Court charges four Pailin villagers for violating state property
Pailin Provincial Court on Wednesday charged four villagers with infringing on public property because they cultivated 684 hectares of land that the court says belongs to the state, but which villagers claim to have farmed legally since 1999, a rights worker said. The villagers were arrested on Monday and Tuesday because they did not obey a court summons to appear for questioning. They say the court is targeting them because Pailin Governor Y Chhien also claims the land. … Under the Land Law, a conviction for infringing on public property carries a fine of $1,250 to $12,500 and a jail sentence of 1 to 5 years. …
