ABSTRACT
The complex history of Cambodia with periods of civil war, genocide, invasion, occupation and colonisation resulted in a country characterised by extensive displacement of persons and complete dispossession of property. With the end of the era of Democratic Kampuchea (1979), Cambodia was a country of people on the move. In the 1980s laws on land ownership and occupation were passed, followed by laws recognising land ownership through peaceful possession and the current constitution which recognises land rights. The government is working on settling myriad land disputes in the country. However the situation remains a challenge –many of those forcibly displaced in the 1970s have not yet returned to their previous land or been compensated for its loss although it is noted that some have settled in unoccupied properties in the intervening period. Land grabbing, deforestation, encroachment, economic, social, tourist and other land concessions are the main sources of displacement and dispossession this century. Land rights are a key issue in modern Cambodia and although progress has undoubtedly been made, it appears unlikely that all those dispossessed in the 1970s will return or be compensated although there is evidence that many Khmer have moved to alternative land/property and seek to claim title for that.
