The National Authority for Land Dispute Resolution (NALDR) recently underwent a structural overhaul.

The Minister of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction, Chea Sophara, and a senior MP, Khun Haing, have been appointed NALDR president and deputy, respectively, following an order signed by Prime Minister Hun Sen on December 13 and announced on Thursday.

The directive detailed the instalment of the two officials into the body, along with a dozen others who have been appointed to a wide array of roles or posts in NALDR, including members of the general secretariat.

A Royal Decree dated February 26, 2006, ordered the establishment of NALDR, which acts primarily as an administrative “shop front”, assisting the Council of Ministers to resolve land-related disputes.

Article 3 of the decree detailed NALDR’s mission to “prevent and minimise the number of land conflicts by informing the public about the negative effects related to the disputes and other consequences that will be taken against offenders”.

The same article also stipulated that NALDR is responsible for receiving complaints with regard to land disputes from all levels of government institutions.

NALDR serves to assess, investigate and provide solutions to land disputes and report back to the head of the government, it said.

Coalition of Cambodian Farmers Community (CCFC) president, Theng Savoeun, said the new NALDR’s composition was formed a response to increasing number of land disputes.

“When the land price goes up, the number of disputes also hikes … like what we have today,” he said.

Referring to the appointment of Sophara as NALDR’s new president, Savoeun said: “He [Sophara] has a lot of experiences when it comes to dealing with land disputes.”

On October 16, the government established a joint task force to address land conflicts, headed by Hing Bun Heang, the commander of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s Bodyguard Unit (BGU), and consisting of three deputies as well as 10 members.