Ministry to meet sugar companies over land dispute
The Land Ministry will meet with the three companies at the center of the decade-long land dispute in Koh Kong province this week in an attempt to finally resolve the villagers’ grievances. In a letter made available to the public on January 18, the ministry’s secretary of state Ou Vordy asked Koh Kong Sugar Industry and Koh Kong Plantation to meet with the ministry’s land dispute working group on Friday to find a solution for some 175 families who claim the companies cleared their land illegally. Heng Huy Development, the third company involved in the land disputes, was not mentioned in the letter but citizen representative Phay Nherng claims to have gotten verbal confirmation from the ministry that the company will be attending the meeting as well. “The company managers, please collaborate with the ministry,” the letter dated January 16 read. Tep Thorn, who heads the working group and is the ministry’s undersecretary of state, could not be reached for comment.
