• Society

Governors Deny Land Rented to Vietnamese

• By Meng Seavmey
• March 25, 2022 9:13 AM

Cross-border deals stamped out, say authorities

PHNOM PENH--Governors of provinces alongside Vietnam say no Cambodians are renting farmland to Vietnamese citizens at the border.

The governors of Kandal, Prey Veng, Svay Rieng and Takeo provinces spoke after Interior Minister Sar Kheng ordered border authorities to prohibit Cambodians from renting land to Vietnamese people near the border.

He said long-term rentals could lead to land conflict between Cambodia and Vietnam, as Vietnamese citizens might say the land is Vietnamese after renting it for a long time.

Speaking on March 22 during the review of Prey Veng Provincial Administration, he called on all border authorities to strengthen border security

Chheang Sovannara, Prey Veng Provincial Administration director, said the possible land conflict had been raised by Cambodians living along the border.

However, there were no longer such cases as the local authorities had told citizens about the matter and had implemented government policies.

However, Sovannara said there had been cases of Cambodians in the province renting farmland to Vietnamese to grow rice or crops but the arrangement was seasonal without any specific duration and annual renewals were agreed verbally.

There had been no such action since government policies had been implemented.

Rus Pharith, Svay Rieng Provincial Deputy-Governor, said no Cambodians rented land to Vietnamese citizens in the province as authorities carried out government policies.

“We, the sub-national authorities in provinces along Cambodia-Vietnam border, have been told to prevent Cambodians from renting fields or land to the citizens of our neighboring country,  the Vietnamese, and to spread awareness of this,” he said.

Only Cambodians were growing crops, including rice, potatoes and corns, using their own land within the Cambodian border.

Takeo Provincial Deputy-Governor Ly Saveth said that, as in the other two provinces, Cambodians living next to the border did not rent their land to Vietnamese citizens.

“Authorities in Takeo province have been informed about the matter in all meetings, so we have called on the authorities in all villages and districts in Takeo province, especially the provincial authorities, to patrol at the border and instructed the police to be responsible for border control,” Saveth said.

In the context of COVID-19, Saveth said Cambodia and Vietnam were restricting border crossings security. He had not seen any case of Cambodians renting fields to Vietnamese.

“All sub-national levels of authorities here are strict about the matter and always remind all relevant authorities, especially administrative governors at districts and communes, and the border guards,” he said.

Kruy Malen, Kandal Provincial Administration Director, said Cambodians living on the border had been told about the policies. No landowners in the area were leasing farmland to the citizens of Vietnam.

“Kandal provincial authorities have been strictly implementing the policies on banning Cambodians from renting or selling their land to citizens of neighboring countries. Kandal province already worked on that a long time ago,” he said.

The authorities had been monitoring the border and inspected all cases in 2018.

“We put a stop to it and banned those who were still renting at that time and those who wanted to rent,” he said.

A regulation banning Cambodians from selling or leasing land to citizens of neighboring countries was issued by the Ministry of Urban Development in 2015. Border authorities are responsible for monitoring its implementation.