And so it goes on...

Koh Kong villagers still seeking resolution to 20-year land dispute with Cambodian tycoon
6 May 2022 2:50 PM
Son Sarak

Hundreds of villagers in Koh Kong province are still stuck in a protracted land dispute with the Cambodian tycoon Heng Huy. Almost 20 years have passed, but there appears to be no resolution in sight. All this time, having lost their farming lands, they have struggled to maintain their livelihoods.

They make up about 197 families from three communities in two districts, Botum Sakor and Sre Ambel. In the past, urged by their village and commune chiefs, 65 of these families had accepted monetary compensation from Heng Huy, who owns Heng Huy Agriculture Group, in exchange for vacating land they had long depended on.

The villagers say that Heng Huy has encroached on their land since 2007, destroying a lot of rice and crops in the area. They say that he forced them to cease their activities on the land, and provided just $25 to $50 in compensation to each family. Instead of being granted assistance, villagers who fought back to protect their land have been brought before the Koh Kong provincial court and questioned.

The villagers say that they have filed their complaints to the relevant provincial, commune, and district authorities, asking them to intervene on their behalf. Last month, they also approached the Ministry of Interior, seeking help from the minister, Sar Kheng, but to no avail.

When asked about the challenges they are facing through all this, the villagers cried and told CamboJA that they feel helpless.

Dek Hout, a representative of the villagers, told CamboJA, “Heng Huy threatens the people, telling them to leave and to stop depending on the land. If we don’t accept his compensation, he still takes the land from us. He threatens us, and he has many bodyguards with guns too.”

She added, “I had eight hectares of land which the Heng Huy illegally cleared. At present, I have only one hectare remaining for farming, to get some income to take care of my family. I have no other land for farming since he grabbed my land.” Some other families have lost over 10 hectares of land.

Hout said she and many other villagers decided not to accept compensation because they had no other land on which they could farm, and the compensation was too little and unjust. “If we decide to leave this land and accept the compensation Heng Huy provided, we will not get enough money to buy another land for farming and living.”

She also said that some of the families were previously migrant workers in Thailand who had returned to work in their own country, but they found themselves unable to resume farming due to the ongoing land dispute. They felt they could not accept the low compensation because they did not want to return to Thailand as migrant workers. At the same time, they didn’t know where else to go or what to do.

According to Hout, the commune and district authorities have remained silent, and told the villagers that they cannot win the land dispute because Heng Huy holds the land title. Moreover, ten people have been charged by the Koh Kong provincial court for causing social unrest, when they are the victims.
More: https://cambojanews.com/koh-kong-villag ... an-tycoon/

Summary: Tycoon Heng Huy, accused of land-grabbing by villagers in Sre Ambel, Koh Kong , has sued the villagers' representative, Det Hour, for slander and defamation. The representative, who was sentenced to a year in prison and a 2 million riel fine, has appealed her sentence in Sihanoukville.
Verdict on 25 October.

October 5, 2022
Rep accused of slander in land dispute stands trial
More than 300 people from three districts in Koh Kong province gathered yesterday in front of the Preah Sihanouk Court of Appeal as their representative faced alleged defamation charges from a tycoon over a land dispute.

The hearing came after the Prosecutor of Preah Sihanouk Court of Appeal, Khieu Phalla, issued a summons for the representative Det Hour from Community 197 in Chi Khor Loeu commune, Sre Ambel district in Koh Kong province yesterday.

According to the order, Hour was charged with slander and public defamation under Articles 311, 312 and 305 of the Penal Code, according to a lawsuit filed by tycoon Heng Huy.

During the four-hour hearing, Det Hour testified that she did not intend to defame anyone, but asked Huy to return disputed land to the community as the tycoon has been taking the land since 2007, and the representative asked the government to resolve the land dispute for them.

“To date, this has not been resolved for us,” she said. “So, our goal is to get the land back.”

After about four hours of questioning, the court adjourned the case and said it would reconvene on October 25 to announce its verdict, while Hour wants the court to drop all charges.
In full: https://www.khmertimeskh.com/501162592/ ... nds-trial/

So slander and defamation results in a year in prison
And a 4 million Riel fine.

Does it actually say this in the code?

I thought the code actually says nothing about prison time and only a small fine.

Anyone care to clarify for the legally challenged?

Of course what is written as the law is subject to a judge’s interpretation.

shameful but reality
Money always wins against right

What are your chances of receiving justice from the court in Cambodia when having a land conflict with the tycoon?

All 10 were sentenced to one year’s imprisonment and ordered to collectively pay 40 million riel (approximately US$9,600) in compensation to tycoon Heng Huy.

The 10 activists from a coastal province were given one-year jail terms amid a lengthy land dispute.
By RFA Khmer
2023.08.15

A provincial court on Tuesday sentenced 10 activists to one year in jail in a case that stems from several long-running land disputes that have triggered protests in Cambodia’s southwestern Koh Kong province.

The activists were arrested in late June after they tried to travel to Phnom Penh to submit a petition to the Ministry of Justice.

The Koh Kong Provincial Court convicted them of malicious denunciation and incitement to provoke chaos. They were ordered to pay 10 million riel (about US$2,400) to tycoon Heng Huy, whose company is involved in one of the land conflicts in the coastal province near the Thai border.

https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambod ... 61550.html