Governors of coastal provinces have declared their stance against encroachment and land reclamation, instructing local officials to tighten enforcement of the law so perpetrators would receive the appropriate punishment.

The declaration came after Prime Minister Hun Sen on Sunday ordered Minister of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction Chea Sophara and governors of the coastal provinces of Koh Kong, Kampot, Kep and Preah Sihanouk to protect their beaches and coastal areas from encroachment.

“Of course we have a Coastal Area Preparation Committee, with Chea Sophara, Minister of Land Management, as the Chair and other ministers, the vice-chairs.

“But the responsibility must lie with the provincial governors who must oversee activities carefully. There should be no instance of unauthorised coastal landfilling,” said Hun Sen.

Koh Kong provincial governor Phouthong Mithona told The Post on Thursday that provincial authorities had thwarted two cases of coastal landfilling and encroachment. Although the number of such crimes had decreased this year, Mithona vowed to observe stricter measures next year to eliminate the problem completely.

“We will continue to enforce and strengthen the law. We will also monitor the local authorities, together with relevant institutions and coastal committees.

“In accordance with a new law that the Ministry of Interior had just announced, local authorities will be in charge of overseeing the coastal areas directly. So we have determined that from now on, they should implement the law directly as well,” Mithona said.

He raised the recent case of coastal grabbing involving two-star major general Tun Dieth, citing the effective participation of local authorities in taking the case to court.

Kampot provincial governor Cheav Tay told The Post that to prevent such crimes, local authorities must actively participate and report to the provincial level if cases of encroachment are found in their areas.

“With regard to land reclamation, no one informs us in advance. So the provincial administration will take measures from now on. Those who violate the law must be punished. Even if they’ve only reclaimed a small area, they must dig out the soil and bring the area back to its original state.

“As in every meeting of the provincial committee, we always set goals. If a crime happens in any of the areas, authorities there must be held accountable. They can’t just claim ignorance [of the crime]. If we don’t introduce such a principle, the local administration will not report to us,” he said.

This year, coastal encroachment happened more frequently compared to last year, said Tay. He attributed the increase to the rise in land prices, which prompted dealers and villagers to reclaim coastal areas.

Cambodian Youth Party president Pich Sros told The Post on Thursday that he would still continue to monitor incidents of coastal reclamation despite the declaration by the governors.

“I will not stop monitoring the four coastal provinces regardless of the order from Samdech Techo [Hun Sen]. I will still use my eyes to monitor cases of coastal encroachment. I support what the government is doing because if there’s a crime, we have to stop it,” Sros said.

He urged law enforcement not to be delayed and said the Koh Kong example should be followed because when action is delayed, violators will continue to reclaim the sea.

“I don’t just want a warning or a declaration. I want the provincial authorities to effectively implement the law and closely monitor their areas,” he said.