by: Sotheary
Preah Sihanouk: Preah Sihanouk Provincial Administration has called on the people who are occupying, living and planting other crops in the forest cover, flooded forest land, mangrove forest land, land conservation area at Oh Thmor plantation land, national park land, marine park land, biodiversity conservation corridor Land for multi-use areas, Prek Teuk Sap, Kbal Chhay, and private land in Sihanoukville Province, to leave and return the land to authority and the legal owner.
The provincial administration has also warned of retribution for those who disobey the notice and continue to stay in construction.
The notice states that any relevant persons who have illegally occupied the land will be punished according to the following articles:
1. Article 97 and Article 98 of the Law on Forestry: Any person who commits crimes such as forging public documents related to the forestry or wildlife sector, destroying, hiding, selling or stealing forest exhibits, destroying, changing, eliminating or damaging the boundaries of the area. Deforestation, clearing of forest land, encroachment on forest land will be punished by imprisonment from 5 to 10 years and all exhibits will be confiscated as state property. In the case of non-violent perpetrators, the punishment shall be doubled.
2. Article 98 of the Law on Irrigation will also punish the perpetrators from three to five years.
3. Articles 56 and 62 of the Law on Protected Areas stipulate that the perpetrators will be imprisoned for 5 to 10 years and fined 15 million to 150 million riels.
4. Article 253 of the Land Law also stipulates that anyone who uses violence against a real estate occupant in good faith shall be punished by a fine of 1.5 million to 25 million riels or by imprisonment for six months to two years.
Through this announcement, the Preah Sihanouk Provincial Administration has ordered the authorities to review and implement very strictly.
