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Khmer Times/Pech Sotheary
Monday, 24 October 2016
Prime Minister Hun Sen yesterday pushed officials, relevant ministries and institutions to pay attention and expedite solutions for people in land disputes.
In a discussion with civil servants and armed forces on Koh Pich yesterday, the premier said: “Officials and concerned ministries have to pay attention to resolve land disputes, especially land which officials or citizens have been living on for a long time.”
Mr. Hun Sen also reminded civil servants to focus on maintaining security and social order, especially to control and prevent terrorism, murder, crime and drug trafficking.
He added that authorities had to help implement the safety policy of villages and communes and provide public services properly, quickly and efficiently and not charge more than the value set by the law.
Land Management Ministry spokesman Cheam Sophal Makara said that in the past, the ministry facilitated the resolution of land disputes and cut land for people living and occupying land in disputed areas.
“The minister of land management is preparing regulations to serve the people in situations pertaining to land and the ministry, through local officials, tries to provide land titles to citizens. The ministry will keep complying with Prime Minister Hun Sen’s recommendations,” he said.
Sia Phearum, the executive director of the NGO Housing Rights Task Force, applauded the minister’s guidance, but lacked confidence that government subordinates could follow through in a timely manner.
In the past, according to Mr. Phearum, the government issued regulations to cut land from the state budget to distribute to citizens, but the handling by subordinates was slow, often making the situation worse.
“I think the prime minister should punish those supervising the officials,” he said.
“For example, the prime minister has to monitor deputy prime ministers, so any deputy prime minister who has subordinates to monitor, if they don’t do it [resolve land disputes], the deputy prime minister should be punished according to the desire of the prime minister,” he said.
In August, Land Management Minister Chea Sophara said only 800 land disputes existed from more than 7,000 in April, adding that a total of 36 working groups had been urged to resolve the remaining land disputes as soon as possible.