Sam Rainsy Party

THE opposition Sam Rainsy Party claims authorities in Kampong Thom province’s Santuk district have begun clearing “thousands of hectares” of land belonging to 160 families as compensation for victims of a high-profile land eviction last year. It also claims a portion of the land has been awarded to the Vietnamese rubber firm responsible for the evictions. Men Sothavarin, an SRP lawmaker representing Kampong Thom, wrote to Interior Minister Sar Kheng last week, calling for him to intervene in the clearance of the land, which he claims began in Kraya commune on December 2. “Article 5 of the Land Law states that no individual should have his property confiscated if the confiscation is not in the public interest,” the letter read.