19 Nov 2006
By Sav Yut
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
People from 6 villages in Treal commune, Baray district, Kompong Thom, had banded together to surround and arrest the owner of an acacia trees plantation, they also stomped and damaged more than 30,000 young acacia trees. The villagers claim that the planting of the acacia trees is done on several hectares of land grabbed from the villagers.
Several dozens of villagers took Chab Saran, the owner of the plantation, from the incident location and surrounded him for 6 hours, preventing him to leave in order to come up with a resolution with the authority from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM this Sunday. However, no violence was used and nobody was injured.
So Phan, a representative of the villagers said the reason they surrounded the owner of the acacia trees plantation because he is one of the many owners who colluded with the authority to grab the villagers’ land and make it his property.
The plantation owner was released after intervention for Military Police from Baray district.
Chab Saran, a Military Police official from Phnom Penh, said that the villagers have destroyed trees worth 2 million riels ($500). He said that the accusation made by the villagers against him is not true, and he also claimed that the villagers’ demonstration against him was led by Sun Thun, a regional representative of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR). He also warned that he is discussing this case with his lawyer in order to sue all the villagers.
Kem Sokha, CCHR president, confirmed that Sun Thun is a volunteer representative for CCHR in the region. He also said that Sun Thun had been properly trained to apply CCHR’s principle of non violence. Kem Sokha added that he does not expect Sun Thun to depart from CCHR guiding principles.
In the dispute between the villagers and the plantation owner, the authority claimed that it cannot make any comment. Kong Chhoeurn, Treal commune chief, said that according to his knowledge, the plantation owner has proper documents indicating his longtime ownership of the land.
Human rights group indicated that land dispute in Baray district, Kompong Thom province, involving 2,600 hectares of land, has dragged on for several years already. The villagers claim that the authority does not want to resolve this dispute.
Several dozens of villagers took Chab Saran, the owner of the plantation, from the incident location and surrounded him for 6 hours, preventing him to leave in order to come up with a resolution with the authority from 8:00 AM to 2:00 PM this Sunday. However, no violence was used and nobody was injured.
So Phan, a representative of the villagers said the reason they surrounded the owner of the acacia trees plantation because he is one of the many owners who colluded with the authority to grab the villagers’ land and make it his property.
The plantation owner was released after intervention for Military Police from Baray district.
Chab Saran, a Military Police official from Phnom Penh, said that the villagers have destroyed trees worth 2 million riels ($500). He said that the accusation made by the villagers against him is not true, and he also claimed that the villagers’ demonstration against him was led by Sun Thun, a regional representative of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR). He also warned that he is discussing this case with his lawyer in order to sue all the villagers.
Kem Sokha, CCHR president, confirmed that Sun Thun is a volunteer representative for CCHR in the region. He also said that Sun Thun had been properly trained to apply CCHR’s principle of non violence. Kem Sokha added that he does not expect Sun Thun to depart from CCHR guiding principles.
In the dispute between the villagers and the plantation owner, the authority claimed that it cannot make any comment. Kong Chhoeurn, Treal commune chief, said that according to his knowledge, the plantation owner has proper documents indicating his longtime ownership of the land.
Human rights group indicated that land dispute in Baray district, Kompong Thom province, involving 2,600 hectares of land, has dragged on for several years already. The villagers claim that the authority does not want to resolve this dispute.
4 comments:
Before long Cambodia will have another revolution if the land issues not resolve. Cambodia is becoming another Latin American country.
ahahahah!
I wish something like this happen more often in Cambodia! Cambodian people need private militia!
Congratulation! I am very happy for all villagers who are united and strong. All of you must look out for each others from now on. But all of you should not release this cultprit. Next time if you arrest him, put him in the bird cage and locking him in the secret place for a while until the problems are solved. you should kidnap them one by one and lock them up in a secret place. I urge all villagers in the whole Cambodia Kingdom to arrest all cultprits whole stole your land. Plan it very good, locate them or follow them and arrest them.
I say good on the villiager whom band together and face one of the many devil of Cambodia society that the CPP under Ah Hun Sen created.
There should be more of this approach...forget the "Hun Sen's court".
If we band together and overcome our fear ..we will acheive our results....why must we let those dirty rich bastard take our land without a fight?.
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