Svay Rieng authority lease border farmland to Viet citizens

Map of Svay Rieng province (Photo courtesy of eac.gov.kh)

Monday, 3 January 2011
By Khmerization
Source: RFA

Cambodian farmers have accused the Svay Rieng provincial authority of leasing vast areas of farmlands along the border to Vietnamese companies and Vietnamese citizens since November, 2010.

Villagers said 10 Vietnamese tractors are actively ploughing the land inside Cambodian territory in Thlok village, Chrork Matess communein Bavet town of Svay Rieng province near an ancient canal for the last two months.

A Cambodian farmer, whose land bordered the area leased to the Vietnamese citizens and who spoke on condition of anonymity, told RFA that he is concerned that his land and the land belonging to many other Cambodian farmers nearby will be taken over by these Vietnamese families one day. "The canal belong to all the people. Every year we take our cattle and buffaloes to drink there. Now, it's been filled up to grow the crop, so there is no water for our cattle and buffaloes. They have cut off the oxcart track where the villagers used to transport their firewood and timber. Now it's all been toiled. Now, the villagers have no track to drive their oxcarts because they have only this dirt road (to drive through)", he said.

Another villager, who has 5 hectares of land bordering the land leased to the Vietnamese families, said he dare not drive his oxcart through that ancient oxcart track anymore. "When they surveyed the land I was standing nearby as well. And my land is located at that point also. I dare not drive (my oxcart) anywhere because if I drive it and it touches their land, they will sue me immediately", he said.

Many villagers said they dare not protest because they are afraid of the village chief who had threatened to sue or arrest them if any body dare to protest.

Mr. Kong Ron, chief of Thlok village, said villagers had sold their lands to a local company and that company leased those lands to the Vietnamese families to grow cassava under a six-monthly contract. "It's true that they have formed a company with the Vietnamese people, but we live there and we don't have markets to sell our produce. They have farmed and grown (cassava) with the Vietnamese and they transported (exported) the produce to Vietnam. But we formed a joint venture with them, we did not lease the lands to them. They leased from us for a six-monthly contract. We made a contract with them for every (six-monthly) season and we charge them for every season", he said.

Mr. Var Kimhong, chairman of Cambodian Border Committee, has asked the local authority and the Cambodian company to cancel their contract immediately because their contract has not been approved by his committee. "I request the local authority in the border areas to ban the lease of lands or not to do anything else. I will not allow them to do anything. If they do it, the provincial and the local authorities must take full responsibility. We will not allow them to do anything inappropriate", he said.

Mr. Var Kimhong said the government has no policy of allowing any lease of lands along the border to citizens of neighbouring countries. He promised to look into this case.