Cambodian Journalists Alliance Association

Hundreds of Indigenous People Clash with Developers Over Disputed Farmland

Residents of Dang Phlet and Narong villages, Chhep district, Preah Vihear province, gathered at Chhep II commune to meet with local government representatives to resolve land disputes they say have led to violence. Photo provided on Jan. 29, 2025.
Residents of Dang Phlet and Narong villages, Chhep district, Preah Vihear province, gathered at Chhep II commune to meet with local government representatives to resolve land disputes they say have led to violence. Photo provided on Jan. 29, 2025.

More than 200 Kuy indigenous community members clashed with workers of an agriculture company Tuesday in Preah Vihear province after the company returned, having already cleared more than 1,000 hectares of their ancestral land, the villagers said.

The clash – featuring careening tractors and knives and swords – erupted after the Kuy community held a ritual to ward off Santana Agro Products Co. Ltd., an agriculture firm owned by Preah Vihear Deputy Governor Ouk Kimsan, Radio Free Asia reported.

The Kuy indigenous community claimed that the company has cleared nearly 300 hectares of forest in two villages – Dang Phlet and Narong – in Chheb district over the last month, calling it their farmland.

Meanwhile, Nop Vuthy, spokesperson of Preah Vihear province, said authorities have “resolved the issue” and “both parties have agreed to end the protest.”

Vuthy dismissed the standoff as “a dispute between uncle and nephew,” saying, “The nephew is a tractor driver, but the uncle came to stop it.” He also claimed the area is not indigenous land or home to ancestral huts, accusing the protestors of misleading people.

Kong Sreyneat, a Dang Phlet village resident in Chheb district, told CamboJA News she’s unsure who owns the land Santana Argo Products is allegedly clearing. But she said tractors have been clearing villagers’ farmland since January without warning.

Recalling the Jan. 28 incident, Sreyneat said villagers tried to block the company’s heavy machinery with their motorbikes as it rolled in to clear more land. But workers plowed through, displacing them and damaging several bikes.

“Some people injured their legs, and three motorbikes were broken,” she said, referring to reports that one Kuy man was hurt when a worker swung a sword at his leg after more armed workers arrived. CamboJA News could not confirm the severity of his injuries.

Sreyneat also said villagers believe a private agriculture company has already cleared more than 1,000 hectares of land once part of their communes. She didn’t know the company’s name and couldn’t confirm if it was Santana Argo Products.

The company claims it bought the land from a Chheb district deputy governor, she said, but he denied selling it to them when speaking to villagers.

Sreyneat, who is indigenous , said clearing farmland and sacred sites has deeply disrupted their way of life.

Cheoun Het, 37, a Dang Phlet village resident, said she fears the ongoing land clearing will soon reach her 3-hectare rice field, which she has farmed since 2013. Losing it would wipe out her only source of income.

“If it’s a rice field, they clear it. If it’s cassava, they clear it completely,” she said. “We stand together because they’re taking villagers’ land, not just hurting individuals – this affects nearly 400 families. How can we survive without rice fields? People just want three meals a day, but they’re crushing us.”

She also criticized local authorities for ignoring villagers’ concerns.

The morning after the clash, officials told residents to let excavators continue while they worked on a solution, she said.

Villagers also claim tractor operators carry air guns, adding to their fears.

​​Chhean Chen, ChhebII commune chief – which includes the two affected villages – told CamboJA News the recent land clearing was part of a study for a conservation project. 

He did not disclose the company’s name, project details, or confirm if it was Santana Argo Products, saying the alleged study is being handled by district authorities.

According to Chen, villagers were informed about the development plans in advance. He claimed compensation or land exchanges would be provided if their land was affected but admitted the information was not widely shared because the project is still in its early stages.

Poek Sophon, executive director of the Polnok Khmer Organization, warned that land disputes and violence in Dang Phlet and Narong villages could escalate if provincial authorities do not intervene. Despite the government’s vow to stop granting economic land concessions, private companies continue clearing forests and rice fields, even in protected areas, he mentioned.

“This has been going on since early January and has now erupted into violence. Authorities must be held responsible for the damage, especially the clearing of land without informing the local communities,” Sophon said.

He also urged the government to review development projects to ensure they aren’t backed by corrupt officials or traders destroying forests and indigenous lands.

In 2023, another group of Kuy villagers accused Santana Argo Products of illegally seizing and clearing protected forest land in Preah Vihear’s Rovieng district for a cashew plantation, RFA Khmer reported.

Attempts to call the registered number of Santana Argo Products in the Ministry of Commerce’s business register were met with a deadline.

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