Hundreds of villagers from Prey Veng province’s Kampong Russei commune filed complaints yesterday with government officials over the alleged sale of a plot of land used by locals as an area for prayer and for travellers to rest.

One of the protesting villagers, Bun Tha, said more than 300 villagers decided to file complaints with local lawmakers after authorities banned them from accessing the area next to the national road.

The land is“the public’s treasure. It is for villagers to pray to Buddha, and for passengers to rest.… But now they ban us”, he said.

Villagers said that they were unsure who had bought the land. Local authorities could not be reached to confirm the sale.

Lat Litey, a Cambodia National Rescue Party lawmaker in Prey Veng, said officials are looking for a resolution to the dispute and have called local authorities for a meeting on Wednesday “to find out what’s going on”.