Villagers Face Hefty Court Fees in Land Dispute

10 August 2011
The Cambodia Daily
Human rights / Judiciary and courts / Social development
Adhoc / Adhoc chief monitor Chan Soveth / Cambodia / Chan Soveth / Chan Soveth chief monitor ofr Adhoc / Chea Kheng / Chea Kheng owner KDC Development / Chea Kheng wife of Suy Sem / court / court fees / Disputed Land / district authorities / farming / Fees / Human Rights / human rights worker / Kampong Chhnang / Kampong Chhnang Provincial Court / KDC Development / KDC Development owner Chea Kheng / Kompong Chhnang / Kompong Chhnang Provincial Court / land / Land dispute / Lor Peang / Lor Peang village / Minister of Industry / Minister of Industry Suy Sem / Poverty Classification Card / Provincial Court / Sous Sipay Ta Ches Commune Chief / Suos Sipay / Suy Sem / Suy Sem Minister of Industry / Ta Ches / Ta Ches commune / Ta Ches Commune's Lor Peang Villag / villagers

Kompong Chhnang Provincial Court has ordered 40 families embroiled in a long-running land dispute with the wife of Minister of Industry Suy Sem to pay court fees of up to $155 each, or have their complaints dropped. The villagers, however, say they are too poor to pay the fees, a human rights worker said yesterday. The dispute between the villagers and the KDC Development company, which is owned by Chea Keng, the wife of Mr Sem, has been ongoing since 1997.