Director of Mondulkiri Provincial Department of Rural Development encroached on 23 hectares of community forest land

 

Mondulkiri Province: The case of the community suing Mr. Yun Sarom, Director of the Rural Development Department of Chhos Chhay Province, for encroaching on 23 hectares of community forest land in Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary as personal property and warning that he will open the case of clearing other forest lands which some officials Up to 500 hectares to 1,000 hectares, if they dare to confiscate the 23 hectares of land, an Adhoc official and seven other indigenous people filed a lawsuit on November 23 at the Provincial Court. Mondulkiri issued a summons for Mr. Sarom to appear at the November 25 trial, but Mr. Sarom denied any wrongdoing and asked the court to adjourn the hearing. Trial to another day.

In 2017, Yun Sarom, director of the Mondulkiri Provincial Department of Rural Development, was accused by Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary community of clearing 23 hectares of community forest and demanding that the land be returned to the state. After receiving the letter, the Mondulkiri provincial authorities set up a joint committee to inspect the scene and found that Mr. Yun Sarom had indeed encroached on 23 hectares of community forest land, of which 11 hectares were located. Standard point 724504-1361081 has already planted cashew nuts. The 11 hectares were cleared by Yun Sarom in 2008.

Not only that, from 2008 to 2016, Mr. Yun Sarom continued to clear and expand the land area, encroaching on another 23 hectares of community land and reaching the standard 724564-1381423 by planting cashew nuts. More all over the land! After the inspection, the joint commission, headed by Mr. Keo Sopheak, Director of the Mondulkiri Provincial Department of Environment, filed two lawsuits requesting the confiscation of the land as state property, one to the Mondulkiri Provincial Authority and the other to the Mondulkiri Provincial Authority. Submitted to Mondulkiri Provincial Court.

But after Svay Sam Eang, the provincial governor, warned against confiscating the 23 hectares of land, Yun Sarom said in a press conference that he would open up and clear other forest land, some officials up to 500 to 1,000 hectares.

Following the leak, an Adhoc official and seven other indigenous groups filed a lawsuit against the director of the Department of Rural Development in the provincial court, claiming that Yun Sarom was aware of the crime. The plaintiff, Yun Sarom, who was found to have committed a crime and did not file a lawsuit, demanded the confiscation of forest land and cleared land to be his property. The state.

The director of the Department of Alien Development said he was not afraid to go to court, but asked the court to reschedule the trial to another day because he was currently busy working as a civil servant. Keo Sopheak, director of the Mondulkiri provincial environment department, said he was unaware that the Sre E community land had been violated.