Boeung Kak resident Nhoem Ray at a protest against eviction in Phnom Penh on Monday. (Photo by: HENG CHIVOAN)Arrests quash land dissent
Thursday, 30 October 2008
Written by CHRAN CHAMROEUN AND ELENOR AINGE ROY
The Phnom Penh Post
Human rights advocates say the arrests of nine community organisers in the past week is an attempt to silence dissent on the issue of rural land-grabbing
LOCAL rights groups are becoming increasingly concerned over the recent spate of arrests of community organisers, with the leaders of nine land-grabbing resistance groups arrested across the Kingdom in the last week.
"Community representatives continue to be arrested, charged and imprisoned because of their efforts to assist fellow villagers to protect their land," said Kek Galabru, president of the human rights group Licadho.
"Frequently there is no evidence whatsoever for the charges against them - the law is simply misused as a weapon to try to intimidate their communities into giving up land."
The recent arrest cases are unsettling as two of the charges against six of the arrested have been discovered to be unfounded and inaccurate, according to a Licadho investigation.
Six people arrested in Kampong Thom province on October 22 were the representatives of 1,300 families who are facing a land dispute with a Vietnamese company, Tin Bean Co. All six have been released, although only three have been formally charged.
In Svay Rieng province on October 23, two community organisers - Sum Oeung and Tia Khun - representing thirteen families, were arrested and have been charged with damaging private property. They are in detention.
A further four community organisers representing forty families were arrested in Siem Reap province Friday, and have been sent to pre-trial detention. The men in this case were charged with using violence, but according to Licadho's investigation, the accusations are incorrect.
International human rights group Amnesty International and the Asian Human Rights Commission have added their voices to the escalating concerns about the detention of community organisers.
Sam Rainsy Party spokesman Son Chhay said detention is commonly used as a scare tactic to frighten potential protestors.
"Such action is pre-meditative. It is used to scare other provinces from rising up and protesting," he said.
Son Chhay said such acts would continue as long as the justice system remained dependent and always supported those in positions of power and authority.
LOCAL rights groups are becoming increasingly concerned over the recent spate of arrests of community organisers, with the leaders of nine land-grabbing resistance groups arrested across the Kingdom in the last week.
"Community representatives continue to be arrested, charged and imprisoned because of their efforts to assist fellow villagers to protect their land," said Kek Galabru, president of the human rights group Licadho.
"Frequently there is no evidence whatsoever for the charges against them - the law is simply misused as a weapon to try to intimidate their communities into giving up land."
The recent arrest cases are unsettling as two of the charges against six of the arrested have been discovered to be unfounded and inaccurate, according to a Licadho investigation.
Six people arrested in Kampong Thom province on October 22 were the representatives of 1,300 families who are facing a land dispute with a Vietnamese company, Tin Bean Co. All six have been released, although only three have been formally charged.
In Svay Rieng province on October 23, two community organisers - Sum Oeung and Tia Khun - representing thirteen families, were arrested and have been charged with damaging private property. They are in detention.
A further four community organisers representing forty families were arrested in Siem Reap province Friday, and have been sent to pre-trial detention. The men in this case were charged with using violence, but according to Licadho's investigation, the accusations are incorrect.
International human rights group Amnesty International and the Asian Human Rights Commission have added their voices to the escalating concerns about the detention of community organisers.
Sam Rainsy Party spokesman Son Chhay said detention is commonly used as a scare tactic to frighten potential protestors.
"Such action is pre-meditative. It is used to scare other provinces from rising up and protesting," he said.
Son Chhay said such acts would continue as long as the justice system remained dependent and always supported those in positions of power and authority.
9 comments:
UN, please open your eyes to see this happend in Cambodia, don't focus on your revenue too much. We need your held, we don't need your money to distroy my country.
Hate to say it but our country needs another movement, like revolution to make some serious changes. We can not sit around and continue to let the UN turn a blind eye. That is the only way.
All Khmers,
Why all of you did look back what your ancestores liberated themselves from Ah Yuon Troeung Minh Giang in 1840 by revolting at the same time throughout of Cambodia for 8 days. Ah Hun Kh'vang and his master Yuon cannot kill all Khmers in all provinces, all sroks , all khum, and all phums.
And this is the area of world satellite communication.
The world will not watch, but to
act if we revolt in the whole country against ah yuon puppet regime.
In order to save our lives, please work together and you all try to , if possible , teach as many Khmers as possible . doing so will help them realize that they are living in such poor living standards or in the hell. all khmers have to realize that those untouchables are walking around loose these days. they are blind by the power of money, their positions. they do almost nothing to help the country, but for their own benifits. we are the poor, living by the sweat of our brow. once again, if possible, try to educate those poor or the ones living in the countryside. you know, they know alomst nothing about those untouchables's bad deeds. they only see some accomplishments in their community.
Ah Yuon Troeung Minh Giang in 1840,
Yeah I've read some of that history and was amazed how the Khmer rised up and revolt agains YOUN that time. What was called back then was "Rondao Kop YOUN" which mean YOUN burial hole. Today to make that place sound nicer they changed it to Stoeung Meahchey.
Meanchey=victory!
We all should rise up!
Khmer PP,
Some khmer people don't do by themselve just belive from someone saying.If the government situation belive those khmer people they can't do nothing.Some khmer people do not know how to build Cambodia country up.If some khmers don't have time to go to Cambodia to build it up so you just keep you family to be a good khmer people ok.
What's ! that PHD from Viet HO wtitting?
7"35PM Go to real school boy!
All Khmers,
Why all of you did look back what your ancestores liberated themselves from Ah Yuon Troeung Minh Giang in 1840 by revolting at the same time throughout of Cambodia for 8 days. Ah Hun Kh'vang and his master Yuon cannot kill all Khmers in all provinces, all sroks , all khum, and all phums.
And this is the area of world satellite communication.
The world will not watch, but to
act if we revolt in the whole country against ah yuon puppet regime.
Denh kap kbal Ah Hun Sen ning Pak puok vear, ruom teing krom ah sdach peal.
Khmer krok leung! Kap...Kap...Kap Ah Yuon ning Ah Chkae Yuon!
make an arrest to land organizer is crime to hun sent,
soon cambodia just like Philipine and Indonesia if HUN Cent did not step down. Power of poor cambodian people will enpower HUN Cent and its crony( KIll them ALL)
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