The smouldering remains of an office owned by the Phnom Penh Sugar Company, which was burned down by villagers Thursday as part of an unresolved land dispute. (Photo by: Photo Supplied)Monday, 22 March 2010
May Titthara
The Phnom Penh Post
AROUND 100 soldiers descended Saturday on disputed land occupied by villagers in Kampong Speu province’s Thpong district, and villagers in Oudong district fled their homes amid fears of arrests following an altercation with police last Thursday, villagers said Sunday.
On Thursday, about 500 villagers from Omlaing commune in Thpong district burned down an office belonging to the Phnom Penh Sugar Company, owned by Cambodian People’s Party Senator Ly Yong Phat, in relation to an ongoing land dispute.
Soldiers have now been sent to guard the disputed land, which is part of a 9,000-hectare concession to the sugar company.
Villager Hi Hoeun defended the burning on Sunday.
“We didn’t want to use violence, but we had to,” he said. “Local officers promised to settle our problem and told us to calm down ... but how can we calm down if we never get a response from the company or authorities?”
However, Kampong Speu Governor Kang Heang said, “What the villagers did is illegal because they violated the company’s property, so they will face the law if the company files a complaint against them.”
He also said that 90 percent of the villagers involved in the incident Thursday do not have land in the affected area.
Ly Yong Phat could not be reached for comment Sunday, and Chhean Kimsuon, a representative of Phnom Penh Sugar Company, declined to comment.
Meanwhile, village representatives in Oudong district’s Phnom Touch commune fled their homes late Saturday night after police were spotted in the commune, where an altercation Thursday resulted in the injury of 12 villagers and 14 local police.
“Last night at about 9:45pm, I ran away from home after I saw a policeman carrying a gun and flashlight, checking villagers’ houses and looking for representatives,” said Sun Bun Chhoun, a village representative.
Sun Bun Chhoun said he thought the police were looking to arrest leaders whom they suspected of inciting last Thursday’s protest.
However, Oudong district police Chief Khim Samon said police “did not go to make arrests or look for representatives”, adding that they were in the village on a routine patrol. “We always check the village because we’re afraid if the villagers lose a cow or buffalo they will blame us,” Khim Samon said.
According to a report released by the rights group Adhoc on Thursday, there have been 16 major cases of land disputes in which violence was used by authorities since January, during which villagers were threatened, accused of crimes, arrested or forced to flee their homes.
The report said 37 villagers have been questioned in court, and that 30 more stand to be called for questioning soon. It said 21 have been arrested and 18 seriously injured over land disputes in Phnom Penh as well as in Kampong Thom, Kampong Speu, Mondulkiri, Preah Vihear, Takeo, Preah Sihanouk, Pursat, Siem Reap, Oddar Meanchey, Koh Kong, Kandal and Battambang provinces.
On Thursday, about 500 villagers from Omlaing commune in Thpong district burned down an office belonging to the Phnom Penh Sugar Company, owned by Cambodian People’s Party Senator Ly Yong Phat, in relation to an ongoing land dispute.
Soldiers have now been sent to guard the disputed land, which is part of a 9,000-hectare concession to the sugar company.
Villager Hi Hoeun defended the burning on Sunday.
“We didn’t want to use violence, but we had to,” he said. “Local officers promised to settle our problem and told us to calm down ... but how can we calm down if we never get a response from the company or authorities?”
However, Kampong Speu Governor Kang Heang said, “What the villagers did is illegal because they violated the company’s property, so they will face the law if the company files a complaint against them.”
He also said that 90 percent of the villagers involved in the incident Thursday do not have land in the affected area.
Ly Yong Phat could not be reached for comment Sunday, and Chhean Kimsuon, a representative of Phnom Penh Sugar Company, declined to comment.
Meanwhile, village representatives in Oudong district’s Phnom Touch commune fled their homes late Saturday night after police were spotted in the commune, where an altercation Thursday resulted in the injury of 12 villagers and 14 local police.
“Last night at about 9:45pm, I ran away from home after I saw a policeman carrying a gun and flashlight, checking villagers’ houses and looking for representatives,” said Sun Bun Chhoun, a village representative.
Sun Bun Chhoun said he thought the police were looking to arrest leaders whom they suspected of inciting last Thursday’s protest.
However, Oudong district police Chief Khim Samon said police “did not go to make arrests or look for representatives”, adding that they were in the village on a routine patrol. “We always check the village because we’re afraid if the villagers lose a cow or buffalo they will blame us,” Khim Samon said.
