Community members march to Phnom Penh. Credit: Koh Kong community representative.

Police have attempted to block about 300 villagers from Koh Kong province from travelling to Phnom Penh to demand compensation for a decade-old land grab. The police, led by a District Deputy Governor, stopped the communities’ buses in Sre Ambel district early on Monday morning.

Instead the community groups set out on foot, determined to make the 150 km trip to the capital. Along the way, they have encountered military police forces and have been pressured by authorities to return to their province.

The communities from Chi Kha Leu, Chi Kha Kraom, Dang Peng and Kandoul communes have petitioned the ministry and provincial authorities for over a decade for compensation for land they lost to two Economic Land Concessions linked to the Thai sugar company KSL and ruling party Senator Ly Yong Phat.

Some affected community members were granted compensation on 22 March 2018 but several hundred more are still seeking a fair settlement.

Last month the communities also faced road blocks and were violently shoved and jostled by security forces in Phnom Penh as they attempted to walk – from a pagoda where they spent the night – to the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction. Many were carrying babies and small children when they were attacked.