BATTAMBANG: On Sunday evening, 5 December, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction, Chea Sophara has returned from a field visit in Sangke district, following by a meeting with the inter-ministerial working group to review and act to suppress state land encroachment in the flooded forest area of the Tonle Sap Lake.

As a result, from the meeting, it has been decided the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, will set up 60 flooded forest border signs that have not been set up yet. The 60 border signs will count more than half of the 112 posts that will be put throughout the province.

The Battambang Provincial Administration will also issue a letter of instruction to district and commune authorities to stop the examination of the certificate of land tenure and the letter of transfer of land in the flooded forest area, as well as to issue a letter rejecting all documents that have been issued before.

They have committed to take measures in order to stop encroachment on the flooded forest land, identify invaders, confiscate the land and take legal action by filing a lawsuit in court. Along with legal measures, the perpetrators had to replant trees on the encroached land.

It has been decided the National Gendarmerie will deploy patrols to prevent invasion of flooded forests. At the same time, Ministry of Water Resources and Meteorology will be in charge of implement flooded border posts that are missing or collapsed. They will also act for the registration of state land on the flooded forest in the Tonle Sap area, in order to avoid further encroachments.