CAMBODIAN CENTER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
Dear Sir/Madam,
The Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) would like to inform you of the refusal of the Municipality of Phnom Penh to accept receipt of a letter from the CCHR informing them that CCHR President, Mr. Ou Virak, is currently outside Cambodia and is therefore unable to attend a meeting scheduled by the Municipality for the afternoon of Monday 8 June 2009. The meeting was arranged to discuss the CCHR’s intention to hold a public forum informing the 4,000 families facing eviction from their homes beside Boeung Kak Lake of their human rights as well as the compensation that is lawfully owed to them. Although the original invitation was limited to Mr. Ou Virak and was delivered to the CCHR on Friday 5 June 2009 after the close of business at 6.15pm, the CCHR has agreed to send a representative to the meeting in response to a request by the Municipality this morning to that effect.
The CCHR had intended to conduct a public forum on 12 June 2009 at the Lazy Fish Guesthouse which was this morning surrounded by police and closed on allegations that its business licence has expired. The CCHR has yet to establish the truth, or otherwise, of the grounds on which the guesthouse has been closed. In light of the persistent acts that have hitherto intervened to preclude the convening of the forum the CCHR is genuinely concerned that this peaceful and lawful forum will never be permitted to take place. Previous threats to the owner of the guesthouse and lakeside residents by the Village Chief of No. 6 Village, the village in which the CCHR intended to conduct the forum, are detailed in our press release of 2 June 2009 entitled “Authority’s Campaign of Intimidation to Prevent Peaceful Forum”. Notwithstanding preceding events the CCHR will today meet with the Municipality given our commitment to seeing that this public forum takes place.
For further information, please contact:
Mr. Chhim Savuth, Project Coordinator, 012 89 98 58
Mr. Suon Bunthoeun, Community Trainer, 012 48 35 46
The CCHR had intended to conduct a public forum on 12 June 2009 at the Lazy Fish Guesthouse which was this morning surrounded by police and closed on allegations that its business licence has expired. The CCHR has yet to establish the truth, or otherwise, of the grounds on which the guesthouse has been closed. In light of the persistent acts that have hitherto intervened to preclude the convening of the forum the CCHR is genuinely concerned that this peaceful and lawful forum will never be permitted to take place. Previous threats to the owner of the guesthouse and lakeside residents by the Village Chief of No. 6 Village, the village in which the CCHR intended to conduct the forum, are detailed in our press release of 2 June 2009 entitled “Authority’s Campaign of Intimidation to Prevent Peaceful Forum”. Notwithstanding preceding events the CCHR will today meet with the Municipality given our commitment to seeing that this public forum takes place.
For further information, please contact:
Mr. Chhim Savuth, Project Coordinator, 012 89 98 58
Mr. Suon Bunthoeun, Community Trainer, 012 48 35 46
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