Tuesday, December 11, 2007

U.N. criticises Cambodian land-grabs

PHNOM PENH, Dec 10 (Reuters) - The United Nations criticised Cambodia on Monday for failing to protect the rights of the poor, saying land was being routinely seized by large businesses with government connections and the courts were doing nothing.

"Indigenous people are losing their lands. Their lands are being stolen," Yash Ghai, the U.N.'s human rights envoy to the impoverished southeast Asian nation, told a news conference at the end of a 10-day visit.

During his trip, he went to the jungle-clad northeastern province of Rattankiri, where ethnic minority hill-tribes are in a protracted legal dispute over a 500-ha (1,200-acre) plot of land with the sister of the finance minister.

"People told me that their lands were taken away and they preferred not go to the court," Ghai said.

He also described as "completely unacceptable" reports of villagers being beaten up at the scene of another alleged land-grab south of Phnom Penh.

There was no immediate response from the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen, a former Khmer Rouge soldier who has been in charge for the last two decades.

After a previous visit in which Ghai accused him of ruling with an iron fist, Hun Sen branded the Kenyan a "long-term tourist" who should be fired.

(Reporting by Ek Madra; editing by Ed Cropley)

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

As though we did know that was coming. What is a bunch of fools?

Anonymous said...

Hun Sen tries to do like his master, Hanoi. He creates problem to Cambodia and her citizens every day to make sure we don't live peacefully. He manages to destroy Cambodia for his master, Hanoi, and let Hanoi get all investments and cambodia land and sea.

Anonymous said...

Well, we'll do what ever it takes to keep ah khmer-yuon from stealing our lands that is needed to create jobs for our people.

Anonymous said...

Bastards!

Anonymous said...

I say let this imbecile Viet troller bitch that pretends to be Khmer speaking for Khmer @1:38 AM and @3:11 AM runs out of air and drops dead miserably because no Khmer in the right mind would never ever derogatorily calls Khmer names "Ah Khmer-Yuon" and no Khmer in the right mind would never ever be swayed or influenced by this Viet troller bitch
nonsensical, trash talking and writing.
[khmer unicode]មីសំផឹង យួន​ឯងនឹង ពូជអាយួន ឈ្លានពាន នឹងត្រូវខ្មែរ ស្នេហាជាតិ សំឡាប់អោយផុតពូជមិនខាន៕

Anonymous said...

We utilize and concessions for developments for job creation for the people of Cambodia. This is no difference than so-alled "Imminent Domain" in the western hemisphere country (US).