessions granted to private companies will be withdrawn if the companies fail to resolve land disputes with villagers who have lived in their concession area for “a long time”. The premier ordered relevant ministries to resolve land disputes between villagers and private companies granted ELCs at Friday’s meeting of the council of ministers, a statement from the council said. The statement did not, however, say how many years villagers had to have lived in the area for it to be considered “a long time”. Mu Sochua, deputy secretary general of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party, said: “Prime Minister Hun Sen has promised many times that he will withdraw [disputed] land from companies. As the winner of the last election, he knows villagers did not vote for him, so their land could be taken and given to investors. Has he not heard about villagers protesting every day about the loss of their farmland?”