By Keo Pech Metta
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Cambodian people living in Prokar village, Prey Sar commune, Dangkao district, Phnom Penh city, said that a large group of armed men, whom they cannot identify by their insignia, came to dismantle their homes and used violence by beating up the villagers. Three of the villagers were arrested and taken by the armed men.
Prokar villagers said that this incident took place on 07 June 2007, and the armed men accused the villagers of illegally occupying these lands.
An anonymous villager from Prokar, a village which counted more than 50 families, who was arrested by the armed men when he was confronting them about the land issue, said that the accusations leveled against the villagers are illegal and are not correct because the lands belong to the villagers, and they were even recognized as such by the village chief and the commune chief.
The anonymous man think that someone may have cheated and sold the lands without the villagers’ knowledge because during the past Khmer new year (April), some people came in and incited the villagers to sell their lands to them, with the full knowledge of the village and the commune authorities, by promising each family a sum of $100. However, at that time, a number of people accepted the offer, whereas others did not because they believed the amount offered was too little.
The Prokar villager said: “I did not accept the money, and a group of people who did not accept the money took over 1 hectare of the total land, whereas the size of the land for those who accepted the money amounted to 4 hectares. The village chief even measured the land … Now they said that I am living on someone else’s land, they arrested me. When they (armed men) arrived, the villagers asked to see the court order for the dismantling (of the homes). They refused, they dismantled the homes, there were young hoodlums who dismantled the homes, they beat us, they pointed guns at us, they handcuffed us.”
Regarding all these issues, Vong Samnang, a Prey Sar commune councilor, said that the authority did not act as accused by the villagers, to the contrary, these villagers are actually illegally living on somebody else lands. On this issue, the authority informed the villagers to dismantle their homes several times already. “They built by violating on someone else’s land, and these people built a camp on someone else’s land. The owner has the necessary property tile.”
Regarding the repression perpetrated on Prokar villagers, RFA contacted the Dangkao district governor to question him about this issue, however, he said that he does not know about this affair, and he directed RFA to talk with the police chief instead. RFA attempted to contact the police chief, but he could not be reached today.
Prokar villagers said that this incident took place on 07 June 2007, and the armed men accused the villagers of illegally occupying these lands.
An anonymous villager from Prokar, a village which counted more than 50 families, who was arrested by the armed men when he was confronting them about the land issue, said that the accusations leveled against the villagers are illegal and are not correct because the lands belong to the villagers, and they were even recognized as such by the village chief and the commune chief.
The anonymous man think that someone may have cheated and sold the lands without the villagers’ knowledge because during the past Khmer new year (April), some people came in and incited the villagers to sell their lands to them, with the full knowledge of the village and the commune authorities, by promising each family a sum of $100. However, at that time, a number of people accepted the offer, whereas others did not because they believed the amount offered was too little.
The Prokar villager said: “I did not accept the money, and a group of people who did not accept the money took over 1 hectare of the total land, whereas the size of the land for those who accepted the money amounted to 4 hectares. The village chief even measured the land … Now they said that I am living on someone else’s land, they arrested me. When they (armed men) arrived, the villagers asked to see the court order for the dismantling (of the homes). They refused, they dismantled the homes, there were young hoodlums who dismantled the homes, they beat us, they pointed guns at us, they handcuffed us.”
Regarding all these issues, Vong Samnang, a Prey Sar commune councilor, said that the authority did not act as accused by the villagers, to the contrary, these villagers are actually illegally living on somebody else lands. On this issue, the authority informed the villagers to dismantle their homes several times already. “They built by violating on someone else’s land, and these people built a camp on someone else’s land. The owner has the necessary property tile.”
Regarding the repression perpetrated on Prokar villagers, RFA contacted the Dangkao district governor to question him about this issue, however, he said that he does not know about this affair, and he directed RFA to talk with the police chief instead. RFA attempted to contact the police chief, but he could not be reached today.
1 comment:
Great job! we will not tolerated
squatters here.
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