Farmers Concerned That Draft Law Will Legalize Land Grabs

About 60 farmers met yesterday in Phnom Penh to rise their concerns about the law on the management of farmland that is currently being drafted by the Ministry of Agriculture, which critics say will legalize land grabbing. The latest public version of the draft law grants power to the ministry to demarcate any agricultural area, including private and state-owned land, for a bio-diversity conservation area.” The ministry will also have the power to decide how farmers should best use their land, and criminal penalties will be imposed upon anyone who does not abide by the government. Rights group Licadho has said the law in its current draft would effectively legalize land grabbing. Theng Savoeun, secretarial coordinator of the Coalition of Cambodian Farmer Community, said yesterday that members have started to disseminate information about the draft law to farmers in 18 provinces. They are also collecting thumbprints to petition against certain articles in the law. …