ABOUT 300 Cambodians from 19 different provinces converged on the capital Tuesday to lodge complaints with a variety of government institutions in the hope of securing official intervention in land disputes across the country.

Several villagers told the Post on Tuesday that they had travelled to Phnom Penh because they want the government to cancel economic land concessions that they claim have stolen community land and sapped local resources.

Villagers emphasised that the purpose of their visit was to seek a solution, not to vent anger. "We are not here to protest - we have come to ask for government help," said 51-year-old Mom Sakim from Kratie province.

She claimed that 110 families in her district were involved in a dispute with a private company over a 1,000-hectare land concession.

"We stopped believing that local authorities would help us, so we decided to come to Phnom Penh, and we hope that the government will not ignore this matter," she said.

Villagers separated into several groups of about 40 to 50, then went off to file thumbprint petitions with the National Assembly, Prime Minister Hun Sen's Cabinet, the Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Interior, the National Authority for Resolving Land Disputes, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, and the Ministry of Environment.