Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Mondulkiri official ‘behind land clearing’

Mondulkiri official ‘behind land clearing’

Content image - Phnom Penh Post
An excavator was found allegedly clearing forest community land without permission on Friday. Photo supplied

Mondulkiri official ‘behind land clearing’

Dak Dam commune forestry community activists in Mondulkiri province's O’Raing district on Sunday claimed that a deputy district governor was behind the recent clearing of their land.

Toeuy Chren, head of the forest community based in Pou Treng village, told The Post on Sunday that an excavator was found clearing between 600-700sqm of forest community land without permission on Friday.

Chren said the operator of the excavator told them he was hired by an O’Raing district deputy governor to clear more than 500ha of community land.

The excavator operator claimed the forest land was not owned by the community but was farmland purchased by a private company from more than 60 families.

“My community asked the excavator operator to temporarily postpone clearing the area while we check with government specialists to make sure the land is not located inside the forestry zone of my community,” he said.

Chren added that the land covered some 2,000ha and, while it had not been formally registered with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, it was recognised at the provincial level.

Yoem Briya, head of the O’Raing commune forest administration, told The Post he had obtained a report from Pou Treng village after the land clearing was discovered.

He said he was currently reviewing the relevant legal documents.

“My team will on Monday inspect the area that has been cleared. According to a statement from the community, the clearing has not yet majorly affected the area,” Briya said.

Chas Na, Dam Dak commune chief, told The Post that he did not yet know the name of the company claiming to have purchased the farmland or who the families were that had purportedly sold it.

“The excavator operator showed us a map, and the area covers 500ha, which seems too large. If 60 families were to all sell their land, it would not be that big. Therefore, we need to check with experts to see if any such deal was legitimate,” he said.

Na added that the excavator operator had claimed he had been hired by a deputy district governor to clear the area to set the boundary between company and community land. However, he had declined to name the official concerned.

“There were many suspicious elements in this encounter, and the community and local authorities have demanded the excavator operator stop his activities while experts check the documents,” he said.

MOST VIEWED

  • Wing Bank opens new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004

    Wing Bank celebrates first anniversary as commercial bank with launch of brand-new branch. One year since officially launching with a commercial banking licence, Wing Bank on March 14 launched a new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004. The launch was presided over by

  • Girl from Stung Meanchey dump now college grad living in Australia

    After finishing her foundational studies at Trinity College and earning a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Melbourne in 2022, Ron Sophy, a girl who once lived at the Stung Meanchey garbage dump and scavenged for things to sell, is now working at a private

  • Ministry using ChatGPT AI to ‘ease workload’; Khmer version planned

    The Digital Government Committee is planning to make a Khmer language version of popular artificial intelligence (AI) technology ChatGPT available to the public in the near future, following extensive testing. On March 9, the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications revealed that it has been using the

  • 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

  • Wat Phnom hornbills attract tourists, locals

    Thanks to the arrival of a friendly flock of great hornbills, Hour Rithy, a former aviculturist – or raiser of birds – in Kratie province turned Phnom Penh tuk tuk driver, has seen a partial return to his former profession. He has become something of a guide

  • 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