According to a report released by the rights group Adhoc on Thursday, there have been 16 major cases of land disputes in which violence was used by authorities since January, during which villagers were threatened, accused of crimes, arrested or forced to flee their homes.
The report said 37 villagers have been questioned in court, and that 30 more stand to be called for questioning soon. It said 21 have been arrested and 18 seriously injured over land disputes in Phnom Penh as well as in Kampong Thom, Kampong Speu, Mondulkiri, Preah Vihear, Takeo, Preah Sihanouk, Pursat, Siem Reap, Oddar Meanchey, Koh Kong, Kandal and Battambang provinces.
21 comments:
The villagers really shot themselves in the foot. Burning down offices? Stupid behavior like this really is gonna help you in your already least favorable scenario.
When you resort to violence, whatever credibility you have is fading fast. In this day and age, people could nail you before you know it when you react without intelligible reasoning like this. I hope those villagers or any other learn not to react emotionally or else the worst is only for themselves.
11:25PM, Please try to empathize and sympathize the situation. It is easy for you to blame because you are not in their shoes. The obvious side to blame is the Government. It is the government duty to serve the citizens and the nation not destroying as you and I have seen.
Don't blame on the villagers. Children (citizens) often takes violent action if the elder (government) don't seek resolution to solve the issues. Really I truly understand. I probably could have done worst.
COMMUNE of PRIVATE PARTY!
11:44 PM
It seems your mentality is to play the blame game. When something happens, your first reaction is to seek who is to blame, ain't that right? Maybe you should try to prioritize a little something called solution instead of finding who is to blame. Just a little something for your brain to consider.
11:44 PM
So the government is destroying the nation? By modernizing it? In that sense, yes. While I believe everyone should be treated well, there is always gonna be unhappy camper when two parties with two different interests are facing each other. The villagers want to get pay as much as they can for what they think is worthy of their land. The company wants to pay as little as they can to make profit. The government wants to boost the nation's economical status by opting for capitalist system of privatization.
Whether something is being destroyed or built is up to you to interpret. Where you come from plays in an important role in your interpretation of such event.
did you all know that blaming is a sign of immature and perhaps ignorance, too. please think deeply about it! no blaming, instead think about the real situation, why it happened, why people did what they did, etc... i can tell you some: greedy, unhappiness, frustration, helplessness, hopelessness, desparate, no way out of misery, no one to help them, people not respecting law, not respecting human rights, etc, etc... i can go on and on. so, to blame something like this soley on gov't is silly, to say the least! of course, gov't have responsibility to put a stop to all of this violence on both sides. so sit down and make compromise, negotiate, etc. by all mean, use a spokesman or representatives, don't do it yourself because your anger, frustration, etc, can interfere with doing the right thing, really! wake up!
HEY! I heard the company just rent or bought an army from ah kwach Hun Xen motherfucker!lately!
Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime
Members:
Pol Pot
Nuon Chea
Ieng Sary
Ta Mok
Khieu Samphan
Son Sen
Ieng Thearith
Kaing Kek Iev
Hun Sen
Chea Sim
Heng Samrin
Hor Namhong
Keat Chhon
Ouk Bunchhoeun
Sim Ka...
Committed:
Tortures
Brutality
Executions
Massacres
Mass Murder
Genocide
Atrocities
Crimes Against Humanity
Starvations
Slavery
Force Labour
Overwork to Death
Human Abuses
Persecution
Unlawful Detention
Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime
Members:
Hun Sen
Chea Sim
Heng Samrin
Hor Namhong
Keat Chhon
Ouk Bunchhoeun
Sim Ka...
Committed:
Attempted Murders
Attempted Murder on Chea Vichea
Attempted Assassinations
Attempted Assassination on Sam Rainsy
Assassinations
Assassinated Journalists
Assassinated Political Opponents
Assassinated Leaders of the Free Trade Union
Assassinated over 80 members of Sam Rainsy Party.
"But as of today, over eighty members of my party have been assassinated. Countless others have been injured, arrested, jailed, or forced to go into hiding or into exile."
Sam Rainsy LIC 31 October 2009 - Cairo, Egypt
Executions
Executed over 100 members of FUNCINPEC Party
Murders
Murdered 3 Leaders of the Free Trade Union
Murdered Chea Vichea
Murdered Ros Sovannareth
Murdered Hy Vuthy
Murdered Journalists
Murdered Khim Sambo
Murdered Khim Sambo's son
Murdered members of Sam Rainsy Party.
Murdered activists of Sam Rainsy Party
Murdered Innocent Men
Murdered Innocent Women
Murdered Innocent Children
Killed Innocent Khmer Peoples.
