By Mayarith
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Sihanoukville Human rights group representatives called on the authority to legally deal against those who ordered trucks to dump dirt to bury 2 women during a land dispute in Sihanoukville.
On Saturday, Cheng Chheng, a representative of the alleged land owner, whom the villagers accuse of dumping dirt on them alive, is still free.
An attempt was made to negotiate monetary settlement with the two victims whom the villagers had to rescue out of the mount of dirt which was dumped on them.
Human rights representatives in Sihanoukville, said that the person who acted as the go-between on behalf the alleged owner party is Lu Kim Chhun, the director of the Sihanoukville port. Nevertheless, the victims have not yet accepted the offer.
Un Thanon from the Licadho human rights organization, declared that the authority must investigate this case according to the law in order to bring justice for the victims: “… As a representative of a human rights organization, I am asking the authority to deal with this violation of human rights, that the authority takes action …”
Two women were buried alive in Thmei village, Sangkat Bey, Sihanoukville, on Friday during an ongoing land dispute involving a 52-hectare plot of land. The villagers claim that they have been living on the disputed land since 1985, and they been recognized as such by the authority.
However, the alleged land owner claims that he had compensated some of the villagers already, but that some are still violating his land. Land grading in this area was undertaken since Dec 2006, the grading was accompanied with land eviction.
So Kim, one of the victim who was saved by other villagers, told RFA yesterday, in tears, that the action taken against the victims is a blatant human rights violation and unfair: “They are still grading and dumping dirt, they did not stop. They have 22 trucks which brought dirt in to fill… The villagers went to inform government officials, no authority came by, not the villager chief, not the Sangkat chief, nobody came by. They wouldn’t dare come by because they are afraid of Lu Kim Chhun…”
The disputed plot of land with be turned into an international market and it will also serve as an international dry dock. Human rights representatives said that on Saturday, the land filling operation is still active, and the authority still has not taken action against the perpetrators of the violence against the villagers.
On Saturday, Cheng Chheng, a representative of the alleged land owner, whom the villagers accuse of dumping dirt on them alive, is still free.
An attempt was made to negotiate monetary settlement with the two victims whom the villagers had to rescue out of the mount of dirt which was dumped on them.
Human rights representatives in Sihanoukville, said that the person who acted as the go-between on behalf the alleged owner party is Lu Kim Chhun, the director of the Sihanoukville port. Nevertheless, the victims have not yet accepted the offer.
Un Thanon from the Licadho human rights organization, declared that the authority must investigate this case according to the law in order to bring justice for the victims: “… As a representative of a human rights organization, I am asking the authority to deal with this violation of human rights, that the authority takes action …”
Two women were buried alive in Thmei village, Sangkat Bey, Sihanoukville, on Friday during an ongoing land dispute involving a 52-hectare plot of land. The villagers claim that they have been living on the disputed land since 1985, and they been recognized as such by the authority.
However, the alleged land owner claims that he had compensated some of the villagers already, but that some are still violating his land. Land grading in this area was undertaken since Dec 2006, the grading was accompanied with land eviction.
So Kim, one of the victim who was saved by other villagers, told RFA yesterday, in tears, that the action taken against the victims is a blatant human rights violation and unfair: “They are still grading and dumping dirt, they did not stop. They have 22 trucks which brought dirt in to fill… The villagers went to inform government officials, no authority came by, not the villager chief, not the Sangkat chief, nobody came by. They wouldn’t dare come by because they are afraid of Lu Kim Chhun…”
The disputed plot of land with be turned into an international market and it will also serve as an international dry dock. Human rights representatives said that on Saturday, the land filling operation is still active, and the authority still has not taken action against the perpetrators of the violence against the villagers.
1 comment:
Ask A Lou Kim Chun to fill up the land in the high sea, not to evict the people on the land.
Post a Comment