Preah Sihanouk provincial governor Kuoch Chamroeun calls on residents who have just received land titles not to take out loans to gamble or bet on the lottery, as authorities have noticed a rise in this kind of activity.
Chamroeun issued the warning while presiding over an August 15 meeting to post precise date of the systematic land registration judgments in Villages I and II in Stung Hav district.
“Do not use these titles to take out bank loans just to gamble, even on the lottery. You should avoid gambling – it affects the livelihoods of families and can cause domestic violence,” he said.
Chamroeun praised district authorities, especially cadastral officials, for their “excellent” work to survey almost 500 plots of land.
“This will lead to the acquisition of legal and titles for many families,” he said.
He said the data will be posted for 15 days so that the landowners can check that their land has been surveyed correctly. If they find any irregularities, they will need to point them out within the 15-day period.
Cheng Srong, director of the provincial Department of Land Management, Urban Planning, Construction and Cadastral Affairs, said the main purpose of the public posting is to ensure it is technically and legally accurate.
“Objections, protests or requests for corrections can be made until August 29,” he said, adding that there are 489 plots shown.
Cheap Sotheary, provincial coordinator for rights group ADHOC, said there were some people in the province, especially housewives, who enjoyed betting on the lottery and playing cards. There were even some who gambled in the province’s many casinos, she noted.
“We have observed that many housewives enjoy playing cards. In the past, most of the people who came to gamble at casinos were foreigners who played with dollars, but now I’ve heard that they are playing with Khmer currency,” she said.
She applauded the governor’s call for people not to gamble, but was concerned that residents would not heed the call unless strict legal action is taken.
