Village Chief Threatened People to Sell their Land

Tumpuon ethnic people, who live in Pou Traeng and Pou Las village, Dak Dam commune, O’Rang district, Mondulkiri province, were threatened and cheated out of selling their farmland and village land to a rubber plantation company by village chiefs and some elders.

A community leader, Boreit Kampi, from Pou Las village, Dak Dam commune, O’Rang district reported July 12, 2010 that the village chief and some elders were collecting those ethnic people’ s identity cards and their thumbprints to prove their agreement of selling their shifting land [farmland] and village land to a private company, owned by Kov Chouly. Meanwhile the group also threatened them that even though they did not agree, the company would still seize their land; and then they could not get any compensation.

Seeing that, Mr. Boreit Kampi was trying to stop the village chief and those elders from so doing. He explained it was not right to falsify the document; particularly the identity cards, in exchange for the land. The village and even communal chiefs did not have such jurisdiction or authority to sell indigenous community land. However, at least 50 residents consented to sell it; and they would come to measure on July 12, 2010.

In relation to the above mentioned case, Pou Las village chief Blang Seng confessed that there was such assembly in order to discuss the way of doing contract with the company. The villagers themselves would go to the field and measure it. The total size of the land was approximately 4,000 hectares. Based on the previous meeting, of 103 families in the area, most supported the plan of selling their land to Kov Chouly Rubber Plantation Company.

Meanwhile, Ngeth Vandi, a representative from Pou Traeng village, Dak Dam commune, O’Rang district, also said the village chief in his area was doing the same. They told the villagers that although they did not want to sell it to the company, the company would still grab it. And then they should decide to do it so that they could get some money to support the family.

Whereas Dak Dam Communal Chief Sam Vanny denied he had been aware of that. He said village chiefs had no rights to sell and transfer [those] indigenous land to the company. However, if they were trying to take advantages from the company to help people, that would be fine.