The Phnom Penh Post
AROUND 300 villagers in Kandal province gathered yesterday at the provincial court to protest the arrest of a representative involved in a land row with a local development company.
Officials say the Heng Development Company purchased 1,044 hectares of land in Kandal Stung district in 1996. But representatives of some 2,676 families say they have been farming the land since 1986 and thus are entitled to ownership.
Eang Yan, one of the representatives, said yesterday that military police arrested 45-year-old Vorn Vun while he was eating lunch on Saturday. He said he believed the officers had also intended to arrest himself and fellow representative Chea Hy, but that they had fled their homes and gone into hiding.
“The company tried to arrest three representatives, including me, but they could only arrest one because the two of us knew beforehand, so we ran away before the military police could come to our home,” Eang Yan said.
He said he believed that the company had filed a complaint accusing the three men of destroying company property during a protest last year.
But Sieng Chanheng, the director of the company, said yesterday that she had no knowledge of the arrest.
Officials say the Heng Development Company purchased 1,044 hectares of land in Kandal Stung district in 1996. But representatives of some 2,676 families say they have been farming the land since 1986 and thus are entitled to ownership.
Eang Yan, one of the representatives, said yesterday that military police arrested 45-year-old Vorn Vun while he was eating lunch on Saturday. He said he believed the officers had also intended to arrest himself and fellow representative Chea Hy, but that they had fled their homes and gone into hiding.
“The company tried to arrest three representatives, including me, but they could only arrest one because the two of us knew beforehand, so we ran away before the military police could come to our home,” Eang Yan said.
He said he believed that the company had filed a complaint accusing the three men of destroying company property during a protest last year.
But Sieng Chanheng, the director of the company, said yesterday that she had no knowledge of the arrest.
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