Media Alert: Police Attempted to Disperse Community Assembly

Media Alert

Police Attempted to Disperse Community Assembly

In the morning of 10 August 2011, Mr. Chut Wutty, the Director of Natural Resource Protection Group, and communities from three provinces were surrounded by a number of police officers (over 10) armed with AK 47 trying to stop a training session. An intense argument broke out between Mr. Chut Vutty and the police officers, with the police using disrespectful and dirty words and unacceptable behaviors.

The Cambodian Center for Human Rights in collaboration with Natural Resource Protection Group on 9 August 2011 conducted a training session on Human Rights in Sre Veal village, Dorng Kambet commune, Sandann district, Kompong Thom province. This training was to provide the communities whose daily lives contingent upon the resources from Prey Lang with the knowledge of various laws, particularly administrative laws and human rights directly related to their lives and issues pertaining to natural resource protection.

There were roughly seventy villagers from three provinces—Kompong Thom, Preah Vihear and Steng Treng—attending the training on 9 August 2011. At the start of the training, the commune chief and a number of police officers came in with an attempt to stop the training. After about an hour of arguments between the commune chief and the organizers: Mr Chim Savuth and Mr Chut Wutty, the training proceeded despite the prohibition from the commune chief. However, training was under strict observation from the local authority: a member of the commune council and a police officer. The session on law and human rights ended at around 2:30 p.m and the session on natural resource protection conducted by Mr. Chut Wutty began. As time running short, Mr Chut Wutty was not able to finish so he had to stay overnight in the village for another session in the morning of 10 August 2011.

For further information, please contact:

Mr. Chhim Savuth, Project Coordinator, +855 12 899858 or savuth@cchrcambodia.org

Mr. Chut Wutty, the Director of Natural Resource Protection Group, +85512835353 or nrpgconservation@noline.com.kh

Best,

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Suon Bunthoeun, Attorney –at- Law

Project Officer, CCHR