Champasak authorities have ordered unauthorized occupants of land registered to Champasak University to leave and remove their buildings within three months, while allowing 339 approved families to receive compensation before relocating.

The order, issued on 29 October, covers 1,088 hectares registered to the university under a state land title dated 28 December 2016.

Under the notice, individuals and organizations occupying the land without official permission must vacate it without compensation. The 339 families approved for compensation must leave within three months of receiving payment.

Authorities have designated 60.22 hectares for their resettlement. Anyone occupying that area without authorization must leave within two months of receiving the notice.

Of the families approved for compensation, 83 have yet to submit their information to authorities. The notice requires them to report to the committee handling the university land dispute within one month and provide evidence supporting their claims.

Families who fail to do so will be considered to have relinquished their claims, according to the notice. The committee will then ask provincial authorities to formally revoke their rights under the law.

The notice also warns that failure to comply could result in legal action.

Questions Over Settlement History

The order has drawn questions from members of the public about when families settled on the land and how authorities determined who qualifies for compensation.

Some commenters questioned why the university or local authorities had not intervened earlier as homes were built. Others asked why the university required such a large area.

Some social media users who identified themselves as current or former residents said families had lived in the area before the university was established. One recalled that several families had settled there before 2000 and said their own family was affected by the university project.

Another commenter argued that people who settled there before the university received its state land title in 2016 should not automatically be classified as unauthorized occupants.

These accounts have not been independently verified. The date of the university’s land title alone does not establish when individual families settled there or the status of their claims.

The notice does not explain when the families arrived, whether they had received earlier warnings, or the criteria used to select households for compensation.