Siem Reap orders halt to state land grabs
The Siem Reap provincial administration has ordered its relevant authorities to take legal measures against anyone illegally clearing and grabbing wetland, community land or natural protected areas. It also urged them to immediately stop issuing ownership letters and documents for such land.
The announcement, obtained by The Post on Monday, said the provincial administration had observed that some individuals had encouraged local people to clear and burn down community forest, wetland and natural protected areas in the province so they could bring it under private ownership.
It said the excuse given was that there was a shortage of farmland and that they had only cleared land that was separate from the community forest.
To effectively manage those areas, the administration said, the relevant authorities must completely halt activities that encouraged people to clear land illegally, including dividing or sharing community forest, or wetland. Farming on such land was prohibited, the announcement said.
Soth Koemsoeun
