A Cambodian social observer has warned that fraudulent property development schemes could spiral out of control unless the government of Hun Manet takes decisive action, pointing in particular to disputed projects linked to businessman Leng Navatra.
Seng Vanly, a geopolitical analyst focusing on the Asia Pacific region, said continued inaction by state institutions could allow real estate scams to spread through society like an incurable disease. Writing on his Facebook page, he said the sale of so-called phantom land and housing developments risked becoming entrenched if authorities failed to intervene.
Seng Vanly warned that a lack of enforcement would set a dangerous precedent, encouraging other corrupt actors to follow the same model allegedly used by Leng Navatra’s company. He said this would allow companies to exploit ordinary citizens nationwide while relying on personal influence rather than respect for the law.
He added that delays and ineffective responses to complaints against the company had fuelled public suspicion about close ties between its owner and senior Cambodian leaders. According to Seng Vanly, those relationships were widely seen as a protective shield that allowed the company to avoid accountability, despite repeated contract breaches and ongoing protests by affected buyers.
The analyst said allowing developers to continue delaying construction while selling unbuilt land and homes highlighted serious weaknesses in Cambodia’s justice system and law enforcement. He argued that this had left state institutions cornered and unwilling to take firm legal action, turning citizen protests into a recurring cycle with no meaningful resolution.
Buyers affected by a Leng Navatra development along National Road 6A said they were due to meet Land Management Minister Say Samal on January 28, 2026, following assurances from the ministry after protests planned for January 25 were called off.
However, they said both the ministry and the company had continued to make empty promises. No construction teams had arrived, despite commitments that work would begin in January 2026. Many buyers said they had been waiting for around five years, with their plots still marked only by unfinished concrete pillars.
More than 100 affected residents protested on January 25, demanding that the company honour its pledge to begin building homes this month. Meeting records from November 14, 2025, show the company had promised to start construction in January 2026 at sites in Kandal province.
Former prime minister Hun Sen previously acknowledged delays by Leng Navatra’s company, saying the developer had invested too heavily in land. He said the company had breached contracts but was not yet bankrupt.
Beyond property disputes, concerns have also grown over large-scale online scam operations in Cambodia. A report published on January 27 by Amnesty International said serious human rights abuses linked to scam centres had taken place on a vast scale, often hidden from public view.
Amnesty said people were detained and forced to work, with reports of sexual abuse, torture, and killings. Victims interviewed by the organisation came from countries including Brazil, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Uganda, Kenya, Bangladesh, India, the Philippines, and Madagascar.
