MP dialogues focus on land
Villagers took an increasingly vocal stand on land issues during rare opportunities to speak with National Assembly members this past year, according to the National Democratic Institute. During the most recent town hall-style Constituency Dialogues, started by NDI in 2004 to promote contact between assembly members and communities, almost all constituents focused on land rights, with some travelling dozens of kilometres to voice their concerns, NDI director Laura Thornton said at a presentation on the dialogues report yesterday. … The report finds that parliamentarians’ responses adhered closely to party lines, with ruling party CPP members stressing that concessions follow the “rule of law” and opposition members decrying foreign companies’ encroachment. Nevertheless, NDI observed several instances after the dialogues in which members from each of the major parties heeded constituents’ complaints. …
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012100559126/National-news/mp-dialogues-focus-on-land.html
