By Duong Sokha
Cambodge Soir
Translated from French by Luc Sâr
The marching procession to Siem Reap organized by 28 NGOs and unions, with the goal of demanding a society without violence and the freedom of expression, arrived yesterday at the Baray district, Kompong Thom province. Altogether, the marchers have traveled 120 kilometers since their departure from Phnom Penh last week.
The Alliance for Freedom of Expression in Cambodia (AFEC), the main organizer of the march, yesterday called on the government to insure a decent living condition for the people, by acting as the guardians of natural resources, and protecting land rights of each citizen.
AFEC also raised the issue of bad management of public and private lands and the increasing number of land-grabbings. In spite of the 2001 land law, and the laws on the management of the environment and forests, nothing has changed and the violations are perpetrated to the detriment of the people, AFEC stressed.
“In spite of the government promise to assist poor communities in the city, the municipal authorities continue to use force to evict people and they have evicted a total of 4,500 families during 2006,” AFEC deplored.
A day earlier, in a forum under the theme of “my country, my future,” the hundreds of marchers invited 24 monks along their road – the 24 monks representing the 24 cities and provinces of Cambodia – to chant prayers before releasing 1,621 white balloons symbolizing the 1,621 communes in the country.
The message presented during this gathering was: may the country’s development occur under the respect of the citizen’s rights and interests, and that it may offer the younger generation an opportunity to build a dignified living condition.
“If development is allowed to move on as it is right now, it will be the younger generation who will have to pay the price for the debts incurred by the government. The government must change its course urgently,” AFEC insists.
The marchers are expected to arrive in Angkor Wat on March 15.
The Alliance for Freedom of Expression in Cambodia (AFEC), the main organizer of the march, yesterday called on the government to insure a decent living condition for the people, by acting as the guardians of natural resources, and protecting land rights of each citizen.
AFEC also raised the issue of bad management of public and private lands and the increasing number of land-grabbings. In spite of the 2001 land law, and the laws on the management of the environment and forests, nothing has changed and the violations are perpetrated to the detriment of the people, AFEC stressed.
“In spite of the government promise to assist poor communities in the city, the municipal authorities continue to use force to evict people and they have evicted a total of 4,500 families during 2006,” AFEC deplored.
A day earlier, in a forum under the theme of “my country, my future,” the hundreds of marchers invited 24 monks along their road – the 24 monks representing the 24 cities and provinces of Cambodia – to chant prayers before releasing 1,621 white balloons symbolizing the 1,621 communes in the country.
The message presented during this gathering was: may the country’s development occur under the respect of the citizen’s rights and interests, and that it may offer the younger generation an opportunity to build a dignified living condition.
“If development is allowed to move on as it is right now, it will be the younger generation who will have to pay the price for the debts incurred by the government. The government must change its course urgently,” AFEC insists.
The marchers are expected to arrive in Angkor Wat on March 15.
6 comments:
Good job guys. Let's show the world that we Khmer people do want freedom as do the people of the world! I will send in my donation to support you guys cause! Thank you all for caring about our freedom!
March on friends!!!! Through Democracy and freedom will the Kambujans free themselves from the Youn.....
For the first comment:
Why you want to show the world that you want freedom? The world wants you to have freedom, but you need to show your leader, Ah Hun Sen, and his dogs that you want freedom. There's nothing to do with the world. First get rid of monarch and Ah Kwak government before we can have freedom of our own people.
To do that we need to do a coup-de-tar.
Yes, us KHmer want our freedom!! Yuon Hanoi and its puppets suppress us no more. Thank you!
Marching for freedom will never work in Cambodia, you can bet your life on it.
GOD WILL BE WITH ALL OF YOU GOOD KHMER MARCHERS.
TOO MANY YUONS AND YUON'S SLAVE INSIDE CAMBODIA ALREADY.
WE MUST FIGHT ON, FREEDOM WILL COME TO ALL TRUE KHMER PEOPLE IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
YUONS MUST GO BACK HOME TO PROTECT YUON'S LAND FROM CHINA INFLUX.
IF YUONS CONTINUE TO COLONIZE KHMER PEOPLE AND KHMER LAND, CHINA WILL DO THE SAME TO YUON'S COUNTRY FOR ANOTHER 1001 YEARS LIKE IN THE PAST.
YUONS MUST GO HOME NOW.
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