After Friday’s court hearing in Siem Reap, Chi Kraeng villagers beg provincial officials not to disrobe a monk who led protests in their commune’s ongoing land dispute. (Photo by: Rann Reuy)Monday, 23 August 2010
Rann Reuy and Khouth Sophak Chakrya
The Phnom Penh Post
Siem Reap province
LOCAL rights groups have criticised Siem Reap provincial court’s conviction of nine villagers from Chi Kraeng district last week, describing the decision as “another injustice” for those involved in the long-running land dispute.
On Friday, presiding judge Chhay Kong handed each of the nine a three-year jail sentence after finding them guilty of membership in an illegal armed force, suspending the remainder of their sentences.
The villagers, originally charged with attempted intentional manslaughter, were arrested after a March 2009 altercation in which police allegedly fired on a crowd in the district’s Chi Kraeng commune, injuring four residents.
Although the nine will be allowed to go free, human rights activists have criticised the fact that no charge has been filed against any of the officers accused of being involved in the shooting.
In a statement after the verdict, the local rights group Adhoc expressed “regret” over the three-year jail sentence.
“The Chi Kraeng villagers have suffered injustice again and again since 2008,” it said.
The arrests stemmed from a land dispute dating back to 1986, when one large village was divided equally between Chi Kraeng and Anlong Samnor communes, leaving an unspecified area of farmland in dispute. In January 2009, the provincial court ruled that the land to belong to Anlong Samnor, sparking conflict between the two communes.
Ny Chakrya, Adhoc’s head investigatior, said that the verdict was “socially unjust” because police involved in the shooting hadn’t been charged.
“The people were shot and seriously injured by the authorities, and hundreds of hectares of their rice fields were confiscated,” he said.
The villagers’ defence lawyer, Ham Sunrith, said that the court failed to find enough evidence to find the villagers guilty on the original charge of attempted intentional manslaughter, and had changed the charge to suit the evidence.
Am Sam Ath, a senior monitor for the rights group Licadho, said that the original charge had made little sense.
“Police opened fire on Chi Kraeng villagers who were harvesting their rice, and caused some serious injuries,” he said. “But the court charged the villagers with an attempt to kill authorities and using illegal weapons.
“How can we say this is justice for those people? We cannot.”
Ty Soveinthal, a Siem Reap court prosecutor, declined to comment on the verdict, but said the villagers were free to file an appeal.
On Friday, presiding judge Chhay Kong handed each of the nine a three-year jail sentence after finding them guilty of membership in an illegal armed force, suspending the remainder of their sentences.
The villagers, originally charged with attempted intentional manslaughter, were arrested after a March 2009 altercation in which police allegedly fired on a crowd in the district’s Chi Kraeng commune, injuring four residents.
Although the nine will be allowed to go free, human rights activists have criticised the fact that no charge has been filed against any of the officers accused of being involved in the shooting.
In a statement after the verdict, the local rights group Adhoc expressed “regret” over the three-year jail sentence.
“The Chi Kraeng villagers have suffered injustice again and again since 2008,” it said.
The arrests stemmed from a land dispute dating back to 1986, when one large village was divided equally between Chi Kraeng and Anlong Samnor communes, leaving an unspecified area of farmland in dispute. In January 2009, the provincial court ruled that the land to belong to Anlong Samnor, sparking conflict between the two communes.
Ny Chakrya, Adhoc’s head investigatior, said that the verdict was “socially unjust” because police involved in the shooting hadn’t been charged.
“The people were shot and seriously injured by the authorities, and hundreds of hectares of their rice fields were confiscated,” he said.
The villagers’ defence lawyer, Ham Sunrith, said that the court failed to find enough evidence to find the villagers guilty on the original charge of attempted intentional manslaughter, and had changed the charge to suit the evidence.
Am Sam Ath, a senior monitor for the rights group Licadho, said that the original charge had made little sense.
“Police opened fire on Chi Kraeng villagers who were harvesting their rice, and caused some serious injuries,” he said. “But the court charged the villagers with an attempt to kill authorities and using illegal weapons.
“How can we say this is justice for those people? We cannot.”
Ty Soveinthal, a Siem Reap court prosecutor, declined to comment on the verdict, but said the villagers were free to file an appeal.
10 comments:
My heart breaking with story,Cambodian government I STRONGLY CONDEMN YOUR INHUMAN DOING.down down down down
Cambodian government you have a lot enemies you created around you.
BAD POLICY
My beloved Khmers,
You don't have other choice, but to organise an Armed Uprising against these Hanoi's Puppet Hun Sen's families and cronies.
All of you are in a loose-loose situation by Legal Means.
Freedom will never come from the Sky. You have to fight to get that.
Hun Sen and Hanoi will continue to oppress you and confiscate your lands for their own interessts.
And how many Vietnamese illegal immigrants in Cambodia now ???