Extrajudicial Execution
Grenade Attack
Terrorism
Drive by Shooting
Brutalities
Police Brutality Against Monks
Police Brutality Against Evictees
Tortures
Intimidations
Death Threats
Threatening
Human Abductions
Human Abuses
Human Rights Abuses
Human Trafficking
Drugs Trafficking
Under Age Child Sex
Corruptions
Bribery
Embezzlement
Treason
Border Encroachment, allow Vietnam to encroaching into Cambodia.
Signed away our territories to Vietnam; Koh Tral, almost half of our ocean territory oil field and others.
Illegal Arrest
Illegal Mass Evictions
Illegal Land Grabbing
Illegal Firearms
Illegal Logging
Illegal Deforestation
Illegally use of remote detonation bomb on Sokha Helicopter, while Hok Lundy and other military officials were on board.
Lightning strike many airplanes, but did not fall from the sky. Lightning strike out side of airplane and discharge electricity to ground.
Source: Lightning, Discovery Channel
Illegally Sold State Properties
Illegally Removed Parliamentary Immunity of Parliament Members
Plunder National Resources
Acid Attacks
Turn Cambodia into a Lawless Country.
Oppression
Injustice
Steal Votes
Bring Foreigners from Veitnam to vote in Cambodia for Cambodian People's Party.
Use Dead people's names to vote for Cambodian People's Party.
Disqualified potential Sam Rainsy Party's voters.
Abuse the Court as a tools for CPP to send political opponents and journalists to jail.
Abuse of Power
Abuse the Laws
Abuse the National Election Committee
Abuse the National Assembly
Violate the Laws
Violate the Constitution
Violate the Paris Accords
Impunity
Persecution
Unlawful Detention
Death in custody.
Under the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime, no criminals that has been committed crimes against journalists, political opponents, leaders of the Free Trade Union, innocent men, women and children have ever been brought to justice.
Its happened in the "LA RIOTS".
Cause of injustice!
I would do the same if someone took my land. I would burned it down too. Atleast once! Injustice and curruptions comes and goes.
Two way streets. So be warned, those with money and power. There will be days when none are on your side.
11;25
I'd like to see how you would react if you were removed from your home and livelihood without any just cause or compensation. Thrown further into the despair of poverty. When lawmakers and governing parties do not respect their own law and break the very laws that they are suppose to uphold, it is a Mockery! These Villagers have already seen over 150,000 families all over Cambodia be illegally evicted off their land. They know there is no justice available to them, when the thieves are the people who control the court, military, and army! I'm glad these villagers are standing up for themselves. I have always believed in non-violence, but enough is enough, the people cannot take it anymore. I say, continue to burn more properties that belong to these corrupt officials. In fact burn these damn bloodsucker officials and send them to hell, because that is where they belong!
the villagers should burn down everything those thief stole from them. the government can't solve the problem because they the thiefs. the villagers and all the khmer people should stand up and fight.
12:15
You speak of solution?! Please when you are dealing with the likes of Hun Sen and his corrupt officials, you consider them to know such language? Don't kid yourself! Get a reality check! I'd love to see you talk some sense into these thugs!
12:20 and 12:26
You mean you really believe that what this ruthless dictatorship of a government are doing is economic development?! YOu need to wake up and realize the harsh realities of Cambodia today. You are a fool to believe that "the government wants to boost the nation's economical status by opting for capitalist system of privatization." Take a class in economics and you will see that this is an act of terrorism. The act of the government is plain robbery and inhumane. YOu stated that "there are always going to be a few unhappy camper" The government has evicted close to 200,000 families off their land and home and has dumped into the streets and further into the depths of poverty! You consider that number to be a few?!
I am really hoping that you will be evicted off your land and property soon and thrown out into the streets so you will realize the pain and suffering of these people.
True Economic development would include lifting all citizens out of poverty providing them with a future. All development, school, buildings, hospitals would take into consideration the needs of it's citizens!
Burn...burn...burn...Keep burning! Robbers and Thieves deserved to also be burned! Too bad the bloodsucking Ly Yong Phat wasn't in this office!
Show these thugs no mercy, because they are monsters!
2:20AM and 2:26AM,
This is 11:44PM...
I understand you have great idialogy. Stop kidding yourself. As you and everyone seen, Hun Sen's government will not consider any mutual resolution but continues to abuse their absolute power for 30 years. Your peaceful diplomatic will not work against this tyrants. Hun Sen and his government see white as black while everyone in the whole wide world see white as white.
