A leading Cambodian human rights group says more than half a million people have been affected by land disputes in the country over the last 14 years.

Am Sam Ath, lead investigator for Licadho, said Thursday that a wave of land grabs has continued this year, impacting families in nearly all provinces, including disputes between villagers and development companies or loggers.

Before releasing the report, we conducted detailed research. The main point is that starting from early this year, land disputes have occurred again. Thats the reason why we are concerned and issued this report; to remind the government to put extra mechanisms in place to find solutions for the people," said Ath.

The government has rejected those figures. Sar Sovann, a secretary of state at the Ministry of Land Management, told reporters Thursday the report does not reflect reality. There are only 3,000 to 4,000 sites that have problems, he said.

The Ministry does not recognize this figure. How can we recognize it if it is not true? The answer is that we have three or four conflicts out of 1,000 land titles," said Sovann.

As he spoke Thursday, some 300 Kouy ethnic minority villagers protested in Preah Vihear province, saying two Chinese companies were clearing their land.

This report was produced in collaboration with the VOA Khmer service.

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Rights Group: Half a Million Cambodians Affected by Land Disputes

After more than 20 years of civil war and still facing significant internal conflicts, Sudan is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world, according to the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL). 10 out of the 17 Sudanese states are contaminated, with the regions of Blue Nile, South Kordofan and Eastern Sudan having the highest concentration of explosive remnants of war (ERW).

ERW can refer to landmines, cluster bombs, improvised explosive devices, or other unexploded ordnance.

In Sudan, agriculture is the main source of income, providing employment for up to 80 percent of the population, so landmines scattered across the country are an obstacle to progress.

"The existence of landmines and ERW restricts the movement of people and cattle in rural areas and the use of the land itself. This has affected the economic development of Sudan" said Salah Bashasha, director of the National Mine Action Center (NMAC) in Khartoum, a government body which coordinates all mine clearance initiatives in Sudan.

But he insisted miner clearers were succeeding in their task and cited the Togan area in Eastern Sudan as an example.

"The number of victims is underestimated in Sudan"

"We have recently finished the clearing process and released the land back to the communities. It is a big improvement for the people, not only from the economic side but also from the psychosocial aspect. They return to the rural areas, feel safer, more optimistic and go back to the traditional ways of working mainly in agriculture," he said.

Mine clearance deadline extended

NMAC works in close cooperation with local and international NGOs, as well as with UN agencies. Over the last 12 years, 90 million square meters of land have been cleared of mines and of other ERW with the support of the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS).

With a further 35 million square meter yet to be cleared, Sudan has still a long way to go. The country, which became a state party to the Mine Ban Treaty in 2004, was expected to clear all anti-personnel mines from its territory by April 1, 2014. Because of the ongoing fighting in the South Kordofan and Blue Nile states between the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM) and the Sudanese army, the government in Khartoum has obtained an extension of the deadline until 2019.

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Clearing the way ahead - landmines in Sudan

Destin, FL Land Clearing - Johnny O #39;Quigley #39;s Project

By: Phil-dirt Inc.

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Destin, FL Land Clearing - Johnny O'Quigley's Project - Video

Palm Harbor, FL (PRWEB) March 31, 2014

Officials from Nationwide Title Clearing, Inc. (NTC) recently attended the Property Records Industry Association (PRIA) Winter Symposium held in Arlington, VA on February 26-28. NTC, a leading research and document-processing provider for the mortgage and financial industry, was represented by Myron Finley and Brian Ernissee, who were among top mortgage industry leaders and county recording officials who attended the conference.

PRIA, an organization which develops and promotes national standards and practices within the land records industry, holds annual conferences with a goal of providing a venue for industry officials to discuss how to meet local needs with national knowledge. Finley, NTCs Chief Legal Officer, represented the company along with Vice President for Regulatory Compliance, Ernissee, who spoke on a panel at last years conference entitled eRecord from a Submitters Perspective. At the time, eRecordingthe process of filing and recording documents via the Internet as opposed to paperwas a relatively new process, and Ernissee backed initiatives to improve upon the practice and make it widespread, drawing upon NTCs 20 years of experience with property documents.

Several well-regarded speakers were featured at the conference, including Kenneth Gronbach, an expert in demographics and generational marketing, as well as Rob Chapman, President of American Land Title Association (ALTA). Gronbach presented two sessions wherein he looked at the future for the real estate industry, from both a macro and micro perspective, with a special focus on facilitating an understanding of Americas shifting demography and the related opportunities and challenges. Chapman was the featured speaker at the Thursday, February 27, luncheon and spoke about the development of ALTAs Best Practices and their impact on the title industry. According to Finley, both speakers presentations further solidified the importance of adapting industry standards to fit the new compliance landscape; eRecording, in particular, is a major component of best practices, per Finley.

A significant amount of the liability in the industry exists in the gap between the closing of the loan and recording of the documents; thats why eRecording is so important in our industry, Finley said. In our increasingly digital society, an entirely paperless process is the next logical step in ensuring accuracy, as well as compliance.

eRecording differs from traditional recording methods because the original documents never leave ones possessionthey are scanned and submitted within minutes, and are then returned electronically immediately after recording, making processing land records and property documents simple, fast and secure. This process allows documents to be submitted 24/7, and is cost-effective, reducing paperwork.

