Ly Menghour
The Mekong Times
The Hong Kong-based Asian Human Rights Committee (AHRC) has launched an online petition against land grabbing in Cambodia, where users can add their names to an open letter seeking intervention from Prime Minister Hun Sen.
Hundreds of thousands of Cambodians live in fear of forced evictions or have already been evicted, claims the letter, listed at the group’s website: www.ahrchk.net Human rights abuses, such as false arrests and “brutal” beatings often accompany evictions, it adds.
“The petition urges the prime minister of Cambodia to immediately end the suffering and fears of those people by halting all evictions in which disputes have not been resolved or just compensation has [not] been paid,” said an AHRC press release.
Since the campaign started last week, over 50 people have added their names to the list — which is not anonymous — including Secretary General of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party Mu Sochua and Lao Mong Hay, a senior researcher at the AHRC.
“People power and the use of non-violence is slowly gaining power,” said Mu Sochua, railing against the donor community for failing to take action on land grabbing. “The people’s right to land, shelter and security and justice must be part of state policies … A campaign against land grabbing and illegal logging is long overdue to stop further the raping of Cambodia’s natural resources, of [our] indigenous cultures and practices, and [the] people’s right to dignity.”
The National Authority for the Resolution of Land Disputes could not be contacted for comment yesterday.
However Information Minister and government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said that land issues are complicated and differ greatly from one to another, making generalizations difficult.
“The poor are not always right and the rich not always wrong, and vice-versa,” he said. “The government has resolved many land disputes according to legal principles with equal justice for all.”
Government policy is to “give land to the landless,” he said, adding that land disputes are increasing as as land prices rise, though only a tiny proportion of Cambodia’s 14 million population is affected.
Ny Chakriya, a monitoring officer from local human rights group Adhoc, said many communities involved in land disputes send their representatives to Phnom Penh in the vain hope of government intervention.
“But the land disputes have failed to be solved by authorities at any level. There are no effective methods to resolve land disputes for people. There aren’t any measures taken to blame or punish authorities, wrongdoers, and land-grabbers.”
Adhoc recently reported it received 78 land complaints between February and April, with the number rising each month. In April 31 cases were reported involving over 3,800 hectares, and affecting 2,292 families.
Many of the disputes involved government officials, including the ruling elite, police officers, soldiers and commune or district authorities, the report noted.
Hundreds of thousands of Cambodians live in fear of forced evictions or have already been evicted, claims the letter, listed at the group’s website: www.ahrchk.net Human rights abuses, such as false arrests and “brutal” beatings often accompany evictions, it adds.
“The petition urges the prime minister of Cambodia to immediately end the suffering and fears of those people by halting all evictions in which disputes have not been resolved or just compensation has [not] been paid,” said an AHRC press release.
Since the campaign started last week, over 50 people have added their names to the list — which is not anonymous — including Secretary General of the opposition Sam Rainsy Party Mu Sochua and Lao Mong Hay, a senior researcher at the AHRC.
“People power and the use of non-violence is slowly gaining power,” said Mu Sochua, railing against the donor community for failing to take action on land grabbing. “The people’s right to land, shelter and security and justice must be part of state policies … A campaign against land grabbing and illegal logging is long overdue to stop further the raping of Cambodia’s natural resources, of [our] indigenous cultures and practices, and [the] people’s right to dignity.”
The National Authority for the Resolution of Land Disputes could not be contacted for comment yesterday.
However Information Minister and government spokesman Khieu Kanharith said that land issues are complicated and differ greatly from one to another, making generalizations difficult.
“The poor are not always right and the rich not always wrong, and vice-versa,” he said. “The government has resolved many land disputes according to legal principles with equal justice for all.”
Government policy is to “give land to the landless,” he said, adding that land disputes are increasing as as land prices rise, though only a tiny proportion of Cambodia’s 14 million population is affected.
Ny Chakriya, a monitoring officer from local human rights group Adhoc, said many communities involved in land disputes send their representatives to Phnom Penh in the vain hope of government intervention.
“But the land disputes have failed to be solved by authorities at any level. There are no effective methods to resolve land disputes for people. There aren’t any measures taken to blame or punish authorities, wrongdoers, and land-grabbers.”
Adhoc recently reported it received 78 land complaints between February and April, with the number rising each month. In April 31 cases were reported involving over 3,800 hectares, and affecting 2,292 families.
Many of the disputes involved government officials, including the ruling elite, police officers, soldiers and commune or district authorities, the report noted.
2 comments:
Cambodia needs to do more to stop Ah Khmer-Yuon from stealing all of the lands from Khmer people. Please, send all of the back to Vietnam now before it's too late.
