Despite Promise of Title, Authorities Refuse to Measure Land
Villagers and local authorities continued to argue over a 4-hectare plot of land in Phnom Penh’s Russei Keo district on Monday, a day after officials promised to measure and issue a title for it. District council chief Prak Channa on Sunday promised to issue a land title for the Khtor pagoda after villagers on Friday set fire to an excavator they said the Eng Kaing Development Company was using to destroy a crematorium at the pagoda. … But on Monday, villagers said that authorities had gone to the site but refused to measure the land, saying instead that further discussions were still necessary. “They said they wanted us to select one representative for the three villages [involved in the dispute] but we do not accept this,” said 63-year-old Tom Ol. Cheat Ty, 49, said there was no need for representatives because villagers agreed that the land should be given back to the pagoda through a land title. “The whole village can just look on as they come and measure the land,” Mr. Ty said. However Mr. Channa, the district council chief, said that the villagers were divided and therefore needed to elect representatives. “We are waiting for them, as there are many parties in the group,” Mr. Channa said. “District authorities will measure the land and hand it over to the pagoda’s committee, but for now they need the representatives.” …
Mech Dara and Alex Willemyns
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/despite-promise-of-title-authorities-refuse-to-measure-land-47905/
