People Request 350 Hectares of Land, Two Ministers Say ‘No Objection’ but Asked for Proper Registration

• 2 June 2020
• Local News
• 1411 Views

Responding to a request from almost 300 Oleu community representatives to cut 350 hectares from the ​​Northern Tonle Sap Bengal Florican Protected Area, HE Som Sam Al, Minister of Environment, said that the Ministry of Environment had not refused, but the O’Luo community must fulfil the legal requirement and proper registration first.​ According to the official Facebook page of the Ministry of Environment date May 3oth.

The Minister emphasized that the O’Luo community must establish a by-law, legally structured, and legally recognized community in order to become a legal mechanism in the legal process in consultation with relevant authorities. From this legal basis, they can develop their community.

At the same time, HE Dr Thong Khon, Minister of Tourism, supported the SAM ALL’ statement, urging people to come together to form a legal community and legally register.

The same statement was made on the occasion of the two ministers taking part in a public forum with nearly 300 residents of O’Luo community in Treal commune, Tang Kok district, Kampong Thom province on May 30, 2020.

The Ministerial Meeting with the local people was held in order to address the requests and suggestions of people regarding the proposed land clearance within the ​​Northern Tonle Sap Bengal Florican Protected Area in Treal commune, Tang Kok District to practice their agricultural cultivation.

“If there is no established community without a clearly defined organizational structure, the land clearing request will be relentless and give the cheaters and middlemen an opportunity to take over advantage on the people. Those cheaters will use it as a shield to protest over the land and push the people to face the authorities,” said Minister of the Environment.

“The government has been registering the state land of the area … and will reserve it for the people to use under a proper legal mechanism,” he said.

Adding to that, HE Thong Khon explained to the people, “… the authorities do not let the people suffer, but we know how to solve them properly and for the benefit of all people.”

Notably, a total of 31,159 hectares of Bengal Florican conservation areas, located in the province of Kampong Thom and Siem Reap, were declared “Lowland Landscape Protected Area of the Northern Tonle Sap” in May 2016 to conserve the Bengal Florican birds, the world’s most endangered species.