Clearly define land boundaries as soon as possible after corn and cassava crops are uprooted.

Many households in My Thanh commune, Ham Thuan Nam district, are hoping that authorities will clarify why their cassava and corn crops were uprooted.

A farmer stands watching his cassava crop being uprooted.

In recent days, many ethnic minority households in My Thanh commune have been shocked to find that large areas of their corn and cassava crops, which were in their growth stage and nearing harvest, have been uprooted. Many residents claim that staff from the Cau Treo Forest Protection Station, under the Song Mong - Ka Pet Protective Forest Management Board, did this without prior notice. The majority of the uprooted cassava and corn crops are located on land that the villagers have encroached upon from the forest, with only a small portion remaining on their own land.

The corn was pulled up, leaving bare land.

Mr. TVK, who has been cultivating cassava on 8 sao (8,000 ^m² ) of land for many years, said: "I've been cultivating cassava here for many years, encroaching on about half a sao of forest land because I thought planting short-term crops wouldn't affect the forest trees. Recently, when I visited the land, I saw that the plants had been uprooted, which was heartbreaking. I went to the Management Board to explain the situation and asked them to mark the coordinates, survey, and sign the boundaries… so that next year I won't plant on that encroached land."

Mrs. NTM and her husband have 1.8 hectares of corn that is over a month old, of which about 1 sao (approximately 1000 square meters) has been uprooted. Many other households are in a similar situation, with some even having their legally cultivated land uprooted. However, some households that encroached on other land were not affected, further increasing the frustration of the people.

Most households stated that they violated the law and did not blame the forest protection station for uprooting the trees, only expressing sadness that the station did not notify them in advance. “If they had notified us beforehand, we wouldn’t be upset, but they just went ahead and uprooted them… Moreover, if they saw that we had already planted them, they should have let us harvest the rest of this season, so as not to affect our investment in fertilizer and seeds. We will not cultivate the next season after receiving notification. If any household deliberately refuses, the station will handle it according to regulations…”, Mr. K, along with many other households, expressed their opinion. They also hoped that if the station went to uproot the trees, they would do so simultaneously, not just uprooting some households while leaving others untouched.

These concerns and grievances have been sent to the People's Committee of My Thanh Commune. Ms. Hoang Thi Kha, Chairwoman of the People's Committee, said, "We have received this information from the people and are directing the Vice Chairwoman to coordinate with the land management agency to investigate. If the Cau Treo Forest Protection Station acted in this way, we are somewhat upset because they acted arbitrarily without coordination. Previously, when the station discovered encroachment on forest land, they coordinated with the local authorities to handle it by forming a team including station personnel, police, forestry officials, local forest rangers, and even the people who violated the regulations. This was both transparent and served as a deterrent to the people, but this year we haven't seen that. We will clarify the grievances that the people have raised." According to the People's Committee of My Thanh Commune, the number of households whose corn and cassava crops were uprooted is nearly 10 households, not just 1 or 2.

However, in our discussion about the incident, the Song Mong - Ka Pet Protective Forest Management Board suggested that it might be a case of revenge stemming from a conflict between local people. Mr. Pham Van Chien, Head of the Song Mong - Ka Pet Protective Forest Management Board, affirmed that there was no incident of people from the Cau Treo Forest Protection Station uprooting trees... and we will continue to investigate. The land belongs to the local people since before the Management Board was established in 2004; we have allowed them to cultivate it, and every year we mark the boundaries with markers and have them sign commitments not to encroach on forest land.

The management board affirms this, but in reality, there are still many unresolved issues that need clarification to avoid conflicts between the parties. The people of My Thanh need clear answers by redefining the boundaries of forest land and cultivated land for all households or individuals who own cultivated land here. Only then will there be transparency and fairness, preventing the situation from recurring next year and allowing people to produce with peace of mind.

Source: https://baobinhthuan.com.vn/som-xac-dinh-ro-ranh-gioi-dat-sau-vu-bap-mi-bi-nho-bo-111492.html