The protesting villagers are confronting the cops in front of the courthouse (Photo: Samnang, Koh Santepheap newspaper)
The villagers are seen carrying wooden and bamboo sticks in front of the courthouse (Photo: Samnang, Koh Santepheap newspaper)Koh Santepheap newspaper
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
Siem Reap Province – About 50 villagers, including young and elders, men and women, coming from Romchek village, Anlong Veng commune, Anlong Veng district, Oddar Meanchey province, have gathered in front of the Siem Reap provincial court to demand the release of one of their representatives, after the court summoned him to a hearing and sentenced him to 6-year in jail after accusing him of illegally grabbing and encroaching on state forest lands. This incident took place in the morning of 04 February 2008, in front of the Siem Reap-Oddar Meanchey provincial court.
A source indicated that Srun Korb, the representative of the villagers, was accused of illegally encroaching and grabbing state forest lands in the Romchek village area, Anlong Veng commune, and the court held a hearing in his case in the morning of 04 February stemming from a complaint brought up by Tea Kim Soth, the deputy director of the Siem Reap district forest administration. The hearing was presided by judges Yon Kosal, Suos La and Nguon Nara.
After questioning Srun Korb for almost 3-hour, the court sentenced him to 6-year in jail and accused him of encroaching and grabbing state forest lands, and sent him to Siem Reap prison for detention.
Report from the location of the incident indicated that, after the villagers’ representative was sent to jail, the villagers who were waiting to hear the results of their representative from morning till noon time, became irritated and angry. They then armed themselves with bamboo sticks and rocks, and they stood in front of the courthouse to shout their protest to demand the release of their representative. They all shouted in unison: the court handed an unfair sentence. Those who were very angry wanted to conduct a raid inside the court fence perimeter, but a number of cops were brought in and they were spread in front of the court.
56-year-old Or Somarith said that she came from Romchek village to support and to demand the court to release Srun Korb, she said that the sentence handed down by the court is very unfair because the accused did not cut down tress in the Romchek village area, in fact, those who cut down the trees are members of the Handicap Smile Association, and she does not understand why a different person is arrested instead.
Tea Kim Soth, the deputy director of the Siem Reap district forest administration and also the plaintiff in the case, told Koh Santepehap that the forest in the Romchek village was logged and destroyed by the Handicap Smile Association which illegally distributed the lands, up to 800-hectare of lands were thus logged. Tea Kim Soth added that regarding the forest logging to grab lands, his department sued 4 persons at the Siem Reap-Oddar Meanchey court, and the court handed down its sentences on 20 June 2006, by sending to jail the 4 persons involved: Sing Samrith, the president of the Handicap Smile Association, Sok Sak, Kan Samnang, and Chan Soroeun. Each of the accused was sentenced to 5-year of jail, and they were also fined. In 2007, Srun Korb appeared and he claimed to be the representative of the villagers by acting as the middle man involved in obtaining the ownership title of the lands, and he was also involved in selling these lands and collecting money from the villagers.
Tea Kim Soth added that officials from his department summoned Srun Korb to advise him and to tell him to end his activities, but he refused, and his department brought the complaint to the court for action.
The villagers protest will continue on until today, meanwhile their representative was sent to jail. This is the first time that the court held a hearing without consideration of the villagers gathering in front of the courthouse, and it even handed down its sentence on the villagers’ representative. Currently, it has become normal to see the villagers protesting when their representatives are summoned by the court, in some instances, there could be up to several hundreds of protesting villagers at a time. It is not known yet on how the confrontation will be during today’s protest by the villagers.
A source indicated that Srun Korb, the representative of the villagers, was accused of illegally encroaching and grabbing state forest lands in the Romchek village area, Anlong Veng commune, and the court held a hearing in his case in the morning of 04 February stemming from a complaint brought up by Tea Kim Soth, the deputy director of the Siem Reap district forest administration. The hearing was presided by judges Yon Kosal, Suos La and Nguon Nara.
After questioning Srun Korb for almost 3-hour, the court sentenced him to 6-year in jail and accused him of encroaching and grabbing state forest lands, and sent him to Siem Reap prison for detention.
Report from the location of the incident indicated that, after the villagers’ representative was sent to jail, the villagers who were waiting to hear the results of their representative from morning till noon time, became irritated and angry. They then armed themselves with bamboo sticks and rocks, and they stood in front of the courthouse to shout their protest to demand the release of their representative. They all shouted in unison: the court handed an unfair sentence. Those who were very angry wanted to conduct a raid inside the court fence perimeter, but a number of cops were brought in and they were spread in front of the court.
56-year-old Or Somarith said that she came from Romchek village to support and to demand the court to release Srun Korb, she said that the sentence handed down by the court is very unfair because the accused did not cut down tress in the Romchek village area, in fact, those who cut down the trees are members of the Handicap Smile Association, and she does not understand why a different person is arrested instead.
Tea Kim Soth, the deputy director of the Siem Reap district forest administration and also the plaintiff in the case, told Koh Santepehap that the forest in the Romchek village was logged and destroyed by the Handicap Smile Association which illegally distributed the lands, up to 800-hectare of lands were thus logged. Tea Kim Soth added that regarding the forest logging to grab lands, his department sued 4 persons at the Siem Reap-Oddar Meanchey court, and the court handed down its sentences on 20 June 2006, by sending to jail the 4 persons involved: Sing Samrith, the president of the Handicap Smile Association, Sok Sak, Kan Samnang, and Chan Soroeun. Each of the accused was sentenced to 5-year of jail, and they were also fined. In 2007, Srun Korb appeared and he claimed to be the representative of the villagers by acting as the middle man involved in obtaining the ownership title of the lands, and he was also involved in selling these lands and collecting money from the villagers.
Tea Kim Soth added that officials from his department summoned Srun Korb to advise him and to tell him to end his activities, but he refused, and his department brought the complaint to the court for action.
The villagers protest will continue on until today, meanwhile their representative was sent to jail. This is the first time that the court held a hearing without consideration of the villagers gathering in front of the courthouse, and it even handed down its sentence on the villagers’ representative. Currently, it has become normal to see the villagers protesting when their representatives are summoned by the court, in some instances, there could be up to several hundreds of protesting villagers at a time. It is not known yet on how the confrontation will be during today’s protest by the villagers.
3 comments:
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I KNOW HUN SEN IS OUR GOD.....
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2.3 Mio. of Cambodian [0,5 mio.(1970-75), 1.7 mio. in Pol Pot] was died by Khmer Rouges (real Khmer Rouge and former Khmer Rouge). And now Khmer people still surfering from the news Khmer Rouge! what ´s next????
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