Wednesday, February 14, 2007

Newspapers supplement on land dispute provoke police arrest of distributors

Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Supplement on land dispute of two distributors provokes arrest

Cambodian Press Review
By Media Consulting and Development


Two distributors of local newspaper Kampuchea Thmey were arrested at different locations in Phnom Penh on Sunday morning for distributing an eight-page supplement concerning a land dispute between 120 families residing in the city’s Russey Keo district and ruling CPP member Okhna Di Po, newspapers report today.

Duch Samnang, 22, was arrested by Interior Ministry police at 5:30am whilst distributing the paper to newsagents near Wat Langka, and his younger brother Duch Rasmey faced a similar fate at 5:20am while working on distribution near Wat Phnom, reports Kampuchea Thmey.

“Many police officials arrested me while I was distributing the newspaper. They saw the newspaper supplement and said that I did something affecting public order. They handcuffed me and pushed me into a car driven to the Ministry of Interior, where I was questioned over the supplement. Then, I was taken to Phnom Penh Municipal Police Commissariat and then to Phnom Penh ’s Minor Crime Bureau,” said Duch Samnang, Cambodge Soir reports.

Police decided to release the two after detaining Duch Samang for more than four hours and Duch Rasmey for three hours, according to Kampuchea Thmey.

The Khmer Democratic Journalist Association has issued a statement condemning Sunday’s arrest as violation of press freedom in Cambodia, writes the newspaper. The arrest encroached on the rights to receive information, according to the statement.

Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said that the detention had not affected press freedom, while municipal police chief Touch Naroth rejected the accusation that police arrested the two men, continues Cambodge Soir.

We just detained them to find out the source of the news,” Touch Naroth told the newspaper.

According to the supplement, the 120 families wanted to attract the attention of Prime Minister Hun Sen to their dispute with Oknha Di Po over 30 hectares of land in Russey Keo, as the Council of Ministers has decided in favor of Di Po, reports the newspaper.

The families accuse Di Po of colluding with Russey Keo district governor Klang Huot to grab the land, on which they claim to have lived and demanded ownership for eight years.

Later on Sunday, police searched a printing house behind the National Pediatric Hospital in Tuol Kok district, and found that Labor Ministry Secretary of State Othsman Hassan backed the publication of the supplement, which is also critical of municipal governor Kep Chuktema, reports Rasmei Kampuchea.

Officials told the newspaper that Di Po has proper documents to claim the controversial land while the protesting villagers, supported by the secretary of state, do not have sufficient evidence to prove ownership, adds the newspaper.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Kampuchea Thmey must know from now on how free you are, what kind of freedom do you have. You used to be safe because you are pro-governmental, and from time to time you teased your colleagues from non-aligned governmental newspapers. Now the same bad thing happens to you while you ust slide a little bit on the hot topic. This is not yet to touch the gevernment. Freedom!!! Freedom!!