By Sok Serey
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
Representatives of 125 families living in Village No. 1, Commune No. 3, Mittapheap district, Sihanoukville, have accused a local company of sending hundreds of armed troops to fence off and grab 13-hectare of lands where the villagers are still living on.
A source indicated that a confrontation is taking place between the villagers and the armed soldiers, and the villagers are preventing the installation of fences to grab their lands. However, no violence is taking place.
Mrs. Hieng Sophen, the representative of the more than 100 families, told RFA over the phone from the location of the incident, that the villagers are standing guard on their lands and they are preventing the armed soldiers to install fence to grab their lands.
Hieng Sophen said: “They brought in cement fence posts, and the villagers prevented them from installing these on their lands. Now, the villagers are asking the military police to move out the tents they installed, but they refused to move them out. I asked them if they have a court order or not, but they wouldn’t tell me. Now the military police are carrying guns, and they said that their chiefs are arriving. When the villagers walk over (to the side where the military police officers are stationed), they were not allowed in, they were chased out, and beaten up.”
Sotheavin, another representative of the villagers said: “They are violating to grab our lands, this Thai Bun Rong Co., please help the villagers resolve this issue.”
Regarding this issue, Kong Sam Ouen, the official of the Mittapheap district, said that he did not know about this case: “I don’t know about it, I am in Phnom Penh, I am in the hospital.”
Say Hak, the Sihanoukville governor, said: “I’m in a meeting, sorry.”
Chhim Savuth, an investigator for the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) said: “At the time, the (military) police set up their base tent there also, and they planned to install fence posts to grab all these lands.”
Regarding this accusation leveled by the villagers, saying that the Thai Bun Rong Co. is grabbing their lands, Sok Song, a representative of the company, who was also at the location of the incident, clarified by claiming that these lands belonged to the company: “These lands belong to the company, the company has all the proper paperwork which was issued since 1991, except that the company did not take any action. Now, the company is starting to take measures, there were only 15 families here before that.”
Regarding the presence of hundreds armed military police force protecting lands belonging to a private company, the deputy military police commissioner of Sihanoukville said: “… because the Thai Bun Rong asked military police force to help standing guard.”
Eng Chhay Eang, Vice-President of the National Authority for the Resolution of Land Disputes (NARLD), said: “I didn’t not receive the information about this case yet, but I will instigate a thorough investigation about it.”
On Tuesday, NGO investigators based in Sihanoukville indicated that another land dispute is also taking place in the same Mittapheap district, not too far from where the current 125 victim families are living.
A source indicated that a confrontation is taking place between the villagers and the armed soldiers, and the villagers are preventing the installation of fences to grab their lands. However, no violence is taking place.
Mrs. Hieng Sophen, the representative of the more than 100 families, told RFA over the phone from the location of the incident, that the villagers are standing guard on their lands and they are preventing the armed soldiers to install fence to grab their lands.
Hieng Sophen said: “They brought in cement fence posts, and the villagers prevented them from installing these on their lands. Now, the villagers are asking the military police to move out the tents they installed, but they refused to move them out. I asked them if they have a court order or not, but they wouldn’t tell me. Now the military police are carrying guns, and they said that their chiefs are arriving. When the villagers walk over (to the side where the military police officers are stationed), they were not allowed in, they were chased out, and beaten up.”
Sotheavin, another representative of the villagers said: “They are violating to grab our lands, this Thai Bun Rong Co., please help the villagers resolve this issue.”
Regarding this issue, Kong Sam Ouen, the official of the Mittapheap district, said that he did not know about this case: “I don’t know about it, I am in Phnom Penh, I am in the hospital.”
Say Hak, the Sihanoukville governor, said: “I’m in a meeting, sorry.”
Chhim Savuth, an investigator for the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) said: “At the time, the (military) police set up their base tent there also, and they planned to install fence posts to grab all these lands.”
Regarding this accusation leveled by the villagers, saying that the Thai Bun Rong Co. is grabbing their lands, Sok Song, a representative of the company, who was also at the location of the incident, clarified by claiming that these lands belonged to the company: “These lands belong to the company, the company has all the proper paperwork which was issued since 1991, except that the company did not take any action. Now, the company is starting to take measures, there were only 15 families here before that.”
Regarding the presence of hundreds armed military police force protecting lands belonging to a private company, the deputy military police commissioner of Sihanoukville said: “… because the Thai Bun Rong asked military police force to help standing guard.”
Eng Chhay Eang, Vice-President of the National Authority for the Resolution of Land Disputes (NARLD), said: “I didn’t not receive the information about this case yet, but I will instigate a thorough investigation about it.”
On Tuesday, NGO investigators based in Sihanoukville indicated that another land dispute is also taking place in the same Mittapheap district, not too far from where the current 125 victim families are living.
2 comments:
Any Cambodian fools who have the name Thai in their name deserve to be shot!
Only the copany name 10:40aAM, and the Thai said that Theng Bun Ma was a Thai fugitive!
1991 land concession is elegal! When ah Youn controled Cambodia!
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