PHNOM PENH: Prime Minister Hun Sen has ordered provincial governors, district governors and commune chiefs along the Tonle Sap Lake area, to take responsibility for the local people and prepare documents to submit to the Royal Government for the provision of the land to the people who have lived on that area for a long time.

Speaking during a special live broadcast on the topic of the Tonle Sap Lake on Friday morning, Prime Minister Hun Sen issued an order to the Minister of Land Management, Deputy Prime Minister Chea Sophara, as well as the provincial governors, district governors and commune chiefs in the area around the lake, to take on the responsibility of meeting the needs of the people living along the Tonle Sap Lake in order to have a clear and correct division of land area that still allows the people to benefit from the land.

The Prime Minister’s statement on this case came after he decided to re-establish the Tonle Sap Lake border post, with consideration given to the living conditions and historical factors of the area where many people have lived for a long time.

He said, "This is the burden of the commune leaders; the people will vote for you in the upcoming election and you have to be responsible to them. To those who have been growing crops [on that land] for a long time, plus the [recognition from] the district governor, the provincial governor, I [am always ready to] sign [documents to provide the land to the people]. I can sign to do the corrections [on the division of land], sign for the requests [made by the people]."

Prime Minister Hun Sen also appealed to the people who received the land to do farming, not invade neighboring land by trying to expand further in size, and to not allow other people from other places, namely businessman or powerful people, to conspire with citizens and invade many hectares of land and unlawfully rent to others like in the past.

He also called on provincial governors, district governors, and commune chiefs to be accountable to the Royal Government, on behalf of the local people, on this issue.