Villagers Vow To Fight Land Sale in R'kiri
By Erik Wasson and Yun Samean
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
Ethnic minority villagers represented by lawyers from the USAID-funded Community Legal Education Center threatened legal action Monday over a disputed land deal in Ratanakkiri province involving Keat Kolney, Finance Minister Keat Chhon's sister.
A representative of Keat Kolney said the controversial land sale by villagers in O’Yadaw district in 2004 was legal, and that the Pate commune residents had signed documents agreeing to forfeit their land.
Keat Kolney's representative Im Sam Ath also said that claims by the Jarai minority villagers that local government officials coerced them into selling their land were "an exaggeration."
Im Sam Ath added that Keat Kolney's land, which is now a rubber plantation, is a model for other rural investors.
"Provincial authorities hold up our plantation as an example for newer investors," he said.
CLEC attorney Iph Mathoura said Monday that the land sale deal was illegitimate, and that a complaint would be filed at Ratanakkiri Provincial Court today.
"The contract was based on lies and fraud and under the 2001 Land Law, no one can individually sell collective [indigenous] land," she said.
The complaint claims that village and commune officials told villagers in mid-2004 that Prime Minister Hun Sen needed their land to give to disabled soldiers, and that it would be taken if they did not sell it.
Villagers subsequently thumb-printed documents, believing they were selling only 50 hectares of land in Kong Yu village, the complaint says.
Shortly after, families in Kong Yu received donations of $400 each and a sarong from Keat Kolney, though local officials did not tell them this was in exchange for 270 hectares of their land, the complaint states.
Despite villagers believing they had signed away only 50 hectares, laborers for Keat Kolney have begun clearing a much larger swathe of land for a rubber plantation that also includes property belonging to Kong Thom villagers, the complaint states.
"Till now, HE Keat Kolney's workers have cleared some 270 hectares of our farmland and will continue to clear the land in Kong Thom village," the villagers claim.
Im Sam Ath said Keat Kolney legally owns the land, and is contributing to development in the area, although he added that Keat Kolney is unaware of the details of the sale.
The sale was legal under the 2001 Land Law because each villager thumbprinted a document handing over land that they had individually cultivated, he said.
A host of NGOs including CLEC will today call on Keat Kolney to return the "indigenous lands," according to a copy of a joint statement to be read out in the provincial capital of Banlung this morning.
The statement, provided by CLEC, is to be issued by the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee, a coalition of 23 human rights organizations, as well as NGO Forum, Legal Aid of Cambodia and Community Forestry International.
The statement also calls for the government to investigate allegations of corruption against local officials involved in the case.
Contacted Monday night, Yar Narin, director of the Ratanakkiri Provincial Court, said that he knew nothing about the proposed lawsuit and declined further comment.
"Ratanakkiri is in crisis now— land-grabbing is out of control and devastating indigenous lives—and Kong Yu is emblematic of the worst of these cases," NGO Forum Deputy Director Ngy San says in the statement.
"There is no clearer example in Cambodia today of the rich and powerful exploiting the poor and marginalized," LAC Director Peung Yok Hiep adds in the same statement.
At Keat Kolney's Phnom Penh residence in Tuol Kok district Monday, an assistant who gave his name as Vuth said Keat Kolney was aware of the plans to file the lawsuit but did not want to talk to journalists.
A bodyguard to Chann Sophann, Keat Kolney's husband and secretary of state at the Ministry of Land Management, said the couple were contributing to Ratanakkiri's development.
The bodyguard, who did not give his name, said Chann Sophann did not want to speak to a reporter.
(Additional reporting by Kim Chan.)
A representative of Keat Kolney said the controversial land sale by villagers in O’Yadaw district in 2004 was legal, and that the Pate commune residents had signed documents agreeing to forfeit their land.
Keat Kolney's representative Im Sam Ath also said that claims by the Jarai minority villagers that local government officials coerced them into selling their land were "an exaggeration."
Im Sam Ath added that Keat Kolney's land, which is now a rubber plantation, is a model for other rural investors.
"Provincial authorities hold up our plantation as an example for newer investors," he said.
CLEC attorney Iph Mathoura said Monday that the land sale deal was illegitimate, and that a complaint would be filed at Ratanakkiri Provincial Court today.
"The contract was based on lies and fraud and under the 2001 Land Law, no one can individually sell collective [indigenous] land," she said.
The complaint claims that village and commune officials told villagers in mid-2004 that Prime Minister Hun Sen needed their land to give to disabled soldiers, and that it would be taken if they did not sell it.
Villagers subsequently thumb-printed documents, believing they were selling only 50 hectares of land in Kong Yu village, the complaint says.
