It is hard to miss the two little houses sitting defiantly in the middle of the Singapore building site.

It's instantly reminiscent of the award-winning cartoon Up, the Pixar film which tells the tale of an old man who refuses to move from his home as towering blocks of flats rise around him.

Indeed, the owners of these two homes are just as determined to stay put, refusing offers reportedly worth millions to move elsewhere.

The Council of Ministers has decided to annul the prakas which were previously issued to carve out roughly 30ha in total size from an area currently encompassed by Boeung Tamok Lake on the outskirts of Phnom Penh.

The reversal came following a direct order from Prime Minister Hun Sen.

Main photo: Residents of OC8 Batu Arang doing a recce of the area before starting to clear the land. (Hamzah Osman pic)

PETALING JAYA: Ninety-four families in Rawang, restless over a long delay in receiving their land titles from the Gombak district office, have decided not to wait any longer.

Eleven monks in Kampong Speu province have escaped to avoid being defrocked by the provincial monk council after authorities found that they were involved in state forest land encroachment.

Phnom Sruoch district’s deputy chief monk Venerable Nou Chin told The Post on December 8 that the provincial authorities had torn down some hermitages built illegally by the monks in the Kirirom National Park area.

The construction was led by Sam Norn, the former monk at the Buddhist Cultural Centre within the National Park areas.

Mondulkiri officials issued a six-day ultimatum on constructions encroaching on the Doh Kramom Mountain Cultural Centre in Sen Monorom town’s Sokdum commune.

The centre belongs to the Bunong indigenous people and the builders must remove the constructions immediately or face legal penalties.

Mondulkiri Culture and Fine Arts Department director Sey Touch said on December 2 the decision was made on the guidance of a working group set up by Mondulkiri provincial governor Svay Sam Eang and led by Chum Nary, the deputy head of the administration.

Main photo: Protestors calling for land reform, Jakarta, September 2019 / Dhemas Reviyanto / ANTARA FOTO

This year marks the 150th birthday of one of the most consequential laws in Indonesian history. In 1870 the Dutch adopted the Agrarische wet or undang undang agraria. This law contains the provision that would become known as the domein verklaring: ‘all land not held under proven ownership, shall be deemed the domain of the state’.

Kep provincial police said they have identified a group who used the replacement Khmer New Year holiday to encroach on 4ha of flooded mangrove forests.

Police took down tow sheds measuring 18sqm and removed 100 stone poles used to mark land boundaries in an area inhabited by a community of fishermen in Angkorl village, in Damnak Changaur district’s Angkorl commune.

Provincial administration spokesman Ros Udong told The Post on Monday that having received information on the case, Kep provincial governor Som Piseth instructed officials to inspect the location.

The National Assembly standing committee approved three draft laws on Thursday to be submitted to the expert commissions for review.

The National Assembly’s Commission for Economy, Finance, Banking and Audit will review and study two draft laws – the Control, Use and Management of State Property; and Management of Commercial Gambling.

Another draft law before the Commission for Legislation and Justice is on the adoption of treaties between Cambodia and South Korea involving assistance for criminal justice.

Kampong Speu province is set to reclaim land in the Kirirom National Park after accusations from locals that environmental officers had encroached on 2ha of it.

The statement came from provincial governor Vei Samnang who vowed to get to the bottom of the matter.

The dispute began when a letter containing the thumbprints of nearly 20 residents was sent to a commune chief claiming that the signatories are witnesses in Chambak commune’s Thmei Village.

Fourteen people have been identified for inciting more than 70 villagers to burn down two ranger stations in Taveng commune, Taveng district, Ratanakkiri province. District officials will bring the case to court, said Ministry of Environment secretary of state and spokesman Neth Pheaktra.

Speaking to The Post on Monday, Pheaktra said some villagers grabbed land at a protected area and after the rangers intervened they set the stations on fire. “This is unacceptable, and the ringleaders must be held responsible for their action according to the law for destroying state property.

In April, 13 suspects were charged in the Mondulkiri Provincial Court for encroaching on forest land in wildlife sanctuaries at Phnom Prich, Srepok, Nam Lear, and Keo Seima, said Ministry of Environment secretary of state and spokesperson Neth Pheaktra.

The sanctuaries are protected under the Law on Natural Protected Areas. He said the 13 perpetrators violated articles 56, 60, and 62, which all concern destroying natural resources.

Major general Chan Sam Ath was detained by Strung Treng Police Commissariat officials last Thursday for allegedly clearing 70ha of state land in Sralao village, Anglong Chrey commune, Thala Barivat district.

Stung Treng provincial administration spokesman Men Kong told The Post on Sunday that the Commissariat will question Sam Ath and arrange a court case, but they have not yet sent the case to court.

Kung said authorities confiscated three pieces of land-clearing equipment during their investigation.