28 November 2014, Phnom Penh — We are people from 83 families from the villages of Lor Peang, Boeung Kok, Soravong and Banteay Meas in Taches Commune, Kampong TraLach District, Kampong Chhnang Province. We are having this press conference at the Ministry of Justice to inform the Cambodian public about the failures of the investigation by the First Commission members of National Assembly and the negotiation process with the families affected by the land conflict in our area.

The communities of Lor Peang, Boeung Kok, Soravong and Banteay Meas have been in a conflict over land with KDC Company Co. Ltd for more than 10 years. In 2014, five community representatives were arrested for trying to protect their land, and our people marched to Phnom Penh in order to demand that the court release them and solve the land conflict. The First Commission members of the National Assembly had promised to solve the conflict within one week, but now almost two months have passed and there is still no just solution for us. Instead, the negotiations keep getting delayed and there has been no progress for our communities.

The community of Lor Peang believes that there has been no justice in the negotiations, because even as they were taking place, the company suddenly began activities again and it is also recruiting construction workers to build on the conflict land. Even though we submitted a lot of petitions asking for an intervention from many institutions, still KDC Company was allowed to keep building. It is also unfair that the company has hundreds of hectares of land while the people got only 183 hectares. If they cut it down even more, then everything will be finished for us. The negotiations have gone on too long, while the people of Lor Peang suffer more and more. If the company is willing to solve the problem, it should negotiate with the First Commission members of National Assembly and not keep it in suspension like this.

We, the people of Lor Peang need a just negotiation, and call on the Ministry of Justice to intervene to cease the building process by KDC Company and its recruiting of construction workers in order to take time for negotiations first.

Please contact: Mrs. Um Sophy: 012 210 393 – 097 864 2630 OR Mr. Sieng Heng: 017 319 259