MORE than 300 villagers from Takeo province on Thursday began a petition in a bid to seek intervention from Prey Phkorm commune officials in a land dispute with a local developer, which they have accused of falsifying documents in an effort to build a road through their village.

The move for intervention came one day after a protest outside the National Assembly in the capital, during which residents of Trung Phum village accused military police officers of using violence to break up a protest the day before near the proposed location of the three-metre-wide road.

Military police have denied those allegations.

Min Mao, the chief of Prey Phkorm commune, said he had been ordered by district authorities on Wednesday to advise the protesters to prepare a formal complaint.

“I will work the case out next week when I receive the thumbprinted complaint,” he said.

Nhek Chhiv, a representative of the villagers, said their main goal was to halt construction of the road, but that they hoped the National Assembly would eventually investigate their complaint against the military police.

“We will focus on our request about the road first, and let the National Assembly take care of the other case in which military police beat the villagers,” he said.

Villagers have accused the developer, Ith Klaut, of presenting a falsified document stating that they had granted permission for the road to be built. Ith Klaut could not be reached Thursday.