Villagers in Land Dispute Detain Workers, Confiscate Equipment
Villagers involved in a land dispute in Battambang province on Monday temporarily detained six men working for an agribusiness firm who were preparing the disputed land to be cleared, residents and police said. The six workers were using mine detectors to check for unexploded ordnance in the area when more than 100 residents of Thma Puok district’s Banteay Chhmar commune surrounded them, briefly detained them and confiscated their equipment, according to community representative Pen Sophon. Mr. Sophon said the villagers have been involved in a land dispute with the Leang Bou company since 2008, when it was granted a concession to 1,700 hectares of land that more than 500 families have farmed since 2000. … Soum Chankea, provincial coordinator for rights group Adhoc, said that the company had not offered any compensation to villagers who would lose their farmland to the concession. …
Kuch Naren
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/villagers-in-land-dispute-detain-workers-confiscate-equipment-50594/