Finley, who also serves as co-chair of PRIAs Business Processes and Procedures Committee, stated that the conference provided a fresh viewpoint on what is happening within the mortgage industry and the U.S. economy in its entirety; as a result, Finley and Ernissee were able to inform fellow NTC officials about new aspects of the industry, per NTC CEO, John Hillman.

Conferences such as the PRIA Symposium are the perfect forums in which proactive and professional leaders can educate themselves on issues that are impacting our industry, Hillman stated. PRIA sets standards, and that is, to a large measure, what NTC is all about; adopting practices that establish uniformity will help to protect our nations land records, the mortgage industry, and homeowners alike.

NTC, perhaps best known for its expertise in extensive research and document-processing services such as lien release processing, is an advocate for best practices and legislation that standardize the mortgage industry for the betterment of homeowners, land records and the industry at large.

For more information about Nationwide Title Clearing, Inc., including its research and document processing services, visit http://www.nwtc.com.

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2013 Hyundai 140LC-9 Excavator Overview (HD)
2013 Hyundai 140LC-9 Excavator Overview (HD) - Check out the latest addition to our Excavator fleet. We recently replaced one of our HALLA HE130 Excavators w...

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PERAK Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir recently told a radio programme that 17,400ha of state land have been cleared illegally.

He said illegal land clearing had cost the state government millions in revenue. Although the problem is statewide, the activities are particularly prevalent in Batang Padang, Manjung and Perak Tengah districts.

The figure was based on initial findings by the state government. However, some believe that is not an actual picture of the situation, but merely the tip of the iceberg. A thorough investigation may reveal even more startling results.

Any discussion about illegal land clearing will always refer back to the massive mud flood in Sungai Bertam, Cameron Highlands, that killed three people.

It is without a doubt that illegal land-clearing activities and uncontrolled farming had led to the tragedy on Oct 23 last year. Sadly, three months after the incident, the farmers on the highlands were back to their old tricks.

Unlike Cameron Highlands, the culprits involved in illegal land clearing in Perak are believed to be members of syndicates.

The question which begs to be answered is whether any of the syndicates have been identified, let alone their masterminds nabbed?

How much longer will they be allowed to do as they wish before the law catches up with them?

A recent operation, dubbed Op Sahom, reportedly turned tense when authorities tried to clear an illegally cultivated land in Kampar.

There was a stand-off between the illegal farmers and the authorities, which led to the operation being called off following political intervention.

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We need to stop illegal land clearing

The city of Conroe and Houston-based Wilbow Corporation have agreed to swap land parcels, enabling the city to add amenities to Carl Barton Jr. Park off Loop 336.

The agreement originally was crafted in 2008.

In 2009, the developer worked with the city to put this on hold when the economy went through a downturn, said Mike Riggens, director of the Conroe Parks and Recreation Department.

Riggens said officials with Wilbow recently approached the city about moving forward with the agreement that will allow Conroe to add an Amenity Center to the park.

The city received four acres and $176,000 in cash in exchange for two small parcels of land totaling about 9.5 acres south of the park. The City Council approved the agreement Thursday.

Phase one of the project includes clearing the site and adding a pavilion, playground and pathways. Total cost of the first phase is $520,700.

Phase two of the project will include a walking trail, basketball court, sand volleyball court and picnic pads at a cost of $159,107.

The new amenities will be adjacent to phase two of Barton Woods and will be accessible to residents via walking paths. The project is expected to take about 18 months to complete, according to the agreement.

City Administrator Paul Virgadamo said the location will benefit the parks existing soccer fields.

There are no playgrounds near the soccer fields, he said. This puts amenities closer to the soccer fields.

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Land swap allows city to build amenity center at park

by Rintos Mail, reporters@theborneopost.com. Posted on March 30, 2014, Sunday

When an El Nino event is predicted, environment controllers and policy-makers in the region should impose a total ban on large-scale land clearing or open burning, not just in Malaysia (or Sarawak) but also in the other countries of Southeast Asia.

RECORD-BREAKING heat, brought on by El Nino, could wreak havoc on weather patterns this year.

Based on an early warning report, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), there is a 75 per cent chance of such an event occurring in 2014.

The strongest effects on precipitation are in Southeast Asia and the western Pacific Ocean, especially in the dry season (August to November).

The highest global temperatures were reportedly recorded during the last strong El Nino in 1998.

Given the continued increases in baseline temperature around the world, an El Nino event this year could lead to record-breaking heat.

According to the PNAS report, this could send temperatures soaring worldwide, causing droughts in Australia and Southeast Asia, heavy rain and flooding in parts of the US and South America.

This time around if it happens Sarawak and Malaysia, as a whole, will not be spared.

A senior officer from the Malaysia Meteorological Department in Kuala Lumpur Wong Teck Kiong said Malaysia would definitely be affected if El Nino struck again.

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El Nino havoc possible this year

update on the land clearing down the road from my house.
update on the land clearing down the road from my house.

By: MIKE MAYERAN

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update on the land clearing down the road from my house. - Video

Land Clearing Services in CT, NY, MA
We offer land clearing, grubbing, wood grinding and stump removal services. Our forest products are recycled and processed into landscape mulches and soils a...

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Land Clearing Services in CT, NY, MA - Video