Military police man a checkpoint in Siem Reap's Anlong Samnor commune following outbreaks of violence Sunday. (Photo by: KYLE SHERER)Tuesday, 24 March 2009
Written by Chrann Chamroeun and Kyle Sherer
The Phnom Penh Post
Siem Reap province:
Local officials and rights groups say armed confrontation between police and villagers is the result of long-simmering land dispute between rival communes.
WITH some villagers in prison, others in hospital with serious bullet wounds and more still missing, the mystery surrounding the swift yet brutal eruption of violence Sunday in a long-simmering Siem Reap land dispute continues, with opposition lawmakers petitioning the National Assembly for an investigation.
In a formal request to parliament Monday, Ke Sovannroth, the Sam Rainsy Party's representative from Siem Reap, asked for a probe into Sunday's fighting between rival communes and local authorities in Chi Kraeng district, which saw at least four people injured.
Some 90 armed security personnel, sent by local authorities, opened fire on a crowd of about 300 Chi Kraeng villagers when they prevented the arrest of community representative Kim Savoeun, the SRP said.
Chi Kraeng villagers have been locked in dispute with neighbouring Anlong Samnor commune over a 92-hectare plot of land for years now, the SRP added.
"Authorities should have solved the problem peacefully because they have tried to solve this dispute several times already," Ke Sovannroth said in the party's request to the National Assembly.
In a statement Monday, Siem Reap's provincial Department of Information said that troops opened fire on the crowd in Chi Kraeng district at 9am Sunday, as they confronted about 100 villagers carrying machetes and wooden sticks.
The department said police and military police were sent to enforce a court-ordered arrest warrant for Kim Savoeun, who was hiding among the crowd.
According to the statement, villagers from neighbouring Chi Kraeng and Anlong Samnor communes are disputing the plot of land that abuts the two communes, and that authorities have made many attempts to resolve the problem.
Nou Puthyk, provincial coordinator for Cambodian rights group Licadho, told the Post that the group would launch its own investigations into both the land dispute and the response by the authorities.
"We visited three victims today with serious bullet wounds," he said, adding that a fourth injured man was being treated in hospital.
"We are undertaking a thorough investigation to clear up the problem of who has the right to the 92 hectares of farmland."
He said that provincial Governor Sou Phirin ruled on February 2 that Anlong Samnor residents could continue farming the land, while Chi Kraeng commune residents would receive a social land concession.
Sou Phirin said Monday that he regretted the violence and that those injured would have their medical bills paid for.
Despite Sunday's violence, 155 Chi Kraeng families continued Monday to squat land, in what Anlong Samnor commune chief Seng Young described as an "invasion".
He said that the altercation erupted Sunday when Anlong Samnor farmers attempted to harvest their rice but were forced to call the police when Chi Kraeng farmers refused them access to the land.
"My people tried to harvest their crops, but the people from Chi Kraeng village went to fight them and took the crops," he said.
"The police went to settle the problem, but the Chi Kraeng people wanted to fight the police instead," Seng Young said.
"They don't listen to the governor or the military police. They just fight whoever goes near them."
Licadho's Nou Puthyk said that of the 40 people arrested, those who were allowed to return home had to sign a statement promising not to continue the dispute.
Those remaining in police custody are accused of masterminding the violence and could be charged with robbery for allegedly taking the land, Ty Sovinthal said.
Chhuon Leng, a Chi Kraeng villager, also confirmed that only nine people, including representative Kim Savoeun, remained in prison, while the other 30 had been released.
"There are still people who are missing, and we are looking for them now," he said.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY VONG DARA
Local officials and rights groups say armed confrontation between police and villagers is the result of long-simmering land dispute between rival communes.
WITH some villagers in prison, others in hospital with serious bullet wounds and more still missing, the mystery surrounding the swift yet brutal eruption of violence Sunday in a long-simmering Siem Reap land dispute continues, with opposition lawmakers petitioning the National Assembly for an investigation.