Translated in Khmer by http://khmervipheak.wordpress.com
បញ្ចប់ ការរឹបអូសដីធ្លី នៅកម្ពុជា
យើងជំរុញអ្នកចុះហត្ថលេខា លើញត្តិសំណើ ខាងក្រោម។ ប្រាប់មិត្តភក្តិរបស់អ្នក ចូលរួម និងចុះហត្ថលេខា លើញត្តិសំណើ។
(ចុចលើ http://campaigns.ahrchk.net/landgrabbing ដើម្បីចុះហត្ថលេខា លើបណ្តាញ)
សំលេង របស់មហាជន៖
ញត្តិសំណើ
ឯកឧត្តម
នាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រី, កម្ពុជា
ឯកឧត្តម,
ខ្ញុំមានការខ្វាយខ្វល់ យ៉ាងខ្លាំង អំពីភាពឈឺចាប់នៃរាប់សែនប្រជាពលរដ្ឋកម្ពុជា ដែលបាន, និងត្រូវបានដឹងថា រស់ក្នុងភាពភ័យខ្លាច ដោយបានត្រូវបណ្តេញចេញ ពីទីលំនៅ ដែលជាលទ្ធផល នៃគំរោងអភិវឌ្ឍនានា, នៃជំលោះដីធ្លី, នៃការរឹបអូសដីធ្លី។ អ្នកត្រូវគេរឹបអូសយកដីធ្លី គ្មានបានទទួលអ្វី ក្រៅតែពីប្រាក់សំណងជួសជុល។ ពួកគេបានត្រូវបណ្តេញចេញ ដោយបង្ខំ ពីលំនៅដ្ឋានផ្ទះសំបែង និងដីធ្លីរបស់ពួកគេ និងត្រូវបង្ខំអោយប្តូរទីតាំង ទៅតំបន់មានឱកាសសេដ្ឋកិច្ច និង លទ្ធភាពសង្គមតិចតួច សំរាប់ជីវិតពួកគេ។ ទាំងនោះ អាស្រ័យទាំងស្រុង លើដីធ្លី ដើម្បីបង្កើតជីវីតរស់នៅនោះ ត្រូវបានឃើញយ៉ាងសាមញ្ញថា ជីវិតរស់នៅ របស់ពួកគេ បានត្រូវបំផ្លាញ។
ក្នុងការបណ្តេញចេញដោយបង្ខំ, កងកំលាំងប្រដាប់អាវុធសាធារណះ បានវាយកំទេចផ្ទះសំបែងពួកគេ ឬ ដាក់ភ្លើងដុតផ្ទះសំបែងទាំងនោះ និងបំផ្លាញកំទេចទ្រព្យសម្បត្តិពួកគេ ក្នុងនោះមានដំណាំដាំដុះ និង ចំការផងដែរ។ អ្នកបានត្រូវបណ្តេញចេញខ្លះ បានត្រូវវាយទាត់ធាក់ ឬ បានត្រូវឃុំឃាំង ដោយចោទប្រឌិតថា តដៃនឹងពួកគេ និង បង្ខំអ្នកបានត្រូវបណ្តេញចេញទាំងនោះ ទទួលសំណងជួសជុលដ៏អយុត្តិធម៌។
ខ្ញុំជំរុញលោក ដើម្បីបញ្ចប់រំពេច ភាពឈឺចាប់ និង ភាពភ័យខ្លាច នៃអ្នកទាំងនោះ ដោយបញ្ឈប់គ្រប់ការបណ្តេញចេញ ក្នុងនោះមានជំលោះមិនបានដោះស្រាយ និង មានផ្តល់តែសំណងជួសជុល, ដោយព្យួរគ្រប់សម្បទានដីធ្លី សំរាប់គំរោងអភិវឌ្ឍ ដែលប៉ះពាល់ផ្ទះសំបែង និង ដីធ្លី របស់ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋ។ ខ្ញុំជំរុញលោកផងដែរ ដើម្បីពង្រឹងច្បាប់ដីធ្លី និង ជំរុញគ្រប់គណបក្ស, រួមនឹងរដ្ឋាភិបាល របស់លោក, ផ្អែកលើការអនុវត្តច្បាប់ សំរាប់ការកាត់សេចក្តី នៃជំលោះដីធ្លីនានា។ គ្រប់តុលាការ និង យន្តកម្មកាត់សេចក្តី ដទៃគួរតែឯករាជ, មិនលំអៀង និង ងាយស្រួលចូលជួប សំរាប់គ្រប់គ្នា, និងពួកគេគួរវិនិច្ឆ័យហេតុផល នៃអ្នកខ្សោយ, អ្នកក្រ, អ្នកមានអំណាច និងអ្នកមានទ្រព្យសម្បត្តិ ដោយគ្មានភាពភ័យខ្លាច ឬ គ្មានភាពអនុគ្រោះ។
ដោយស្មោះត្រង់,
[ឈ្មោះពេញ]
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