"Residents block NR2 in bid to seek better compensation over airport project", 8 September 2021

Residents in a land dispute with the new Phnom Penh international Airport development project in Kandal province’s Kandal Stung district, blocked National Road 2 … and warned that they will do it again if authorities do not resolve their dispute properly and they will march through the area demanding better compensation.

Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO) deputy director Am Sam Ath told … that authorities should find a good resolution because all the land belongs to the people. If they provide good compensation to the land owners then the development will go on peacefully.

“It’s not to interrupt the governor’s development of the airport but to help the development move forward by providing the best solution for citizens affected by the airport project,” said Sam Ath…

Khim Maly, a villager who owns land in the disputed area, told … that they made plans to close National Road 2 after the Kandal provincial governor didn’t offer a good compensation and threatened to construct a road through their farming fields.

She said the governor also stationed many police officers on the road to her farming field and the rice and crops on her land were cleared. She said there were 13 families who were protesting but two families accepted compensation of $80 per square metre for their land.

… Kandal provincial governor Kong Sophorn told … that families who don’t want to accept a cash settlement for their land within the construction area of the new international airport can choose a “land swap” instead…