By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
10 February 2009
“I bought a lock from the market for 10,000 riel, and then I locked the gate because I’m angry with the court for not releasing my husband [Chhor Touch], who has been in jail since last year” - Phon Nop, wife of Chhor Touch who would have faced 6-month of jail at mostSix provincial court officials and nine security personnel on Tuesday were briefly held hostage in their own court compound by a group of angry villagers demanding the release from jail of four men.
Two judges, one deputy prosecutor and three clerks left the compound around 5:30 pm Tuesday, following two hours trapped inside the compound.
“I didn’t expect to be a hostage in the court,” said judge Im Bopha after his release. “But the villagers don’t know about the law. Now everything is OK.”
About 60 villagers had amassed outside the gate of the Pursat provincial court compound late Tuesday, refusing to unlock the compound’s gate until they spoke with local authorities.
The villagers had arrived earlier Tuesday in anticipation of a court hearing against four men arrested last year in a dispute between villagers and a local land title office in Banteay Meanchey province.
The men, Chea Sitha, Mam Sarun, Dum Chanthon and Chhor Touch, face a six-month jail term if found guilty of destruction of state property, for allegedly tearing a property marker out of the ground in a June 2008 protest in Tuol Pursat village, Poipet commune, O’Chrov district.
However, when Tuesday’s proceedings were postponed, the protesting villagers demanded the release of the four men. Police refused, driving away and injuring two protesters in the process, further angering the group.
“I bought a lock from the market for 10,000 riel, and then I locked the gate because I’m angry with the court for not releasing my husband [Chhor Touch], who has been in jail since last year,” said Phon Nop, 44.
After evening negotiations between villagers and authorities, the gate was unlocked.
“Now the gates are unlocked, after authorities tried to explain to the villagers the law,” said On Sokonn, Pursat military police commander. “If you are angry with court officials, don’t commit such action. We should keep this situation within a legal solution.”
The next hearing on the four men with be Feb. 20. No arrests were made in the episode.
7 comments:
Most cases involved in devastation of state property would never get a fair trial by the court. Defendant never gets one time forgiving by authority because a bribe is expected during trial process.
People get so fed up of the court system and lose their expectation in legal action. It’s time for them to show the court that they’re above the law in order to get a fair justice.
Every level of administration is so corrupted from the head to the toe and it’s one of the biggest issues of the government nowadays.
I hate to support the mob rule; however, once a government become unresponsible to the needs of its peoples, such action are necessary.
This is a freaking single scenario of some crazy woman lashing out at some court. The woman or the court could be at fault but to make it sound like people are uprising against the government of Cambodia is a pure manipulation by this irresponsible group of political tools called themselves KI.
This group and the alike should give themselves a reality check about Cambodia. If people are suffering so badly as they try to convince their blind followers to believe, there is no international sanctions and such on the current Cambodian government?
Maybe the so called blind eyes on behalf of the international community is simply an imaginative one that this opposition group that is more blinded by their own political agenda than the international communities.
I don''t mind and encourage CRITICISM in a form of constructive. But, the people that run KI and majority of its readers are not a constructive critics but a cynical self-political interest driven who is interested in getting their political agendas across than being a constructive opposition.
The opposition parties in Cambodia like SRP are more concerned for its political career than the welfare of the people that they like to advertise themselves as help promoting. Sam Rainsy and SRP members are for self-interest so much as they like to criticize the CPP and Funcipec. How?
Here is a reality check for you who think Sam Rainsy is really for the people. Hello no. He wants to have seats in Parliament like everyone else because you get put on the government payroll. The more seats you can get, the more money you can make. Get the idea? So SRP is a power hungry party like everyone that it accuses of. Maybe this guy Sam Rainsy needs to take a lesson on "Hypocrisy of Mr. Sam Rainsy."
Btw, why is his party named Sam Rainsy Party? Does that mean he is the only possible leader? WOW! So much for a man who advertises himself as self-less servant to the people. If you want to see a true color of Sam Rainsy, let someone else in his party try to take over his position. We'll see how nice this self-procalimed self-less politician really is.
One case is an example for those cases that remain to be resolved. Soon more cases will become a headache for the stupid court system.
It’s about time to show the regime that living under this autocratic society will not bring a fair justice for the poor. The restrain of the people’s will is going to be unfolded. Soon more bloodshed among the authority and the community is going out of control.
Death to ah Youns and its slaves!
4:33AM,
How many more years this Viet puppet regime will serve their own people, instead of Viet interests ???
Mr. 4:33AM,
You made a good comment. It should be posted in this colunm as a piece of its own if you could sign your name.
LAO Mong Hay, Hong Kong
4:33 AM's gibberish is just that - gibberish. CPP leech can go eat shit and die!
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