I can bet you Hun Sen and his clans would see their wrong doing and unethical action if you use a sledgehammer smack them on their center forhead between their eyes. They only response to pain not words! They are animal!
Dimplomatic method will only resolves with people who has good concious and ethic.
Many people fear for the flood, but in cambodia people fear for the fire that leaves them next to nothing,And the arsonist are never found.Who is promoting this FIRE?
Your guest is good as mine.
kaun Khmer
4:02 AM
Well in case, you are really not that well-informed because you're a biased person and only look at news you like to look at, the confrontation has triggered a pause in the eviction decision by the court. The villagers' representative even expressed gratitude in the understanding of the authorities to pause the eviction process at the moment. The one person that needs to stop kidding himself would be you. Stop only looking at news that only go in line with your belief system. You need a hard reality check, buddy. Because it seems you are the type that believed in Sam Rainsy's victory in 08, only to be a sole loser and deny the legitimacy of the election because by accepting the fact that the CPP wins a landslide majority would crush all the belief system you built around yourself that Cambodian people hate Hun Sen.
I more than encourage criticism because it gives different perspectives on things but when a critic becomes a cynic, you better start digging yourself out of that grave you have been digging without knowing it because sooner or later, you cynicism will collide with a different reality and you might not feel good because your perception of reality and the prevalent one are two very different ones. Think about that.
4:02 AM
If Hun Sen and his clans are destroying Cambodia, go ahead and explain how these new infrastructures are being built all over the country: roads, bridges, residential buildings, commercial buildings, public parks, etc... Go ahead and explain your logic of destruction.
You are obviously a very jaded person. You have your bias and can't even come to term with the more prevalent reality. I only have one answer for you, while you think Hun Sen is wrong and you and your clan are right, the majority of the Cambodian people disagree with you and voted for Hun Sen, not your beloved leader Sam Rainsy.
I don't want to see the CPP win a crazy majority because it would be all CPP this and CPP that but you opposition needs to get a grip of the reality and stop living in dilution because the CPP completely crushes all of you. Understand things for what they are. That is your only salvation. By preaching things how Hun Sen is destroying the country while the majority of the people see building and new roads everywhere, you make yourselves to look like a bunch of lying monkeys. Like I said, accept the prevalent reality so you can come up with better strategies on how to keep your opposition voice fresh and relevant to the people.
it explained why most opposition people are jaded because for one they all seemed to live overseas while the majority of khmer people who lived in cambodia voted for cpp. why? because they see the reality, the tremendous, real changes all over the country. while opposition try to distort cpp by recruiting their foreign supporters, they failed to see the reality of great and needed changes in my beloved cambodia. no wonder people don't vote for them. i think opposition and company needs to change their strategy big time, if not, they have no chance of win the majority election and cpp will thus stay in power for as long as people continue to vote for them. hey, don't forget even people in cambodia are now well and better education, and they aren't stupid, dumb, ignorant anymore like during the dark ages or stone ages, you know. yes, it is the reality of cambodia, whether opposition chooses to believe this or not. the way i see it, opposition and company are living in a fairyland, a dream-like land overseas when majority of khmer people live in the reality in cambodia. hey, wake up already opposition or you people have not hope of winning the overwhelmingly democratic election in my cambodia, ok! god bless cambodia.
Oh please, we all know that CPP and Hun Sen keeps winning because they cheat, steal and kill people for votes! Give me a break, you are practicing blind allegiance to a leader and party that only serves itself. When 200,000 families are being evicted and thrown out into the streets, something is seriously wrong!
I've been to Cambodia over 6 times and all I see is poverty and despair. People begging on the streets and the working poor. My family hates CPP, but they are afraid to state it in public, because you will disappear at night! They told me not to talk about Hun Sen in a negative light in public, because they fear for my safety, this is what you call an authoritarian dictatorship!
If you can understand the report on the world's most incompetent leader, you will see that Hun Sen is at the top of this list and he has misappropriated funds and has only built a small fraction of percentage of the work in building infrastructures such as roads,airport landing stripes, and bridges. As far as residential buildings and commercial buildings, these are all private corporations that pay bribes and money to the ruling thieves and have been allowed built development on stolen land.
That is the problem with CPP supporters, all blind to the truth! You really see white, when the rest of the world see that it is truly black!
CPP supporters are not only jaded, they are plain ignorant and blind!
One who stands to defend the deeds of CPP must also believe that land-grabbing is ethical, losing Cambodian territory to Yuon is alright and that 80% of the population living under poverty level is also acceptable!
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