The aspirations of the people of Ke Khoang village.
According to the Ban Mong Reservoir Project plan, the burial ground of the people of Ke Khoang village, Chau Binh commune (Quy Chau district), with 443 graves, will be submerged. Therefore, the construction of a new cemetery to relocate these 443 graves is one of the tasks that the Provincial People's Committee has directed to be "urgently implemented".
Directives from the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee
Ban Mong Reservoir ProjectPhase 1 of the project is a key national project in the agricultural sector. Due to the slow progress of the project, numerous obstacles in the implementation process, and a large amount of remaining work, on July 5, 2024, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Nguyen Duc Trung (currently the Provincial Party Secretary and Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee), chaired a meeting with relevant departments and localities.
In Notice No. 548/TB-UBND issued by the Provincial People's Committee a few days later, the directives of the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee were clearly expressed. Specifically, Chairman Nguyen Duc Trung requested the investor, the project management board, and the relevant localities to seriously learn from experience in order to effectively implement the project in the future.
The Director of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is assigned to directly supervise and be fully responsible to the Provincial People's Committee and the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee for the project's progress and the disbursement of planned funds for 2024. A thorough review of all project components, especially the plan for addressing landslides in the Chau Binh drainage canal, must be conducted to ensure compliance with procedures and regulations. Simultaneously, coordination with the Quy Chau District People's Committee is required to finalize the project adjustment documents for submission to the Provincial People's Committee before October 31, 2024. A detailed construction schedule for the project must be revised and reported to the Provincial People's Committee before July 31, 2024. Weekly meetings with the Project Management Board and local authorities (if necessary) are required to provide timely guidance and address difficulties and obstacles to ensure the project is completed on schedule.
Review and process the proposal from the Quy Chau District People's Committee regarding the adjustment of production zones according to regulations when required. Assign officials to participate in the Compensation and Land Clearance Councils of the districts to understand difficulties and obstacles, and work with relevant departments and agencies to promptly resolve and handle them…
The Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee requests that the People's Committees of Quy Chau, Quy Hop, and Nghia Dan districts prepare a detailed report on the implementation of land clearance for the project (clearly stating the completed volume, remaining volume, completion time, and any difficulties or obstacles) and submit it to the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development for compilation. They are also required to coordinate with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to develop a land clearance implementation schedule and sign commitments for joint implementation. The Chairmen of the People's Committees of these districts are fully responsible to the Provincial People's Committee and the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee for the implementation of the land clearance work for the Project.
Specifically for the People's Committee of Quy Chau District, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee also requested the handover of the entire area of natural forest land before October 31, 2024. They were urged to promptly complete the necessary documents and work directly with the Department of Construction regarding the adjustment of the 77-slope resettlement area, ensuring the project adjustment is approved before July 31, 2024. At the same time, to relocate 443 graves of the people of Ke Khoang village, Chau Binh commune, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee instructed the People's Committee of Quy Chau District to coordinate with the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development to send a document to Co Ba Forestry Station to resolve the land-related procedures; and also directed the "urgent completion of the construction of the Ke Khoang cemetery".
To date, the updated report on the implementation results of the Ban Mong Reservoir Project (Phase 1), compiled by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and submitted to the Provincial People's Committee in November 2024, shows that regarding the construction of the Ke Khoang cemetery, the Quy Chau District People's Committee has issued a decision on compensation for 443 graves that need to be relocated, and is awaiting the project's transfer of funds to the compensation council for payment. As for the Co Ba Forestry Enterprise, they have begun clearing trees on the area for the new cemetery construction in preparation for handover to the District People's Committee...
Fulfill the people's wishes as soon as possible.
The burial ground of the people of Ke Khoang village is only about 700-800 meters from National Highway 48A, with lush trees providing shade for 443 graves. According to Mr. Lang Viet Dan, the head of Ke Khoang village, there has been a plan to relocate the villagers' graves to make way for the Ban Mong Reservoir project since around 2014. However, it wasn't until a few years ago that the higher authorities began implementing the plan. The villagers, having understood the project's benefits for society, agreed to relocate their ancestors' graves to a new location about 500 meters away, on a higher hill to avoid flooding.
However, the village head of Ke Khoang, Lang Viet Dan, stated that the people wish for the cemetery to be built as soon as possible, and that the new cemetery needs an access road. This request stems from the fact that the land for the new cemetery lacks a road, and nowadays, when someone dies, the people use hearses to transport the body instead of carrying it as in the past. Another request from the people of Ke Khoang village is that a ceremony be held before the relocation. Village head Lang Viet Dan said: “The ceremony is to inform the local deities and the community about the relocation. This is a custom and tradition; if we do this, the people will support it…”
Mr. Lang Viet Dan also stated that, according to customs and traditions, the Thai people do not relocate ancestral graves. Therefore, organizing the relocation of ancestral graves is a last resort. Relocating recently deceased individuals is particularly difficult, so it is necessary to quickly establish a new cemetery so that people have a place to bury their deceased loved ones.
Mr. Dan said: “For many years, I have only seen the relocation of martyrs' graves from the South and North to the hillside burial ground, but never from the hillside to another location. Therefore, I feel very uneasy if the construction of the new cemetery is delayed. During the period when the higher authorities discussed the possibility of severe flooding in the hillside burial ground of Ke Khoang village when the Ban Mong reservoir filled with water, we had to do a lot of propaganda to help the people understand and agree to the relocation. Therefore, we earnestly hope that the higher authorities will urgently invest in the construction so that the people of Ke Khoang village can complete the relocation of the graves. If there is a delay, and more people die, it will be very difficult…”
According to information from Chau Binh commune, as of December 9, 2024, most residents of Ke Khoang village had received compensation and support funds for relocating their graves; only 5-6 households, due to working far away, had not yet received the relocation funds. Regarding the Co Ba Forestry Station, they have harvested the trees on the land and completed the land handover. The Quy Chau District People's Committee has approved the detailed construction plan at a scale of 1/500 for the Ke Khoang village cemetery and is preparing the necessary steps to proceed with the construction of the new cemetery. According to the Secretary of the Chau Binh Commune Party Committee, Le Van Toan, the approved plan includes access roads to the cemetery and internal roads, addressing the residents' requests. Concerns raised by the village head, Lang Viet Dan, have also been reported to higher authorities by the Chau Binh commune Party Committee and government.
“This is a crucial matter because delays in investment implementation could lead to complications. According to the district's plan, the new cemetery will be completed around April 2025. We hope the progress will be ensured, meeting the aspirations of the people…” - said Le Van Toan, Secretary of the Chau Binh Commune Party Committee.
