KRATIE’S governor has promised 600 villagers from Snuol district the 5,600 hectares they have been protesting for since the land was granted to two Vietnamese rubber companies in 2010.

Provincial governor Kham Phoeun arranged a meeting yesterday between authorities, the villagers and the companies to settle the land dispute, but company representatives failed to attend.

Village representatives told the Post if yesterday’s meeting was not successful they planned to burn down the companies’ property and stage a permanent road block along the main national road into Kratie. Earlier this week about 500 villagers blocked National Road 7 for four hours in protest over the land concessions.

Kratie Provincial Hall will report to the government today that the rubber companies have not respected the government’s advice, said Kham Phoeun, referring to a recent warning from Prime Minister Hun Sen that economic land concession recipients would risk losing their concessions if they did not settle land disputes.