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| Kha Sros, 49, protests against land concessions the government has granted in Prey Lang forest during a rally at Freedom Park in Phnom Penh. Kha Sros and about 200 other villagers who depend on the forest for survival painted their faces and donned leaves as hats to show the importance of the area. (Photo by: Heng Chivoan) |
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| The venerable monk Loun Savath paints the face of Boeung Kak lakeside community representative Tol Srey Pao during a protest at Freedom Park in Phnom Penh yesterday. (Photo by: Thomas Miller) |
Thursday, 26 May 2011
May Titthara
The Phnom Penh Post
Villagers from four provinces protested in the capital yesterday and handed officials a petition signed by more than 30,000 people opposed to land concessions in the Prey Lang forest, as activist and monk Loun Savath narrowly escaped arrest at the event.
About 200 villagers from Kampong Thom, Preah Vihear, Kratie and Stung Treng gathered at the government’s designated protest zone, Freedom Park, to express concern over concessions in a forest they say is essential to their livelihoods. Activists waved banners, sang songs and marched, but perhaps most notable was their attire: green shirts, banana leaf hats and forest-green paint on their faces.
Som Lach, a 41-year-old man from Preah Vihear’s Chey Sen district, said the decorative wear was a demonstration of their solidarity with a natural resource under threat.
“Nature cannot speak out, and we are dependent on natural resources, so we have to speak out on its behalf,” he said.
Protest leaders submitted a petition to the prime minister’s cabinet, the National Assembly, provincial authorities and three government ministries yesterday calling for an end to all concessions in the 3,600- square-kilometre forest.
The petition also calls for the government to rescind permits that have already been given to companies to log the forest, to stop the clearance of land and to allow logged areas to regrow.
Hean Bunhieng, a project officer at NGO Forum, said activists had collected about 30,000 signatures in just one month and would continue to seek more.
While the government has argued that concessions to rubber companies such as Vietnam’s CRCK will generate jobs, 33 year-old Oeun At of Chey Sen district said yesterday that the 12,000-riel (US$2.96) daily salary offered for such work was not a living wage.
“We need to plant rice and farm by ourselves, so the government should withdraw all the licences given to companies and give the rights back to the community,” she said.
Loun Savath, who has been living in hiding in recent weeks out of fear of arrest in retaliation for his activism in land disputes, came to show support for the Prey Lang campaign yesterday.
“Even though the authorities are trying to arrest me, I am not worried because I have done no wrong,” he said. “If they are still trying to arrest me, it is their problem.”
Shortly afterwards, he was forced to flee the scene with the assistance of rights groups when it appeared that local authorities were planning his arrest.
Several villagers facing eviction from Boeung Kak lake also attended, but did not hold their own rally out of fear that authorities would cancel talks with city authorities on their dispute slated for Friday.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY THOMAS MILLER
25 comments:
Cool down MONK,
you are passing the RED LINE..
That's completely wrong whenលេាកសង្ឃលាបពណ៌មុខឱ្យស្រី!you'd better
not do that again!
that what Khmer government and high official do best is to sell land and tree abuse theirs powers to get cash! stupid this are the criminal act!
There is nothing wrong with what our hero monk did. Please keep up with our fight for freedom.
kone khmer
Painting nature trees on faces are considered bad by the criminals evil mind at 10:25 PM and 10:41 PM.
