The Associated Press
"...if the government did not respect human rights, it would have expelled Amnesty's representatives from Cambodia already" - General Khieu Sopheak, spokesman of the Ministry of InteriorPHNOM PENH, Cambodia: The Cambodian government is actively involved in the unlawful and forcible evictions of thousands of poor people whose land is taken for commercial development, Amnesty International alleged Monday.
Instead of protecting the victims, "the authorities have been instrumental in demolishing villages, setting homes ablaze and making poor people homeless without due process and at the behest of those who wield economic and political power," said Catherine Baber, director of the group's Asia-Pacific Program.
Her allegation was made in a statement marking the Lond-based human rights group's release of a report titled "Rights Razed - Forced evictions in Cambodia."
The evictions are in "sharp contrast to the rhetoric of the government's pro-poor policies and in breach of international human rights laws and standards," Amnesty said.
The government's poverty reduction agenda rings hollow unless the government urgently puts an end to all forced evictions, Baber said.
The report examined cases of land and housing rights violations that have affected poor Cambodians in both rural and urban areas in recent years.
At least 150,000 Cambodians across the country now live at risk of being forcibly evicted due to land disputes, land-grabbing and development projects, Amnesty said.
The government has often opted for eviction long before all other alternatives have been explored, Amnesty charged.
The victims, it said, have been ejected from their homes and land with little or no advance notice, no access to adequate alternative housing and no recourse to justice.
Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak, asked by The Associated Press about the allegations, said the Cambodian government respects human rights. He noted that if the government did not respect human rights, it would have expelled Amnesty's representatives from Cambodia already.
2 comments:
"...if the government did not respect human rights, it would have expelled Amnesty's representatives from Cambodia already" - General Khieu Sopheak, spokesman of the Ministry of Interior.
I think these remarks made by the spokesman sounds somewhat pathetic and unprofessional. Any words or remarks made by anyone that represents a government should sound diplomatic and professional. The expectation here is "that someone is highly educated in the field of politics and ready to deal (professionally) with any related issues". The remark from above sounds like some words from a freshman from a Junior High.
here's my opinion about all these eviction going on in cambodia: you know, this is what one see in a growing economy; everybody wants a piece of the pie. before, gov't people allow displaced people lived everywhere on gov't properties, parks, near roadways, on railways, etc, etc. now that the country is stabilized and the economy is getting better and better, the gov't want their land back so they have to make people move. so it is the gov't responsibility to give these displaced people a land and a home to live once they were asked to move to a new place. i think as long as gov't reimburse people or compensate these people, then it is ok for them to move on to a new area or place. but gov't is responsible to provide for them, at least until they get settled or something.
it would also be interesting to hear from the gov't what they have to say for these people. to me, just hearing from one side of the story is questionable and bias, so it's better to hear from both sides of the arguments for it to be fair to everybody, gov't and civilian.
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