Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Kampot to issue park land titles

Kampot to issue park land titles

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
The Kampot provincial authorities will grant land titles for 2,500 plots covering 66.49sq km in Preah Monivong Bokor National Park to local residents who applied for official occupation and usage permits. Photo supplied

Kampot to issue park land titles

The Kampot provincial authorities will grant land titles for 2,500 plots covering 6,649ha in Preah Monivong Bokor National Park to local residents who applied for official occupation and usage permits, according to the provincial Department of Environment director Suy Thea.

Thea told The Post on December 21 that titles will be issued to 2,138 families who applied for the eligible plots after officials survey and demarcate the land.

A total of 3,386 families have submitted application forms for deeds to 3,913 plots amounting to 12,247ha. But after examining the application forms, the department’s working group decided to exclude 1,413 forest-land plots amounting to 5,598ha occupied by 1,248 families, Thea said.

He explained that, in principle, the government does not grant titles to forest-covered land. But in this case, the working group and relevant institutions will measure land which has been certified by commune authorities and which had been used for growing crops. The government will then officially grant the land to the applicants for their use to sustain their livelihoods.

“The environment department has collected the data of residents who submitted application forms to occupy cleared land and will report to the provincial governor and a representative of the environment ministry, including cases where we have excluded forest land.

“Applicants to occupy land in this park included villagers and other people living in the area as well as people from outside buying plantations,” Thea said.

He noted that the report was preliminary and a final decision on the matter was the purview of the provincial administration and the environment ministry. The report might be amended after provincial and national-level officials conduct land surveys and determine final allocation details.

Yun Phally, the provincial coordinator for rights group Adhoc, explained that the environment department had invited residents to submit applications to occupy land in the Preah Monivong Bokor National Park for the purpose of relying on it for their livelihoods. The department would present its report to national-level authorities, but officials had not yet gone to survey the land to be allocated, he said.

Phally noted that he had not heard of any protests from local residents with regard to this issue, but he was concerned about how widely information about the application process had been disseminated among them. It seemed that some people were still only vaguely aware the project, he said.

A Phnom Touch villager in Banteay Meas district’s Sdech Kong Khang Tbong commune said certain residents have lived in the Preah Monivong Bokor National Park area from the 1980s and 1990s until now. They had grown corn, potatoes and other cash crops.

He said authorities had recently told them to submit applications for official occupation and use of the land, but he had not yet seen any results come of it.

“In my practical observation, residents have been waiting for the authorities to go to measure land for which they submitted the application forms for practical livelihoods. If the government does not now follow through, residents might protest,” the villager said.

At a Cabinet meeting in July, Prime Minister Hun Sen instructed the ministries of Environment; Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries; and Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction to allocate land in conservation areas and other protected state land to residents who have been relying on it for their sustenance.

MOST VIEWED

  • Ministry orders all schools, public and private, to close for SEA Games

    From April 20 to May 18, all public and private educational institutions will be closed to maintain order and support Cambodia's hosting of the 32nd SEA Games and 12th ASEAN Para Games, said a directive from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. Cambodia will host the

  • Newest horror film showcases unique Khmer culture, identity

    At first glance, the trailer to new horror sensation The Ritual: Black Nun looks like a western-produced feature film. As the story reveals itself to the viewers, it becomes clearer that this is a Khmer film, with a strong Cambodian identity and close links to

  • Almost 9K tourists see equinox sunrise at Angkor Wat

    Nearly 9,000 visitors – including 2,226 international tourists – gathered at Angkor Wat on March 21 to view the spring equinox sunrise, according to a senior official of the Siem Reap provinical tourism department. Ngov Seng Kak, director of the department, said a total of 8,726 people visited Angkor Wat to

  • Angkor Beer strengthens national pride with golden new look and fresher taste

    Angkor Beer – the "Gold of Angkor" – has a new look, one that is more stylish and carries a premium appeal, as well as a fresher taste and smoother flavour, making it the perfect choice for any gathering. Angkor Beer recently launched its new design, one

  • Water supply authority assures public shortages over early ‘24

    The Phnom Penh Water Supply Authority (PPWSA) asked for understanding from Phnom Penh residents in some communes where water pressure is weak. They assured residents that all supply issues will be resolved by early 2024, but have suggested that residents use water sparingly in the meantime.

  • Khmer ballet documentary debuts April 1

    A new documentary, The Perfect Motion, or Tep Hattha in Khmer, will premiere to the public on April 1. The documentary film follows two intertwined storylines: the creation of a show called Metamorphosis by the late Princess Norodom Buppha Devi (her very last production) and the