In a formal request to parliament Monday, Ke Sovannroth, the Sam Rainsy Party's representative from Siem Reap, asked for a probe into Sunday's fighting between rival communes and local authorities in Chi Kraeng district, which saw at least four people injured.
Some 90 armed security personnel, sent by local authorities, opened fire on a crowd of about 300 Chi Kraeng villagers when they prevented the arrest of community representative Kim Savoeun, the SRP said.
Chi Kraeng villagers have been locked in dispute with neighbouring Anlong Samnor commune over a 92-hectare plot of land for years now, the SRP added.
"Authorities should have solved the problem peacefully because they have tried to solve this dispute several times already," Ke Sovannroth said in the party's request to the National Assembly.
In a statement Monday, Siem Reap's provincial Department of Information said that troops opened fire on the crowd in Chi Kraeng district at 9am Sunday, as they confronted about 100 villagers carrying machetes and wooden sticks.
The department said police and military police were sent to enforce a court-ordered arrest warrant for Kim Savoeun, who was hiding among the crowd.
According to the statement, villagers from neighbouring Chi Kraeng and Anlong Samnor communes are disputing the plot of land that abuts the two communes, and that authorities have made many attempts to resolve the problem.
Nou Puthyk, provincial coordinator for Cambodian rights group Licadho, told the Post that the group would launch its own investigations into both the land dispute and the response by the authorities.
"We visited three victims today with serious bullet wounds," he said, adding that a fourth injured man was being treated in hospital.
"We are undertaking a thorough investigation to clear up the problem of who has the right to the 92 hectares of farmland."
He said that provincial Governor Sou Phirin ruled on February 2 that Anlong Samnor residents could continue farming the land, while Chi Kraeng commune residents would receive a social land concession.
Sou Phirin said Monday that he regretted the violence and that those injured would have their medical bills paid for.
Despite Sunday's violence, 155 Chi Kraeng families continued Monday to squat land, in what Anlong Samnor commune chief Seng Young described as an "invasion".
He said that the altercation erupted Sunday when Anlong Samnor farmers attempted to harvest their rice but were forced to call the police when Chi Kraeng farmers refused them access to the land.
"My people tried to harvest their crops, but the people from Chi Kraeng village went to fight them and took the crops," he said.
"The police went to settle the problem, but the Chi Kraeng people wanted to fight the police instead," Seng Young said.
"They don't listen to the governor or the military police. They just fight whoever goes near them."
Licadho's Nou Puthyk said that of the 40 people arrested, those who were allowed to return home had to sign a statement promising not to continue the dispute.
Those remaining in police custody are accused of masterminding the violence and could be charged with robbery for allegedly taking the land, Ty Sovinthal said.
Chhuon Leng, a Chi Kraeng villager, also confirmed that only nine people, including representative Kim Savoeun, remained in prison, while the other 30 had been released.
"There are still people who are missing, and we are looking for them now," he said.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY VONG DARA
15 comments:
These are the thing that made SRP the most important people in Cambodia. Without them a violence like this will be no doubt disappearing into the bushes.
Pouk Ah Scam Rainxy loves to kill each other and call on the government to investigate. What they are doing is destroying our budget to help the poor and causing them to suffer so Ah Scam Rainxy will scored vote in the election. If that is not pure evil from hell, I don't know what is.
It is all about helping people and do what he suppose to do as a senator. You dumb ass.
10:58,
But it's justifiable for CeePeePee to threatened the people in order get their votes?
Get real Ah Chai Huynh Sen!
If you voted for CPP (Cambodian People's Party):
Also known as:
Communist Party of Kampuchea
Khmer Revolution Party
Khmer Rouge Party
Khmer Krorhorm Party - គណបក្សខ្មែរក្រហម
You're support the killing of 1.7 million innocent Khmer peoples from 1975 to 1979 in Cambodia.
You're support the killing at least twelve innocent men, women and children on March 30, 1997 Grenade Attack in Cambodia.