ទង្វើរបស់សង្ឃនេះខុសធម៏វិន័យដែលអាចជា
បរាជិកបាន។ កាយវិការរបៀបនេះអាចនាំអោយ
ចិត្តខាងក្នុងរបស់សង្ឃមានភាពរំភើបដោយ
តណ្ហា។
ព្រះសង្ឃគូរដោយជក់ មិនមែនគូរដោយម្រាមដៃ
គ្មានខុសអ្វីនិងវិន័យទេ។
ព្រះសង្ឃធ្វើនយោបាយគ្មានកំហុសអ្វីទេ មានជាតិ
ទើបមានសាសនា។
ព្រះសង្ឃមួយអង្គនេះ មិនមែនលោកសង្ឃអាហ៊ុន
សេន គឺព្រះសង្ឃស្នហាជាតិ។ ព្រះសង្ឃអង្គនេះ
ស្រុកកំណើតព្រះអង្គនៅខេត្តកំពង់ធំ។
ព្រះអង្គហ៊ានគង់និងរាស្ត្រ មិនខ្លាចអាហ៊ុន សេន
ចាប់ចង ឬ ធ្វើគត់។
បើព្រះសង្ឃរាប់ហ្មឺនអង្គហ៊ានធ្វើដូចព្រះតេជគុណ
លន់ សាវ៉ាត អាចទម្លាក់អាហ៊ុន សេនបាន។
នៅប្រទេសខ្មែរ៖
អ្នកនិយាយតិះដៀលដល់រដ្ឋាភិបាលគឺជា ឧក្រិដ្ឋជន។
អ្នកប្រគល់ដីដល់ប្រទេសជិតខាងត្រូវបាន ផ្តល់កិត្តិយសអោយ ដូចជាកោះត្រល់ជាដើម។
ទាំងពីរប្រយោគនេះ តើខ្មែរខាតបង់អ្វី?
តាមគំនិតអ្នកតើត្រូវធ្វើអ្វី?
It' s sad to see Khmer minority care about our forest than those idiots who supposed to run the country who try to sell every things they can put their hands on.. But those bald head CPP need money to buy land cruiser and supporting their young 2nd, 3rd, 4th wives etc.
Koh Tral Island must not be forgotten
By Ms. Rattana Keo
Why do Koh Tral Island, known in Vietnam as Phu Quoc, a sea and land area covering proximately over 30,000 km2 [Note: the actual land size of Koh Tral itself is 574 square kilometres (222 sq miles)] have been lost to Vietnam by whose treaty? Why don’t Cambodia government be transparent and explain to Cambodia army at front line and the whole nation about this? Why don't they include this into education system? Why?
Cambodian armies are fighting at front line for 4.6 km2 on the Thai border and what's about over 30,000km2 of Cambodia to Vietnam. Nobody dare to talk about it! Why? Cambodian armies you are decide the fate of your nation, Cambodian army as well as Cambodian people must rethink about this again and again. Is it fair?
Koh Tral Island, the sea and land area of over 30,000 square kilometres have been lost to Vietnam by the 1979 to 1985 treaties. The Cambodian army at front line as well as all Cambodian people must rethink again about these issues. Are Cambodian army fighting to protect the Cambodia Nation or protecting a very small group that own big lands, big properties or only protecting a small group but disguising as protecting the Khmer nation?
The Cambodian army at front lines suffer under rain, wind, bullets, bombs, lack of foods, lack of nutrition and their families have no health care assistance, no securities after they died but a very small group eat well, sleep well, sleep in first class hotel with air conditioning system with message from young girls, have first class medical care from oversea medical treatments, they are billionaires, millionaires who sell out the country to be rich and make the Cambodian people suffer everyday.
Who signed the treaty 1979-1985 that resulted in the loss over 30,000 km2 of Cambodia??? Why they are not being transparent and brave enough to inform all Cambodians and Cambodian army at front line about these issues? Why don't they include Koh Tral (Koh Tral size is bigger than the whole Phom Phen and bigger than Singapore [Note: Singapore's present land size is 704 km2 (271.8 sq mi)]) with heap of great natural resources, in the Cambodian education system?
Look at Hun Sen's families, relatives and friends- they are billionaires, millionaires. Where did they get the money from when we all just got out of war with empty hands [in 1979]? Hun Sen always say in his speeches that Cambodia had just risen up from the ashes of war, just got up from Year Zero with empty hands and how come they are billionaires, millionaires but 90% of innocent Cambodian people are so poor and struggling with their livelihood every day?
