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| Chikreng villagers shot by the cops |
Thursday, 03 March 2011
May Titthara
The Phnom Penh Post
The Appeal Court handed down three-year sentences today to nine people from Siem Reap province’s Chi Kraeng commune for stealing property, while other charges and separate cases remain in connection with an ongoing land dispute.
Taking into account time served since their arrest on March 22, 2009, the court ordered eight villagers to serve an additional eight months and the ninth, Chheng Saroeun, to serve one more year, according to Sam Chetra, a lawyer provided to the villagers by the rights group Licadho.
The Siem Reap provincial court convicted two villagers in October 2009 and sentenced them to one year in jail and fined the other seven.
All remained in prison however while the prosecutor appealed.
A total of 12 villagers remain in prison on various charges in connection with the dispute, which sparked in 2005 and involves 92 hectares of land, 175 families from four villages in Chi Kraeng commune and 44 families in Anlong Samnor commune.
Both communes are in Chi Kraeng district.
Local authorities decided in favour of Anlong Samnor commune and filed assault and incitement charges against several Chi Kraeng villagers, sparking protests.
On March 22, 2009, police fired on about 80 protesting Chi Kraeng villagers, who demanded that they be allowed to harvest rice in the disputed area, injuring four.
More than 40 locals – including the nine in this case – were detained for questioning and required to sign agreements to abandon the dispute.
No charges were brought against the officers.
Luon Savath, a Buddhist monk and village representative, said the villagers were innocent.
“They are not guilty. I never hear those who harvest rice fields on their land face charges of robbery,” Luon Savath said.
Rights groups denounced the ruling.
Am Sam Ath, technical supervisor for Licadho, called on the court to drop the charges.
Ou Virak, president of the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights, said the court’s decision was “clearly an attempt to offer some degree of legitimacy to the ongoing detention of these men”.
“A day after the release of Thach Saveth was ordered by the Supreme Court, it looks like it is back to the business of repression under the guise of the legitimacy of judicial order in the courts of Cambodia,” Ou Virak said.
9 comments:
these are old photos. i wish they stop using old useless photo to scare away potential investors, etc! trust but verify for self before buying into hearsay, rumors, etc. that's a smart way to live, really!
People just can't come and clear out the forest and take the lands that belonged the STATE? People did this to make a big fortune selling lands that belonged to STATE? All lands around boeung tonle sap lake...belonged to state, people must realize that, they just can't take thing freely, inorder to make a big fortune..?
Those man made lake around Boeung Tonle Sap Lake, people have robbed and steal from the State...Govts has the right to take it back, it belonge to the country! People must stop being greedy!!
KI = Khmer Idiot
talking about greedy, which Cambodians have the most wealth exploited from national asset.
see family tree of national thieves- Hun Sen is not excluded.
people like this need education, that's what it looks like! that's right, can't steal the state land, ok!
There are many Yourn making comments on this blog. they always like to include the word OK in their statements. One day there will be no Yourn leaving Cambodia alive.
Land's price in Cambodia is booming with high $price, farm lands, foot-hill/mountain-lands, not just in a city, and people going nut! They steal and robbing from their own STATE, inorder to get rich, wealthy?....People went out and clearing forest, taken lands that belonged to the state...You just can't do that man? The Govts has the right to take it back.., these people fighting with authority, even-though they were wrong or broke the law...?
Cambodian govts needed the lands back from people who went out and robbed from the STATE! Govts need lands for rubber plantation, rice cultivation...etc...Because cambodia will be a big big rice production for selling to every corner of the world...This will be good for all cambodian and our country prosperity!! People must stop robbing and stealing lands that don't belonged to you...people??
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