Saturday, September 26, 2009

Groups File Suit Against Provincial Court

Ou Virak, CCHR President (Photo: RFA)

By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
25 September 2009


A coalition of rights groups on Friday filed suit with the Supreme Council of Magistracy, alleging the Ratanakkiri provincial court had worked in concert with a private company to seize hundreds of hectares of land from minorities in one district.

The suit alleges judicial misconduct from court officials who have strong relations with a company identified as DM, and alleges land grabs in Tumpuon and Batang villages in Lum Phat district in 2005.

Enough is enough,” Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, said in a statement. “Human rights NGOs will stand by the affected indigenous communities, stand by the human rights activists [who have been] harassed, and demand an end to judicial misconduct in Ratanakkiri province.”

We will not be silenced,” he said.

Villagers have lost between 250 and 300 hectares of farmland, the groups said.

The groups, including the CCHR, the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights, and Licadho, demanded an end to land grabs and the harassment of rights defenders, such as Adhoc’s Pen Bonnar, who was recently relocated from the province at the urging of the court, which threatened legal action if he remained.

Pao Ham Phan, Ratanakiri provincial governor denied the allegations.

“I have not seen harassment of rights defenders or indigenous land grabs,” he said. “Local human rights groups have the right to speak. They can continue to speak. But we do the right thing. We continue to do so.”

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

ខ្ញុំរស់នៅស្រុកអាមេរិក៣០ឆ្នាំហើយមិនឮេវិទ្យុអាស៊ី
សេរីនិយាយមួយមាត់ទៅប្រាប់រដ្ធាភិបាលអាមេរិក
ទេ។មិនដួចចិនយួនសាស្តដទៃៗទៀតគេច្រើនតែ
រាយការទៅប្រមុខរាជរដ្ធាភិបាលថាប្រជាជនរបស់គេ
រស់នៅមិនបានសុខប៉ុន្មានទេគឺដោយសារតែមាន
អ្នកមិនដឹងខុសត្រូវមកយាយីពលរដ្ធរបស់ផងគេជា
រៀងរាល់ថ្ងៃ។
ចំណែកវិទ្យុអាស៊ីសេរីនឹងសមាគម៍ខ្មែរប្រចាំតំបន់
ដែលខ្មែរយើងបានរស់នៅគ្មានពាក្យមួយមាត់
សួរទៅគេទេ។បើតាមខ្ញុំគិតពួកគេនឹងគិតថាពលរដ្ធ
ខ្មែរដែលលោករស់នៅទីនោះជាអ្នកក្រជាអ្នកមិន
ចេះភាសាររបស់គេជាអ្នកល្ងង់ទើបតែចេញពីរបប
ពលពតដួច្នេះហើយបានជាពួកគេហ្នឹងមិនយកចិត្ត
ទុក្ខដាក់នៅប្រពលរដ្ធខ្មែរ។បើមិនជឿខ្ញុំសូមសើប
មើលទៅបើខ្ញុំនិវាខុស។

Anonymous said...

Perhaps there are currently 233 nations on the planet earth. Each nation leaders are fighting to retain and/or gain their nation borders….on the contrarily, Cambodian leader Hun Sen does not fight to protection the nation borders but rather giving free land to the Viet. Because Hun Sen thought, the Vietnamese had saved Cambodian from being vanished. Frankly speaking, the Paris Accord that had save Cambodian from Extinction. This is beyond one can imagine. However, the unimaginable things that Hun Sen has fought so hard for is killing Khmer people and grab their lands in plain sight. Further down the chains, the Cambodian Kangaroo judges in Rathanakkiri province have collaborated with the private companies to seize land from indigenous community. Why can these Cambodian leaders put their fu…c…k…i..n..g stu…p…i..d heads together to fight off the Vietnamese who are encroaching Cambodian’s land and cutting down palm trees. Op! Did I say stupid heads….. their stupid heads that is why, they cannot be put together because it nothing up there….only air headed….figures…. dummy like.

Anonymous said...

Ou Virak, President of CCHR looks overweight. He needs to do exercise before he may have a heart attack.

Anonymous said...

Hun Sen please remember, if you give peace to people, people will give peace to you! Please look at other successful countries, their leaders are working to protect every individual by put law and order, such as zero tollerant to corruption, and other laws to protect and prevent all other injustice acts. Aust