The Land Ministry, which was heavily involved in the relocating of thousands of Angkor Wat residents – a process rights groups condemned as forced – is now pushing a new mechanism to address long-running land use disputes among remaining communities, according to the minister.
In a video circulating on Facebook since May 13, Land Minister Say Sam Al addressed fellow ministerial officials about the disputes between Angkor Wat residents and the Apsara Authority, the body managing the park, and called for a resolution involving all parties.
Since Angkor Wat was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992, authorities have imposed tighter land use and construction rules, sparking friction with long-time residents seeking to maintain and upgrade their homes.
The heritage designation also led to mass evictions for those living in demarcated boundaries.
“This step is moving forward, not backward. For me, it’s about improving the country and ending land disputes once and for all,” Sam Al said in the video reviewed by CamboJA News, referring to recent inter-ministerial talks on the issue but offering limited details.
“I won’t adopt any strategy that creates conflict with our people,” he added, noting he would work with UNESCO for technical support to protect the site while weighing input from all sides on road approvals and development plans.
Apsara, which operates under the technical supervision of the Culture Ministry and financial oversight of the Economy Ministry, has traditionally held the most control over conservation and land management in the Angkor area, with support from the Land Ministry.
Together, the two agencies led the removal of thousands of residents from zones surrounding the temple complex between 2022 and 2023, according to Amnesty International, which described the resettlements as forced and in violation of international human rights law.
The rights and research group said the Land Ministry played a key role in a large-scale land registration drive inside the Angkor site, which accelerated around August 2022 and appeared aimed at facilitating the evictions.
For the roughly 170,000 people that Sam Al says have been permitted to remain on temple grounds, authorities have barred even minor home upgrades, such as adding toilets or chicken coops – structures some residents say Apsara has torn down. The authority denies restricting the right to build toilets or demolishing small structures.
Rong Sona, a resident of Khna commune in Puok district near Angkor Wat, said she had not heard about the minister’s comments but noted the situation had eased in recent years.
“Before, we couldn’t extend or repair our homes – any new structure had to be torn down,” she said. “Now we can make repairs, but we still need Apsara’s approval for anything new.”
It is unclear if the new mechanism proposed will require final approval from Apsara or the Land Ministry.
Keut Reachkol, a resident of Ampil commune on the edge of Angkor park, also said land use restrictions have eased somewhat.
Reachkol hoped the minister’s ambition was to grant his community more control over their land but he remains cautious.
“We still don’t know the outcome of the meeting. We haven’t received any official letter confirming residents have the same rights as those living outside the Angkor area,” he said.
Land Ministry spokesperson Seng Louth said new land-use terms were being drafted to “improve the livelihoods of local residents for a more comfortable environment and to preserve the Angkor area to ensure it remains worthy of its status as a World Heritage Site.”
Relevant ministries are purportedly due to meet next month to continue drafting terms and conditions.
Louth added the government would continue investing in infrastructure and development at the resettlement sites of Run Ta Ek and Peak Sneng, but declined to provide further detail.
During the 2023 resettlement of Angkor residents to Run Ta Ek, a CamboJA News investigation found that documents submitted by Cambodian authorities to UNESCO misrepresented the site’s conditions. The area was largely barren and lacked the promised prefab housing.
While the ministry promotes its new approach as a step forward, rights groups say key concerns remain unresolved – including policies that led to past evictions and the lack of civil society participation in discussions on the site’s future.
“Whatever purview the government seeks over residents of Angkor must be based firstly on the protection of their human rights – especially their right to adequate housing,” said Montse Ferrer, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for research. She urged authorities to clarify who is allowed to stay, which communities are considered “traditional,” and what remedies will be offered to those displaced in recent years.
Ferrer also criticised the exclusion of civil society groups from ICC-Angkor, the international coordination body overseeing conservation at the site, and from the government’s current process. She said UNESCO, as a leading partner, should push for more inclusive engagement to help safeguard residents’ rights.
UNESCO Program Officer Pheap Bunleng said the agency is aware of the minister’s recent remarks about new proposals to address residents’ concerns.
“When we receive the official proposal, we will review the details of the mechanism,” he said.
Apsara spokesperson Long Kosal declined to comment. Siem Reap provincial administrator Ly Vannak referred questions to the Land Ministry.
Sum Map, spokesperson for the Culture Ministry, could not be reached for comment.
