Laos : National land policy the key to solving land disputes

Major news in <Vientiane Times> : National land policy the key to solving land disputes

By Times Reporters (Latest Update July 19, 2012)

A national land policy is urgently needed in order to address land disputes which have been considered the top concern in the country for many years, according to land experts on Wednesday.

Representatives from government sectors and the National Assembly (NA) gathered for a two-day workshop in Vientiane on July 17-18 to analyse information on land use and management, in support of the establishment of a national land policy.

The move was aimed to speed up the completion of the draft policy before submitting it to the upcoming government meeting, and it should be ready for debate in the next NA session at the end of the year.

The enactment of a national land policy will pave the way for Laos to amend the land laws and other legislation relating to land use, in order to reflect the reality of the situation in the country as it stands currently.

President of the NA Economics, Planning and Finance Committee, Dr Souvanpheng Bouphanouvong, highlighted the shortcomings and causes of land disputes in Laos, and suggested some directives for addressing the problems. She said land is directly related to the livelihoods of the multi-ethnic Lao people, and thought that a national land policy is urgently needed in order to address land disputes and contribute to alleviating poverty. The draft policy defined directives, mechanisms and measures regarding land management, allocation, the classification of land use for different purposes and land compensation.

The draft policy also touched upon the evaluation of land prices and land markets, converting land into capital, land taxes, land titles, land management in special economic zones and poverty reduction related to land use.

During the two-day meeting, various government sectors also made comment about land use matters within their areas of responsibility, which could be included in the draft policy as well.

These included the Ministry of Energy and Mines, National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute, National Statistics Centre and the National Secretariat Committee for Special Economic Zones.

Land disputes have been the top issue of concern in Laos for years, with large-scale development projects intruding on villagers’ land, forests and watershed areas, affecting the livelihoods of people and the environment.

The problems have occurred due to a lack of land surveys and allocation, as well as weakness in the law enforcement sector.

Disputes with villagers always arise when those affected by development projects feel that they did not receive fair compensation for the loss of their land.

The concern over land disputes forced the government to announce to the NA session last week that they would not consider any new investment proposals regarding land concessions for mining, rubber or eucalyptus plantations until 2015. The move was taken to allow the government to review the existing projects and formulate a policy and regulations to address the problem in the longer term.

The national land policy was first drafted in 2008. The draft policy was supposed to have been submitted to the NA session last year for consideration and approval but failed because relevant sectors could not agree on figures for land use under different classifications.

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