Local rights group Adhoc has cried foul after roughly 1,200 square metres on 2 hectares of land that used to be home to an airport in Preah Vihear province have been granted to a local official to build a house.

According to Adhoc provincial coordinator Lor Chhan, the provincial authorities who manage the land illegally gave the plot to Nuth Sophorn, Preah Vihear town governor, and he began to build a home at the location last month.

The group on Friday sent a letter to Oum Mara, Preah Vihear provincial governor, requesting a meeting and an explanation of the distribution of land.

“By law, the provincial authority has no right to share any state-owned land with any officials,” he said. “It’s a grabbing of state property.”

Adhoc says it will file a lawsuit in provincial court if no valid explanation is given. Mara declined to comment on the issue yesterday.

Sophorn said CPP provincial authorities gave him the plot of land legally maintained he had a document to prove it.

Kong Makara, director of the provincial mines and energy department, said a plot of land was also offered to build new offices for his department and the department of public function, as they are both new units, but no official letter from authorities has been signed yet.