Protesters from Sihanoukville have gathered in front of the Council of Ministers in Phnom Penh on 13 August 2007 (Photo: Sok Serey, RFA)13 August 2007
By Sok Serey
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
More than 100 Cambodian people representing over 100 families coming from Group 2, Commune No. 3, Mittapheap district, Sihanoukville, have gathered to demonstrate in front of the office of the Council of Ministers on Monday morning to protest against a plan by the Sihanoukville city to confiscate 14-hectare of lands occupied by these families and turn these lands into state property in the near future.
The group of protesters includes old people, young children, and nursing mothers, who are holding their demonstrations in a park located in front of the office of the Council of Ministers. Some of the protesters held portraits of King Sihamoni, while others were holding portraits of Hun Sen and his wife to protest.
Three representatives of the group were sent to hand over their complaint to the office of the anti-corruption department of the Council of Ministers, requesting help to resolve the problem they are facing. However, a representative of the National Authority for the Resolution of Land Dispute (NARLD) came to tell the group that they should head to the NARLD office instead, claiming that the anti-corruption department has no authority to resolve land disputes.
37-year-old Ly Aun who traveled from Group 2, Commune No. 3, Mittapheap district, Sihanoukville, told RFA that there is no promise given by government officials who received the complaint.
Ly Aun said: “We have all the necessary documents, but they didn’t provide any information to the people. I went into this “corrupt office,” an official said that he will accept a copy of the document. He said that this is not even his office.”
Thong Sokhom, one of the representatives for the families, said that Say Hak, the governor of Sihanoukville issued an information letter on 31 July, telling the families that they have 15-day notice to move their houses out by themselves. There are only 2 days left before their homes will be destroyed by Say Hak’s henchmen, so the people were scared and came over to protest.
Thong Sokhom said: “There are 2 days left until the due date, therefore we came to ask that Samdach Hun Sen, Samdech Ta, Samdech Yeay, and the King to help us live in peace, without oppression.”
Regarding the presence of the protesters, an official representing the NARLD came to meet the group of demonstrators, and told them: “The place for the resolution, no matter where you take it, they will not resolve it for you if you hand it to the wrong place. Do you understand? Therefore, you should take it to my office (NARLD), we have the ability to make an arrangement.”
According to the people, the lands where the Sihanoukville city wants to confiscate occupy an area of 14-hectare, and is currently occupied by 103 families living in this Mittapheap district, Sihanoukville province.
According to interviews with the protesters, they said that they don’t have any official land title documents, but they own papers indicating that they live there since the 80s.
Un Thanun, an investigator for the Licadho human rights group in Sihanoukville, said that the confiscation of these lands was done without providing anything in exchange to the protesters.
The group of protesters includes old people, young children, and nursing mothers, who are holding their demonstrations in a park located in front of the office of the Council of Ministers. Some of the protesters held portraits of King Sihamoni, while others were holding portraits of Hun Sen and his wife to protest.
Three representatives of the group were sent to hand over their complaint to the office of the anti-corruption department of the Council of Ministers, requesting help to resolve the problem they are facing. However, a representative of the National Authority for the Resolution of Land Dispute (NARLD) came to tell the group that they should head to the NARLD office instead, claiming that the anti-corruption department has no authority to resolve land disputes.
37-year-old Ly Aun who traveled from Group 2, Commune No. 3, Mittapheap district, Sihanoukville, told RFA that there is no promise given by government officials who received the complaint.
Ly Aun said: “We have all the necessary documents, but they didn’t provide any information to the people. I went into this “corrupt office,” an official said that he will accept a copy of the document. He said that this is not even his office.”
Thong Sokhom, one of the representatives for the families, said that Say Hak, the governor of Sihanoukville issued an information letter on 31 July, telling the families that they have 15-day notice to move their houses out by themselves. There are only 2 days left before their homes will be destroyed by Say Hak’s henchmen, so the people were scared and came over to protest.
Thong Sokhom said: “There are 2 days left until the due date, therefore we came to ask that Samdach Hun Sen, Samdech Ta, Samdech Yeay, and the King to help us live in peace, without oppression.”
Regarding the presence of the protesters, an official representing the NARLD came to meet the group of demonstrators, and told them: “The place for the resolution, no matter where you take it, they will not resolve it for you if you hand it to the wrong place. Do you understand? Therefore, you should take it to my office (NARLD), we have the ability to make an arrangement.”
According to the people, the lands where the Sihanoukville city wants to confiscate occupy an area of 14-hectare, and is currently occupied by 103 families living in this Mittapheap district, Sihanoukville province.
According to interviews with the protesters, they said that they don’t have any official land title documents, but they own papers indicating that they live there since the 80s.
Un Thanun, an investigator for the Licadho human rights group in Sihanoukville, said that the confiscation of these lands was done without providing anything in exchange to the protesters.
7 comments:
Now all the high ranking officials include police and military are all land grabbings. How can ordinary cambodian people survive with on slaugh from these problem. The king is a dummy one and is enjoying fat budget of 5 millions us dollars a year. He scare to make any noise worrying that this 5 millions dollars will be gone and he has to go back to France to dance in the night club again. He remembered his hardlife there, so he won't make any mistake to ruine his own luck. Cambodians are now waiting to die ......................
Hey he not dancing in the night club, the king dance in the opera!
Look guys we as cambodians have to be aware that our king has roles and duties to help our people.National constitution, in articles 8 and 9,clearly stpulates that king has to ensure offials have to exercise power tranparently and also the king has to protect the cambodian;s civil right.So human right organisation should and anti-corruption organisation work with our king to overcome the abuses that our poor cambodians have endured.The constitution is supreme law that we all should abide by including our king,all samdechs,generals,his exellencies,officials to curb government power turned to be individual power.And please do not forget that we are not born with power.Understanding your right will lead to understang other's.
Look guys we as cambodians have to be aware that our king has roles and duties to help our people.National constitution, in articles 8 and 9,clearly stipulates that king has to ensure offials have to exercise power tranparently and also the king has to protect the cambodian;s civil right.So human right organisation should and anti-corruption organisation work with our king to overcome the abuses that our poor cambodians have endured.The constitution is supreme law that we all should abide by including our king,all samdechs,generals,his exellencies,officials to curb government power turned to be individual power.And please do not forget that we are not born with power.Understanding your right will lead to understanding other's.
Cambodian King can't even exercise his right and don't even mention about Cambodian people's right!
If these people had not carried the portraits of Hun Sen and Bun Rany (forget Sihamoni's portrait) they would have been beaten up by the police. Smart move!
In the country lacking the rule of law, the defenceless people will have to seek help from the big boss of the thieves, not the law, to resolve their sufferings. Not an ideal solution, but they don't have other alternatives without being attacked by Hok Lundy's men.
Yea, imagine Hok Lundy's troll beating on these helpless people who shows pictures of Hun Sen and his wife. That wouldn't make good PR.
Post a Comment