The development of Phnom Penh’s new international airport in Kandal province continues to face resistance, as petitioners gathered outside government institutions in the capital saying they had lost faith in provincial authorities as machines began to dig around their homes.
Three community representatives involved in a long-running dispute with the energy minister’s wife were taken into police custody over the weekend in relation to a separate dispute, residents said.
Two land disputants in Preah Sihanouk have been arrested and charged with violence and obstructing public officials over a clash that took place in February last year.
Five Banteay Meanchey farmers appealed their five-year prison sentences over encroachment of nearly 2,000 hectares at the Supreme Court on Wednesday, though major elements of the case remained unclear even during the appeal.
Around 200 residents protested in Kandal province’s Kandal Stung district last week over the airport’s construction, and said they suspended the protest after being promised a meeting at the district hall on Monday.
Phav Nhoeung and Seng Lin were summoned by the Koh Kong Provincial Court prosecutor based on a complaint from Chhay Vy, their former representative.
Families from Kandal’s Ampov Prey commune protested outside the commune hall demanding that they receive compensation for communal land that is now being used by the new Phnom Penh international airport development.
The Udom Sre Kpos forestry area, also known as the Prey Metta Thommacheat community, originally covered more than 2,800 hectares, but the government gradually privatized most of it for companies and soldiers over 20 years.
Mondulkiri has been a hotbed for illegal land grabs and land speculation. Interior Minister Sar Kheng in October warned local officials from engaging in land grabs and corruption.
Dozens of families in a Kandal village have been marked for eviction to develop Phnom Penh’s new international airport, and have petitioned Prime Minister Hun Sen complaining of the state’s compensation offer that they say is a mere 10th of market prices.
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