Border Dispute Flares in Pailin

Border Dispute Flares in Pailin

Khmer Times/May Titthara

Wednesday, 10 February 2016

A resident of Boyakha commune in Pailin said about 20 Thai soldiers stopped her and other farmers from planting crops on their land earlier this month, telling them it was part of a so-called “white zone,” or demilitarized area, considered to be neither on Cambodian nor Thai soil, and she has received no assistance from Cambodian officials to resume farming.
 

Hean Sokhom said the soldiers forbade her from farming on three hectares of land she has been planting corn and cassava on since 2008. “In the past, Thai soldiers helped me plant cassava on this land. I urge the government to find a solution regarding this land dispute as soon as possible so I can grow crops in order to support my family,” Ms. Sokhom said.
 

She said Thai soldiers told her that a decision about the land’s ownership had not yet been made, and that she must stay off it until Thai and Cambodian officials assess which side of the border the land is on. “I told the Thai soldiers that I will still continue to grow my crops on this land because I need to support my family,” Ms. Sokhom said.
 

Cambodian police officers visited her after she complained about the incident and asked her about ownership of the farmland, she said. She added that she thought they would assist her, but says she had heard nothing from them since. “Police asked me to keep silent. They said they will help me solve this problem. But I don’t know when the problem will be solved and I need to grow my crops,” Ms. Sokhom added.
 

Chim Chamnan, chief of the Cambodia-Thai Border police in Pailin and Battambang provinces, said that officials from his department did visit the land, which is situated in the three kilometer stretch between Border posts 66 and 67. 
 

They said they told Ms. Sokhom to stop planting crops on the plot years ago, but that she has been farming secretly since then. 
 

Mr. Chamnan said the land remained disputed and that provincial officials could not solve the problem. “Only authorities at the national level can solve this issue. She was warned not to grow anything on that land since 2008, but she still wants to do it secretly. She likes to cause trouble,” Mr. Chamnan said. “We could not say which country the land belongs to, but the two countries agreed to leave it vacant.”
 

Adhoc’s provincial coordinator for Pailin, Prak Sophima, said former Khmer Rouge soldiers had been planting crops on the land since 2007 or 2008, and that the leaders had distributed plots to residents of the area. “The authorities concerned should solve this problem with their Thai counterparts in order to help people who rely on their crops to live,” said Ms. Sophima.
 

Thai soldiers forbid Cambodian farmers from using the land on February 4 and the farmers subsequently raised the issue with Cambodian officials. They say they have yet to get an answer. Talks between Cambodian farmers and Thai soldiers were held on Tuesday but the issue remains unresolved, local farmers said.