Prime Minister Hun Manet addresses the 30th anniversary celebrations of the Royal Cambodian Army’s Battalion 70 on October 15. STPM
Prime Minister Hun Manet has warned that legal action will be taken against those who forge documents or use citizens to request the allocation of state land for private ownership. This warning comes after it was discovered that some individuals had persuaded impoverished poor citizens to request land in a national park.
The warning was made during the 30th anniversary celebration of Battalion 70 of the Royal Cambodian Army on Tuesday, October 15.
Manet stated that he had decided to cancel certain land allocation requests because some individuals claimed to represent hundreds of poor families, yet no such families were found.
“Yesterday, I signed off on the cancellation of two requests for land allocation. Many requested land. [They claimed] 'I represent 300 poor, landless families and request 1,000 or 2,000 hectares of land for them’,” he said.
“I asked [Minister of Land Management] Say Sam Al to investigate, but no such families were found, and the requested land was actually in a national park. I did not allow it. Those trying to exploit this scheme will face legal consequences for this fraudulent activity,” he warned.
The prime minister added that since taking office, he has rarely approved land allocations as the government is currently establishing clear procedures for measuring and registering land accurately.
“For those citizens who are genuinely landless, we are establishing mechanisms. This is just the first step. We are working to clearly register state land private land, and all other types of land so that in the future, when requests come in, we will have accurate measurements,” he said.
He emphasised that the government has consistently implemented a social land concession policy, providing land to thousands of former soldiers and landless citizens. In addition, the government has built houses for these families.
The prime minister also announced that an existing mechanism would evolve into a national committee, which will begin operations in January. In the meantime, the government is conducting site studies and developing procedures to assist genuinely landless citizens, while also helping them establish villages in these areas.
“In the past, we’ve seen cases where citizens were manipulated and used as pawns to obtain land, sometimes being exchanged for cash. Therefore, I urge everyone not to encroach on state land,” he added.
Chea Hean, president of the Association for the Protection of Natural Resources and Human Rights, noted that there have been many cases of citizens being used as shields or fake documents being forged to acquire state land, especially in protected areas or national parks. However, those responsible for such actions have rarely faced legal consequences.
He explained that when land brokers or businessmen want land in a certain area, they organise citizens to occupy it, and the authorities issue documents certifying the occupation. Then, they submit proposals to the relevant ministries to request land allocation.
“Those citizens are merely tools for arranging the sale of land to businessmen. Once the hard land titles are issued, the rights are transferred to the buyers. But no real poor citizens are involved. If there are no actual citizens, the leader will not approve it. This is a case of public document forgery to seize state land,” he said.
In April, Minister of Environment Eang Sophalleth issued an advisory to halt the recognition and issuance of land ownership or maps for forest community areas or land slated for allocation.
The minister explained that investigations had revealed instances of land ownership documents or map recognition being granted to institutions, organisations or clients without proper order or approval from the head of the institution. Such unauthorised issuance of documents caused confusion and misdirection, and had negative consequences for environmental management.
The minister stated, "To maintain order and effective environmental management, and to avoid the misuse of documents for harmful purposes, I announce that all decisions to recognise or issue maps or land titles for forest areas or allocated land must be approved by me first.”
On the same occasion, the prime minister also ordered the Royal Cambodian Army to prepare to support the National Military Police and National Police in cracking down on all forms of natural resource crimes, as well as other offenses.