Shortly after, families in Kong Yu received donations of $400 each and a sarong from Keat Kolney, though local officials did not tell them this was in exchange for 270 hectares of their land, the complaint states.
Despite villagers believing they had signed away only 50 hectares, laborers for Keat Kolney have begun clearing a much larger swathe of land for a rubber plantation that also includes property belonging to Kong Thom villagers, the complaint states.
"Till now, HE Keat Kolney's workers have cleared some 270 hectares of our farmland and will continue to clear the land in Kong Thom village," the villagers claim.
Im Sam Ath said Keat Kolney legally owns the land, and is contributing to development in the area, although he added that Keat Kolney is unaware of the details of the sale.
The sale was legal under the 2001 Land Law because each villager thumbprinted a document handing over land that they had individually cultivated, he said.
A host of NGOs including CLEC will today call on Keat Kolney to return the "indigenous lands," according to a copy of a joint statement to be read out in the provincial capital of Banlung this morning.
The statement, provided by CLEC, is to be issued by the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee, a coalition of 23 human rights organizations, as well as NGO Forum, Legal Aid of Cambodia and Community Forestry International.
The statement also calls for the government to investigate allegations of corruption against local officials involved in the case.
Contacted Monday night, Yar Narin, director of the Ratanakkiri Provincial Court, said that he knew nothing about the proposed lawsuit and declined further comment.
"Ratanakkiri is in crisis now— land-grabbing is out of control and devastating indigenous lives—and Kong Yu is emblematic of the worst of these cases," NGO Forum Deputy Director Ngy San says in the statement.
"There is no clearer example in Cambodia today of the rich and powerful exploiting the poor and marginalized," LAC Director Peung Yok Hiep adds in the same statement.
At Keat Kolney's Phnom Penh residence in Tuol Kok district Monday, an assistant who gave his name as Vuth said Keat Kolney was aware of the plans to file the lawsuit but did not want to talk to journalists.
A bodyguard to Chann Sophann, Keat Kolney's husband and secretary of state at the Ministry of Land Management, said the couple were contributing to Ratanakkiri's development.
The bodyguard, who did not give his name, said Chann Sophann did not want to speak to a reporter.
(Additional reporting by Kim Chan.)
8 comments:
What is a bunch of baby? Once you
sale your land, it is over, move
on and get a life.
We need to develop our land if we
are to get out of poverty. You
can't just sit and doing nothing
and expect money to roll in.
Moreover, stop settling on the
State's lands that we will soon
used to boost our economy either.
If you do, we will boot you out
again. We will not allowed people
to suffer because of idiots. You
got me?
wowowow.. listen to ah trey kantorp. what did I say about ah youn an dmee youn? damn now you see why khmers don't trust youn.
that 4:23pm is a fool. he is not here to give a serious concern. he's a wacko. probably a sneaky foreigner.
Listen up, racists, when it comes
to concern, I choose the "many"
over the "few" anyday.
Here, we are talking jobs for
thousands of people.
Do you have any relatives who
will be graduated from college
this year, huh? Well, with your
stupid thought, well mind flushed
their hopes and dreams down the
toilet. Do you know what I mean?
you stupid do not have to steal from the poor . take for free by your traitors and foreigners!
Hmm...that sounds like one of
Bruce Lee's movie that you are
watching, Racist.
Anonymous 4:03...
"We need to develop our land if we
are to get out of poverty. You
can't just sit and doing nothing
and expect money to roll in."
Indiginous have been there for thousands of years. Money never be their desire..
Your statement above is correct only if the profits are distributed equally. The high ranking officials and their relatives who are joinly developing all the state land sometimes encroaching into indiginous' land to make profit for their pockets. No taxes are paid to the state to build hospitals, schools and roads except when it is closer to the election. No rule is enforced to replanting trees that were cleared for new plantations. Country is cursed by excessive rain, tsunami, and heat.
It is NOT known a Racist, it is a Souhatoism in the 80's. God bless the poor. may rain, flood, tsumami, tornados, hurrican, earthquicks, and heat continue to destroy them who destroyed environment who stole land from the small people.
Okay, first, people must not for
forget that the population is
growing and our economy is only about
a quater full (based on average
income per capita of 1,500USD per
month)
So who should live and who should
suffer?
And what you mean by profits
distributed equally. This sounds
like something that would only
happened in heaven or in a
communist country.
Bussiness people are not into
bussiness for the fun of it.
Some lost their life saving just
trying to hit the gold mine.
Anyway, in the real world, the
investors want a lot in return,
not just in Cambodia, but
everywhere. No one can go against
that. Just put yourself in the
investor shoes, maybe it will
help to understand both sides.
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