Cambodia arrests senior officer in war against land grabbers
A major colonel from the border unit of the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (CRAF) has been arrested, becoming the first senior officer arrested during the government's high-profile campaign against land grabbers.
"We arrested Te Haing in Banteay Mean Chey province according to the warrant from the Phnom Penh Municipal Court" on Saturday, Sao Sokha, military police commander of Cambodia, told Xinhua here on Sunday.
In addition, an official at the court told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that Te Haing was arrested for encroaching state land and cutting forestry to take about 1,567 hectares of land in Banteay Mean Chey province.
"Because he worked there, it was difficult to investigate the case. After checking the case, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court issued the arrest warrant and then transferred his case to Phnom Penh," he said.
Te Haing, also registered as owner of the Te Haing Development Co. Ltd., was accused under Article 97 of the Forestry Law and might be jailed for five to 10 years, he said, adding that all his properties will be confiscated by the state.
On Thursday, Chao Phirun, director general of RCAF's technical and material department, said that he had handed over more than 200 hectares of land to the government after Prime Minister Hun Sen threatened to fire him on Monday in the war on land grabbers.
"I already gave the land to the government (on Tuesday). Hun Sen has written to thank me," said the general, who is from Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP).
"I am not sad. This is a contribution to help the government," he said of the 215 hectares of land in Kampot province's Chhuk district.
He insisted that he was unaware that he was the target of Hun Sen's threat, as the land was bought by his wife in 1999 from 46 families rather than being grabbed from their hands.
Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith told reporters that Chao Phirun will not be fired as he returned the land.
Earlier, a top government official from CPP called Hun Sen to inform about his withdrawal from a land dispute in Koh Sla area in Kandal province.
Hun Sen said on Monday that he will purge perverse land grabbers out of the government and CPP, who might otherwise cause social instability or even trigger off riots.
"The government is going to fight against illegal land grabbing at any cost. The war against land grabbers is starting right now," he told hundreds of diplomats and high-ranking government officials at a national forum.
They should withdraw from land disputes by themselves, and if they don't, they will be fired from the government and expelled from the party, he said.
"I am not going to tolerate anyone any longer on this issue," he added.
Local media have reported recently that military officers and high-ranking government officials used to stand behind land disputes across the kingdom, causing much anger among the people, especially the deprived farmers.
In February, Hun Sen said that illegal land grabbing will destabilize the country.
"Our government has made tremendous efforts to build many roads, but it is sad to see that after the road is built, many people from the city rush in to buy or capture land (beside the road), squeezing the local community out of their property," he said. All provincial governors, district chiefs and commune councils are held responsible for the situation of landlessness and land grabbing in their territories, he said.
"I promise to punish any officials who are found to be involved in land grabbing and clearing of state land for personal use," he added.
Land disputes have been frequent across Cambodia in recent years, resulting in hundreds of death and injury, according to official reports.
Source: Xinhua
"We arrested Te Haing in Banteay Mean Chey province according to the warrant from the Phnom Penh Municipal Court" on Saturday, Sao Sokha, military police commander of Cambodia, told Xinhua here on Sunday.
In addition, an official at the court told Xinhua on condition of anonymity that Te Haing was arrested for encroaching state land and cutting forestry to take about 1,567 hectares of land in Banteay Mean Chey province.
"Because he worked there, it was difficult to investigate the case. After checking the case, the Phnom Penh Municipal Court issued the arrest warrant and then transferred his case to Phnom Penh," he said.
Te Haing, also registered as owner of the Te Haing Development Co. Ltd., was accused under Article 97 of the Forestry Law and might be jailed for five to 10 years, he said, adding that all his properties will be confiscated by the state.
On Thursday, Chao Phirun, director general of RCAF's technical and material department, said that he had handed over more than 200 hectares of land to the government after Prime Minister Hun Sen threatened to fire him on Monday in the war on land grabbers.
"I already gave the land to the government (on Tuesday). Hun Sen has written to thank me," said the general, who is from Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP).
"I am not sad. This is a contribution to help the government," he said of the 215 hectares of land in Kampot province's Chhuk district.
He insisted that he was unaware that he was the target of Hun Sen's threat, as the land was bought by his wife in 1999 from 46 families rather than being grabbed from their hands.
Government spokesman Khieu Kanharith told reporters that Chao Phirun will not be fired as he returned the land.
Earlier, a top government official from CPP called Hun Sen to inform about his withdrawal from a land dispute in Koh Sla area in Kandal province.
Hun Sen said on Monday that he will purge perverse land grabbers out of the government and CPP, who might otherwise cause social instability or even trigger off riots.
"The government is going to fight against illegal land grabbing at any cost. The war against land grabbers is starting right now," he told hundreds of diplomats and high-ranking government officials at a national forum.
They should withdraw from land disputes by themselves, and if they don't, they will be fired from the government and expelled from the party, he said.
"I am not going to tolerate anyone any longer on this issue," he added.
Local media have reported recently that military officers and high-ranking government officials used to stand behind land disputes across the kingdom, causing much anger among the people, especially the deprived farmers.
In February, Hun Sen said that illegal land grabbing will destabilize the country.
"Our government has made tremendous efforts to build many roads, but it is sad to see that after the road is built, many people from the city rush in to buy or capture land (beside the road), squeezing the local community out of their property," he said. All provincial governors, district chiefs and commune councils are held responsible for the situation of landlessness and land grabbing in their territories, he said.
"I promise to punish any officials who are found to be involved in land grabbing and clearing of state land for personal use," he added.
Land disputes have been frequent across Cambodia in recent years, resulting in hundreds of death and injury, according to official reports.
Source: Xinhua
3 comments:
Everyone knows that Cambodia Government lead by Hun Sen and Cambodia Court are The most corruption in Cambodia
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Ah Hun Sen only arrested the small fishes and tell them they are encroaching the state land. Why don't you arrest The viet who encroach a lot of cambodia land also, Ah Stupid, dumb head?.
You're only strong among Khmer people but chicken with the neighbor, Kwak, Kwak,....
many way of land grabing Hun Sen, some just tok it for free, some bouht it for speculation, some force people to sale it cheap.
it is hard for you to now by yourself.
So why don't you use the money from the scadinavian countries to make mape of the land to have official property ownership.
and can you tax the land, for exemple:
a person own:
1st 100 hectar go tax free
above 100 to 200 ay 100$ per years
above 200 to 500 300$ per yeae
above 500 hecta 100 per hectar per year.
Just stupid sugestion, your family and Mong Rithy would never pay it any way.
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