Koh Kong Provincial Administration has permitted community representatives in Sre Ambel district to reassess recipients of land concessions by themselves beginning July 15. The provincial land management committee would later review the results from the new assessment.

The call for the assessment was made by the people who refused to accept an initial land evaluation in 2023 as it lacked transparency.

On July 8, about 300 people from Community 955 gathered at the Sre Ambel district hall in Koh Kong province to demand the district authorities conduct a second evaluation “correctly and fairly” of those who received the social land concessions from Koh Kong Provincial Administration.

Phav Nheung, a Community 955 representative, told CamboJA News that they asked the Sre Ambel district authorities to inspect, research and evaluate again because they felt that previous assessment was unfair. 

“People are not satisfied because the village chief failed to understand his own people. They noticed some discrimination in the assessment. It was not correct at all because those who are very poor would not get [social land concessions],” she said.

The previous assessment saw only 80 out of 955 families receiving land. However, the 80 families have not accepted the land because the rest of the residents were protesting the initial evaluation.

People are responding to a questionnaire by the Koh Kong provincial authorities, Phav Nheung said. “The survey is scheduled to be completed by 2025, but I will try to finish it in August this year and submit [to the provincial authorities], and cooperate with them because people urged them to do it quickly.”

“The people said that they had [previously] migrated and owed a lot of money, so they don’t want to wait and protest so much. They want land for farming in order to make a living at home to prevent migration,” Nheung added.

Kham Thien, a member of Community 955, said they have been applying for social land concessions since 2019 but only in 2023, the Koh Kong provincial authorities came to collect their data.

During the survey, the authorities also added new applicants, which brought the total number of families to 2,564. In Chamkar Krom Village, 44 families applied for social land concessions, but only four families received them.

“Out of the four families who received the land, one was from Community 955, and the other three were new residents which the authorities included during the data collection process. Those people looked like they had a better life than our Community 955,” Thien said.

He also raised the issue of land and foraging with Koh Kong deputy governor Sok Sothy during a public forum at the commune hall, asking whether he was entitled to a title deed as his land was on bank of the canal.

“He [Sothy] said it was not possible. My income supports two of my school going children […] I’m too old, and I can’t rely on my wife, who is a housewife,” said the father of five, who is a fisherman. He added that they do not have proper land for housing or farming and lived a difficult life.

Thien requested the relevant ministries and provincial administrative authorities expedite the settlement of social land concessions to the poor people as some people do not have land for farming and housing.

Tin Tang, another community representative, said she was given only 75​ square meters of land, which she refused because only five families in her village obtained land, while others did not.

“What they gave was [also] not enough; they gave me less than one hectare. I refused to accept it. I want the authorities to give everyone three hectares of land equally,” she said, adding that they would agree to accept the land if it was equally distributed.

Tang, a single mother of two daughters, said they experienced “a very difficult life”. The children, aged 19 and 16, dropped out of school during Covid-19 and did not continue their education as they lacked money.

The family recently built a small hut on the land​, but they could not sleep much when it rained due to leaks. “How can we sleep when it’s raining? We just have to be patient,” Tang said.

Chhim Pao, chief of Boeung Preav commune in Sre Ambel district, said three villages applied for social land concessions. He was not personally informed of the number of approved applications but stated that the latest report showed that only 11 families received the land concession.

Of that, two families in the “poor one” category received land, along with nine families in the “poor two” category. The categories were drawn up based on the previous survey results.

However, those who received land title do not have the right to occupy and use the land yet.

“I only received the figures and documents from the team which conducted the interview. They did not let us inform others or share [information] on what was approved for the families. I don’t know anything,” Pao added.

The land assessors consisted of people from the provincial team and the social work team, who visited the village two or three times in 2024.

According to the sub-decree on social land concessions issued in 2003, social land concessions can be granted for social purposes such as for homeless or poor families to build houses and farming, and for families affected by natural disasters.

Nget Sinap, coordinator of the human rights organization Adhoc​ in Koh Kong, said Community 955 was set up in 2019 to apply for social land concessions, but currently only 80 out of 955 families have received land through the Koh Kong Provincial Administration.

He also monitored the situation because people in the community claimed that there were “more poor people”, but the provincial administration found only 80 poor families. This was the reason why people protested at the Srae Ambel district hall on July 8.

Hong Pros, deputy governor of Sre Ambel district, said over 2,000 families applied for social land concessions, but the authorities only found around 200 families who were “really poor”.

But community representatives insisted that those who received land “were not really poor”, requesting for a new survey which they would do themselves, Pros said.

“The 955 [community] said they were not satisfied, so they requested to do a survey themselves. The provincial team agreed to their request,” he said, adding that the outcome would be reviewed by the Koh Kong provincial administration later.

Pros also said the community “gathered and dispersed” on July 8. “There was no protest.”

Koh Kong deputy governor Sok Sothy could not be reached for comment.