The government yesterday granted land titles to 31 families in Takeo after Prime Minister Hun Sen visited the province on Tuesday and pledged to help the group.

According to a document signed by Council of Ministers Secretary of State Su Phirin, the group has been living on the site – a warehouse belonging to the province’s commercial department – for many years and now will receive paperwork making their ownership official.

The document urges relevant authorities to implement the decision, with the Ministry of Economy and Finance ordered to remove the land from the state’s inventory.

Speaking yesterday, Takeo’s provincial hall administrative director Moeng Vuthy said the families had been informed of the decision, which would in fact grant them a larger share than they currently occupy.

However, the official was unable to provide a date for when the residents’ plots would be measured, saying the Finance Ministry first needed to finalise the necessary paperwork.

“Meanwhile, the authority has advised them to stay united,” Vuthy said.

Beginning last month, the premier has been travelling the country to “solve problems” in what observers consider a pre-election bid for votes.