Prime Minister Hun Manet urged relevant authorities to end the dispute between residents living around Angkor Wat and Apsara National Authority (ANA), a decision lauded by civil society groups, which welcomed the involvement of the government in the resolution of the issue.
“The obligation of protecting our national heritage or ancestral heritage must be enforced, but we must also pay attention to the changing situation of our people in the Angkor area,” Hun Manet said in reference to the lives of the residents who lived around Angkor Wat. He raised this issue among others during his “one-year achievement” speech since he took office.
He assigned Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction Minister Say Sam Al to lead the talks with relevant stakeholders to resolve the issues. It was to maintain a balance between the preservation of ancestral heritage and improving people’s lives as well as eliminating long standing problems with ANA.
“To end issues […] have to review the root cause of the problem, areas to be protected, the zoning, and the conditions to ensure we can achieve a balance in protecting our heritage sites and [meeting] the needs of the people living there,” Hun Manet said.
In 2022, the authorities implemented a conservation zone around the Angkor Archaeological Park which was apparently set when it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site 30 years ago. The zoning prompted a mass eviction which was criticized for improperly informing residents and violating their rights.
Peanh Ponlork, a 42-year resident who lives within the conversation zone, supported the Prime Minister’s speech. Currently, he said, Apsara allegedly continues to restrict their right to peaceful life.
“We are living in a [protective zone] and have to respect Apsara authorities’ rule. We can’t do as we please,” he added.
“Residents who are living here are not happy as there are still some restrictions. We asked the government to exclude our area,” said Ponlork, who lives in Pouk district, which is 10 kilometers away from the Angkor Temple complex.
In Kongchet, a supervisor for the NGO rights group Licadho, said the residents “always confronted” ANA officers when they come to “remove structures” in the village.
“The people are not happy that Apsara has prosecuted them,” he added. “We hope that the situation will change along with a solution which takes into consideration their concerns.”
Kongchet mentioned that residents want the right to cultivate and manage the land without restrictions.
Apsara National Authority spokesperson Long Kosal declined to comment, while Land Management Minister Say Sam Al could not be reached for comment.
Besides land issues, Hun Manet highlighted “significant achievements” in his 12 months as premier, including the maintenance of peace, political stability, security and social public order by his government. This also included economic growth of five percent in 2023 and a six percent projection in 2024.
Between September 2023 and August 2024, the Council for the Development of Cambodia greenlighted 391 investment projects by China, the US, Japan, Canada, South Korea, Sweden, ASEAN, EU and Australia worth $7.6 billion.
In the past 12 months, several factories and enterprises have shut down, but new ones emerged creating about 220,000 jobs with minimum wage up $204 per month for garment workers.
In that time, Cambodia also built new public infrastructure including Siem Reap International Airport, Kampot port and Phnom Penh-Bavet Expressway, expanded Sihanoukville Autonomous Port and began work on the Funan Techo Canal.
Despite economic progress, NGO rights group Adhoc president Ny Sokha opined that human rights issues and political space were constrained with calls made by international communities to resolve the problems.
“We have not seen any improvement, but on the contrary there are restricted rights to freedom of expression, right to assembly and freedom to do politics,” he said.
He added that people who were arrested exercised their opinion. These include political party activists and environmental activists.