The Hanoi's Vietnamisation is step by step and almost finished to their goal.
All of you will be Hanoi's slaves on your ancestors Lands very soon.
They cannot kill all of you in all Sroks and all Provinces, otherwise the whole world will step in.
If you don't dare to die you won't survive.
My Beloved Khmers,
You don't have other choice, but to organise an Armed Uprising against these Hanoi's Puppet Hun Sen's families and it cronies.
All of you are in a loose-loose situation by Legal Means.
Freedom will never come from the Sky. You have to fight to get that.
Hun Sen and Hanoi will continue to oppress you and confiscate your lands for their own interessts.
And how many Vietnamese illegal immigrants in Cambodia now ??? 5-6 million and continues to add on.
The Hanoi's Vietnamisation is step by step and almost finished to their goal The "Indochina Federation".
All of you will be Hanoi's slaves on your ancestors Lands very soon.
They cannot kill all of you in all Sroks and all Provinces, otherwise the whole world will step in.
If you don't dare to die you won't survive, rise up with Axes,Swords, Sticks, Knives, and possible hand Guns, shot guns to riot and kill them for your Freedom and liberate your country from the vietnamese yoke.
My Khmer Compatriots,
The Arm uprising is the best solution for getting rid of Hanoi's puppet Regime of Hun Sen and its cronies as our ancestors had been done in 1835-1840 during the reign of Ang Mey, Té-Ong, and Vinh-té canal. (kap Yuon nung Borivars)
But why we, as their descendants, won't do it again???
Hanoi will eliminate all Khmers by all means, demographic with over 5 millions Viet illegal immigrants, Lands concession from Khmers owners of the country, Yuons depleted all khmer resources, fish stocks, all mineral ores, gas, forests, petroleum, and Gold etc...
I called to Khmer compatriots to rise up with Axes,Swords, Sticks, Knives, Speas Arrows, and possible grenades, B40-B41 hand Guns, shot guns to riot and kill THEM for your Freedom and liberate your country from the vietnamese yoke.
នេះហើយ… ជាយន្តការនឹងវិធីសាស្រ្តរបស់យួននឹង អាយ៉ងបាវបំរើយួន
ដែលពួកវាកំពុងធ្វើអោយខ្មែរឈឺចាប់, ទុក្ខវេទនា, បន្ថែមលើការកង្វល់, បញ្ហារំខាន គ្រប់បែបយ៉ាងពីបុគ្គលដែលមានអំណាចរៀងរាល់ថ្ងៃ, ដើម្បីធ្វើអោយខ្មែរក្រីក្រ,
ស្រេកឃ្លាន នឹងភ័យខ្លាចកុំអោយខ្មែរមានឱកាសតស៊ូ ឬ ឱកាសកសាងស្រុកទេស
អោយរីកចម្រើនដូចប្រទេសកំពុងអភិវឌ្ឍន៍បានឡើយ, ដើម្បីយួនវាងាយស្រួល
នឹងត្របាក់លេបយកទឹកដីខ្មែរនាពេលឆាប់ៗខាងមុខនេះ
បើខ្មែរមិនក្លាហានងើបឡើងប្រឆំាងតស៊ូដើម្បីរស់ទេ នោះខ្មែរនឹងរលាយបាត់សូន្យ
ផុតពូជពីផែនទីពិភពលោកនៅដើមពាក់កណ្ដាលសតវត្សទី២១នេះហើយ!
ខ្មែរឈឺចាប់…!
don't crawl and beg "pouk ah trongol ot seul" why these monks are acting like they are cops???? stay in your pagoda, let the police and the court handle things..., thugs in yellow robes!
To 11:00AM you have to respected our religions fool. Don't your mom and your dad ever teach you how to respected older people or what? Or you just morons kids that fucking born from the fucking trees that dont know shit.
Respect goes to the real monks who embrace true teaching and the spirit of religion. Why these monks had to act like zealot cops??? It is the hooligan acts of these persons (bokkol) that is not respected, not the respectful buddhist teaching and religion.
You, 2:02 PM need to learn how to separate the issues and see the meanings behind words. If you blindly respect and tolerate monks acting outside of "puthak keriya" and "dhamma" you, yourself are a moron tree stump...
These moronic monks should have stayed at their pagoda. If it was found that the protesting monk committed any violation of monkhood conducts, then they deal with him at the pagoda. Why were they maniacally hopping around and tried to physically arrest that monk?
2:02 PM, if you think those monks in the pictures are "elderly" stop calling people "kids," you fool.
If you are truly a respectful buddhist and respect people, where was your compassion for the Chikraeng people who lost their land???? Where was the compassion of those "trongol ot seul" thugs???
Is there anything we can do?
Should we send faxes to the Camobdian government representatives at the United Nations?
Can we send messages to our government's state department asking them to act?
Should we try to get our newspapers to cover the story?
What can we do to help?
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