Koh Kong community members wait to speak to land ministry in Phnom Penh about compensation for decade-old land grab.

(Updated 14.00 following land ministry meeting)

Despite attempts to prevent them travelling to Phnom Penh, more than 200 villagers from Koh Kong communities seeking compensation for a decade-old land grab rallied outside the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction early on Tuesday morning.

They were met by Koh Kong deputy governor Orn Pheareak who asked them to return to their province to discuss a solution. Community representatives also met land ministry officials and were given a letter pledging to measure land for 585 families by 20 June 2018.

The communities were forced to walk much of the way to Phnom Penh when police stopped the buses they were travelling in during the early hours of Monday morning. They only arrived late at night and fearing further harassment from security forces, the group gathered before daybreak on Tuesday morning to petition the land ministry.

Last month, the villagers faced police road blocks and were violently shoved and jostled as they attempted to walk to the ministry from a pagoda where they had stayed overnight.

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 in March but hundreds more families are still seeking a fair settlement and have continued to travel regularly to the capital to lobby for government intervention.