You're support assassination of journalists in Cambodia.
You're support political assassination and killing in Cambodia.
You're support attempted assassination and murder of leader of the free trade union in Cambodia.
You're support corruptions in Cambodia.
You're support murder of Piseth Pilika (Hun Sen's affaire).
You're support Hun Sen Regime burn poor people's house down to the ground and leave them homeless.
Hun Sen, Chea Sim and Heng Samrin was a former Khmer Rouge commanders.
Now, Hun Sen, Chea Sim and Heng Samrin are Khmer Rouge leaders, since their leader (Pol Pot) is dead.
From 1975 to 1979, these Khmer Rouge commanders responsible for killing 1.7 million innocent Khmer peoples in Cambodia.
From 1980 to present, these Khmer Rouge leaders responsible for killing innocent men, women and children on March 30, 1997, assassinated journalists, political assassination and killing, murder of Piseth Pilika (Hun Sen's affaire) and attempted assassinate and murder of leader of the free trade union in Cambodia.
When is the ECCC going to bring these three criminals to U.N. Khmer Rouge Tribunal?
Khmer Rouge Regime is a genocide organization.
Hun Sen Regime is a terrorist organization.
Hun Sen Bodyguards is a terrorist organization.
Hun Sen Death Squad is a terrorist organization.
Cambodian People's Party is a terrorist organization.
I have declare the current Cambodian government which is lead by the Cambodian People's Party as a terrorist organization.
Whoever associate with the current Cambodian government are associate with a terrorist organization.
Khmer Rouge Regime had committed:
Torture
Execution
Massacre
Atrocities
War Crimes
Crimes Against Humanity
Starvations
Overwork to Death
Slavery
Rapes
Abuses
Assault and Battery
Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Regime had committed:
Assassination
Murder
Killing
Terrorism
Drive by Shooting
Intimidation
Death Threat
Threatening
Human Rights Abuses
Human Trafficking
Drugs Trafficking
Under Age Child Sex
Mass Evictions
Land Grabbing
Corruptions
Illegal Firearms
Illegal Logging
Acid Attacks
Injustice
Steal Votes
Violate the Constitution
These are the Trade Marks of Hun Sen's Khmer Rouge Regime.
Under Hun Sen Regime, no criminals that has been committed murder and all other crimes within Hun Sen's government ever been brought to justice.
Information change without notice as it become available.
i applaud this kind of good work the opposition party is doing to help the khmer community. i think this kind of work for them is what they are really good at. more power to them.
This is a result of villagers in different communes feeling that they are being disenfranchised and bullied around by both local authorities and the national government. You'll only begin to see situations similar to these occurring more prominently as people's frustration takes it toll.
10:58PM is HUN&YOUN-Leech, he 's dick licker from Hanoi..
You are wrong! ah 10:58pm is dick holder, everywhere hun sen goes he's holding his dick while ah kwack peeing...hahaha!
Woh, 10:58 pm you are every thing; first your are Chai, then leech then what, dick holder? what else? i did not know that.
10:58PM is YOUN-SS, he hate Sam Rainsy so much! he like YOUN better because YOUN fucks his mother Nhop duch Jkai...Khmer moi moi lech Arch lech Noom!
That is the power to kill,punish to khmers poeple.Anyway when SIAM and YOUN invaded KHMER land.What they going to do?Do you heart Mr HUN SEN promised?That is the strong man!
conflict like this is prone to happen everywhere and everytime there is a development project. so, perhaps it is a wake up call to reform the land title or land ownership rights for all khmer people. of course, we won't know until it happened. god bless cambodia.
The governer of Siem Reap Soun Phirin and the officials whom they involve in this crime should resign and suspend and prosecute.
These kind of clashes between the cpp communist police and khmer people have caused countless death and devastation. Besides serving their viet boss, the cpp police are good at shooting at their own people. I am sickening of this kind of violence. Those cpp police must be disciplined and punish to teach them a lesson.
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