By Whitney Kvasager and Kuch Naren
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
A new group of farmers has been protesting in the park opposite the National Assembly since Saturday, hoping lawmakers will help resolve a land dispute brewing for years.
Gathered beneath a tree earlier this week, they described how a retired RCAF soldier in Battambang province's Bavel district had claimed the 1,000 hectares they had farmed for nearly a decade, selling it to other farmers and displacing 200 families.
"[The soldier] sold plots of land to other landless farmers living outside the district," said 36-year-old Voeun Vet, adding that the group's subsequent complaints to the local commune council had proved fruitless.
Voeun Vet said they were protesting because it was the last option they had. But under a proposed law, NGO workers say, people's options for demonstrating may soon be undermined significantly.
If approved, the Law on Public Assembly for a Peaceful Demonstration, drafted by the Ministry of Interior, would outlaw spontaneous demonstrations, except in designated "freedom parks"—the locations of which are not stated.
The law would require potential protesters to apply for a permit 10 days in advance. And it would give Interior Ministry officials the final say on whether permits are issued.
"If you have to apply for a permit ten days in advance, it is, in effect a restriction on your freedom of expression. That’s the problem," said James Turpin of the UN center for human rights. "The regime is not flexible enough to allow spontaneous demonstrations," he said.
He added that the government is keen to see the law in place, so it should be passed soon.
Sok Sam Oeun, executive director of the Cambodian Defenders Project, said requiring permits would especially harm farmers like those demonstrating in front of parliament.
"According to the draft law, their assembly is illegal," he said, adding that he believed the farmers were safe for now "because people are watching the situation."
"The [draft] law restrains the freedoms of the people. It is trying to silence them," he said.
Even before the law is in place, it has proved possible to remove protesters from in front of the Assembly. In February, more than 100 Kompong Speu province villagers scattered after police officers loaded their belongings into trucks and threatened them with eviction.
Daun Penh Police Chief Phan Pheng said police are not currently allowed to run the protesters from the park.
"We have no authority to crack down or harass those villagers," he said. "Our police officers can only help those villagers by providing good security," he added.
Gathered beneath a tree earlier this week, they described how a retired RCAF soldier in Battambang province's Bavel district had claimed the 1,000 hectares they had farmed for nearly a decade, selling it to other farmers and displacing 200 families.
"[The soldier] sold plots of land to other landless farmers living outside the district," said 36-year-old Voeun Vet, adding that the group's subsequent complaints to the local commune council had proved fruitless.
Voeun Vet said they were protesting because it was the last option they had. But under a proposed law, NGO workers say, people's options for demonstrating may soon be undermined significantly.
If approved, the Law on Public Assembly for a Peaceful Demonstration, drafted by the Ministry of Interior, would outlaw spontaneous demonstrations, except in designated "freedom parks"—the locations of which are not stated.
The law would require potential protesters to apply for a permit 10 days in advance. And it would give Interior Ministry officials the final say on whether permits are issued.
"If you have to apply for a permit ten days in advance, it is, in effect a restriction on your freedom of expression. That’s the problem," said James Turpin of the UN center for human rights. "The regime is not flexible enough to allow spontaneous demonstrations," he said.
He added that the government is keen to see the law in place, so it should be passed soon.
Sok Sam Oeun, executive director of the Cambodian Defenders Project, said requiring permits would especially harm farmers like those demonstrating in front of parliament.
"According to the draft law, their assembly is illegal," he said, adding that he believed the farmers were safe for now "because people are watching the situation."
"The [draft] law restrains the freedoms of the people. It is trying to silence them," he said.
Even before the law is in place, it has proved possible to remove protesters from in front of the Assembly. In February, more than 100 Kompong Speu province villagers scattered after police officers loaded their belongings into trucks and threatened them with eviction.
Daun Penh Police Chief Phan Pheng said police are not currently allowed to run the protesters from the park.
"We have no authority to crack down or harass those villagers," he said. "Our police officers can only help those villagers by providing good security," he added.
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