Smart Khmer girl Ms. Rattana Keo,
Rattana Keo, you are not smarter than Bunrany, Mr. Hun's wife. Logs will be shipped to Kampong Cham where is its temporary destination and later will shipped to Vietnam for high price offered. Allow me to educate you a little bit, most of office supplies and home furnitures exported to outside world are made from Vietname. These logsused to make furniture are from Cambodia. The deforestation has been planned and operated at high level, people with power, so as Bunrany. That is why their family is very rich, billionaire.
Bunrany has been linked or associated with this process allowing her staff using Red Cross truck or van to transport logs from a long time ago. If she did not let them do it, thing like this is not going to happlen. The problematic issues is related to her, but she is now framing on others. To stop it is to demote her and how would you do that while she is a wife of MAD DOG, HUN SEN. So I think they are smater than what we thought they were.
Joy Yak, Smarter than Sam Rainsy
Looks like that monk has an errection while painting on the woman's face. Nowadays, khmer monks should not be respected by anyone.
សង្ឃនេះប្រលែងលេងនឹងថ្ពាល់ស្រ្តីតាមរយៈ
ជក់ ជាអំពើបរាជិកខុសគន្លងព្រះពូត្ធសាសនា។
People rise up...PROTECT OUR RESOURCES...PROTECT OUR LIVELIHOOD...PROTECT OUR WAY OF LIFE!!!
Rise up...rise up...
One must walk a fine line between politics and religion to avert future mayhem and upheaval.
Pi Anh
To pain face is fine! But the Monk can do something else instead pain face foe Women!
Get it fools!!!!
This monk is tired of seeing the poors khmer, the sick, the tired, hunger and poverty that the government is not doing anything about it. So he is doing the government jobs. he should have a sit in the government. This is what I called the Real Khmer person and work for the Khmer people. Not someone trying to make money
CPP vietcong regime is well known for corruption around the world.
World is watching... change is inevitable in Cambodia.
True deomocracy is the only way out!
The Monk is strees and tired he should draw down to her chest he may get some release!
Do ma vietcong cong kak!
10:07 PM
If you would, please define "democracy"? In addition, please provide your interpretation and expatiate in your own word "what does it mean to be a "democratic country." Moreover, I want to be sure that my country does not end up like "Afghanistan" or "Iraq."
Pi Anh
Pi Anh,
In order to be able for you to understand what a 'democracy' is, it is good have a good and clear understanding of what is NOT 'democracy'.
The way the CPP Vietcong regime rules the country now is not a democracy.
-Land grabbing is not a democracy
-Forced eviction is not a democracy
-Torture of citizen with no regard to rules of laws is not a democracy
-Deprive citizen of true understand of the world around them is not a democracy
Do you get the idea now? If you still have not got a clue, let me know.
This is my opinion regarding Hun Sen destroys Khmer land and Khmer lives.
Youn is Hun Sen's advisor and Youn embedded in Khmer government and they can speak Khmer fluently.
Youn told Hun Sen to destroy forest.
First thing is to make money for Hun Sen.
Secondly, Youn takes all the trees to their country.
Thirdly, If patriot Khmer want to form militia to fight against Hun Sen, there's no more tree or forest to hide. That is the reason to cut down the trees.
Think about it.
ក្នុងនាមព្រះសង្ឃបួសដើប្បី ជួយប្រជារាស្រ្តដែលមានទុក្ខធុរះដែលរដ្ឋាភិបាលធ្វើបាបរឹបអួសយកទ្រព្យសម្បត្តិគ្មានសំណងសមរម្យ។ខ្ញុំពេញចិត្ត អរគុណ និងទង្វើរបស់ព្រះអង្គហើយ But សូមព្រះអង្គរក្សាព្រះកាយផងហើយ សូមគិតដល់វិនយ័ត្រង់អាបត្តិថុលចយ័ផងជៀសវាងការចោតប្រកាន់ពីសំណាក់រដ្ឋាភិបាលធ្វើបាប។
how else is cambodia going to make nice khmer wood furniture if we don't chop down the woods, you know!
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