More than 4,000 hectares of Pursat’s flooded forest in Cambodia encroached by crooks

Three locations in Pursat’s districts were reported to have been encroached on, causing authorities to execute a manhunt for those involved with the crimes.

The national crackdown on deforestation and land encroachment crimes continue as more surveys and inspections are being done by provincial authorities. The authorities of Pursat investigated three locations in Krakor, Kandeang, and Bakan districts.

The inspection was done by the inter-ministerial working group and sub-working group. They discovered that an area of 4,434 hectares of swamp forest was encroached. This was reported by the Governor of Pursat Province, Cheav Tay, and the Secretary of State of the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction, Sor Sovann.

According to the report of the ministry and provincial officials: in Bakan District, people encroached on 1,022.68 hectares of swamp forest lands in three communes, 1,864 hectares of land in five communes in Kandeang District were encroached, and 1,547.6 hectares of land in seven of Krakor District’s communes were encroached.

The authorities implemented seven measures to combat crimes in the flooded forests, as well as rehabilitate the land.

The provincial administration will instruct district/commune authorities to examine certificates of land occupancy and the letter of transfer of land in the flooded forest area, issue a letter rejecting all the documents that have been issued before.

Identify encroachers and confiscate the stolen land, as well as send encroachers to court.

Command encroachers to replant trees in the encroached land.

Patrols must be done by the National Gendarmerie.

Officials from the MOWRAM must replace or reinstall border posts around the flooded forest.

Those who have already planted crops in the land must sign a contract to return the and to the state after they’ve harvested the crops.

The replanting of bamboo is a priority.

SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES