PHNOM PENH: Prime Minister Hun Sen has instructed the Governor of Battambang Province, Sok Lou, to cut part of the land bordering Pailin Province and return it to the Governor of Pailin.

During the graduation ceremony for more than 6,000 students of the National University of Management on Monday morning, 17 October, the Prime Minister told Battambang Governor Sok Lou, and the Governor of Pailin, Ban Srey Mom, that if this issue cannot be solved within two weeks, he will come in person to solve this matter at once.

"This land is not being cut for foreigners, it is an integrated settlement village, with some settled in Pailin and some settled in Battambang," said the Prime Minister. "In Battambang, the land is very big, so cut a few thousand hectares and give it to Pailin. For people who register to vote there, they can have their names transferred to the constituency outside Battambang, to Pailin."

According to the Prime Minister, provincial governors have not been able to solve this problem for almost 30 years. The Prime Minister acknowledged that the reason for this may be due to some powerful people having land in the area for mango cultivation, which likely prevents the Battambang provincial governor from cutting part of the land to give to Pailin province.

He assured the landowners in that area that, "The land for Mango cultivation will not go anywhere, it will stay at one place so you can [continue to] harvest mango, that does not need to stop."