Cambodian evictees scale the wall of Gov't detention centre

SRP MP Mu Sochua visiting illegally detained Borei Keila residents

January 20, 2012
ABC Radio Australia

SOCHUA: The Cambodian Red Cross made a statement and they defined these women as a part of [a] dispute, therefore the Cambodian Red Cross cannot take action. I want to make very clear statement that the Red Cross, the Cambodian Red Cross must be held responsible. If something that should happen to these women and as with these children and I want to make an appeal to the Government of Australia to take this also the moral ground and take action for once and not overlook this type of violation that are committed by the Government of Cambodia in order to protect a company that is totally, totally affiliated with members of the ruling party.

An opposition MP in Cambodia has called on the Australian Government to pay more attention to human rights issues, after 22 women and children broke out of a detention centre in dramatic scenes on Wednesday.

Mu Sochua has also called on the Cambodian Red Cross to offer health and housing assistance to the women and children. The group are from Borei Keila, and were made homeless by a land dispute in Phnom Penh, where a company reneged on an agreement to build apartments for those displaced by a big development project. They were detained last week while protesting against their eviction and sent to the Prey Speu social affairs centre.

Presenter: Liam Cochrane

Speakers: Mu Sochua, opposition MP and former Minister of Women's Affairs

Click here to listen to the audio program (Windows Media)

SOCHUA: I was very clear that I'm informing the women and the children about their rights. First, the centre is a centre for rehabilitation, it's a centre for people who are drug addicts, homeless people, people who are mentally disturbed. That centre is what they call a detention centre, not a rehabilitation centre. It's a centre that is famous for violation of human rights. So I spoke with them and I asked them are you derelict? Are you homeless? Are you drug addicts? They said no, we are victims of land of forced eviction. So I said that you are illegally detained and you can see, you can take even a class action and they are doing that right now. And I also said that that at your right as stipulated in the constitution that you shall... every citizen shall have housing and protection.... protected by the State.

COCHRANE: These people don't have housing, they have been involved in the land dispute in Borei Keila and have been made homeless because of that dispute. Before we get to that and to the wider issues there, what happened after you told the group of more than 20 women and children inside the social affairs centre about those rights, what happened next?

SOCHUA: When I said what do you want to do? They all said with one voice we want to be free, we do not want to be detained, we want to go out and protest and claim for housing and on our land. And then I said, ok, gather your belongings and I will talk to the [staff at the] centre, the authorities and I ensure you I'll get you out of there. Then the head of the centre came out and said madam Mu Suchua you cannot do this, you are not even allowed in here. I said do you want me to record what you just said? Is this a detention centre or not? These women and children are not even registered at your centre, correct or not? He said yes. Are they detained here, they opened the door, the gate. He wouldn't and then he walked out. And then before I knew it, the women were already climbing over the wall and they were so determined, they had so much energy all of a sudden. They were so empowered and they climbed over the wall. At the end, my colleague and I were detained to inside the detention centre, because all the gates were locked.

COCHRANE: The photos from that event look quite dramatic with people climbing over the walls and passing people and children over the walls. Were you scared that this situation might get out of control and that the staff at the centre might use violence to try and keep people inside the centre?

SOCHUA: First I was very worried for the safety of the women, because when I was speaking with them, one of them is diabetic. She couldn't barely move, the one with the glasses. Most of them have not rested, have not been really been fed well. All of a sudden, they were charged with all this energy, this moral energy and you know how high the walls is - over two metres. And then how did the pass the children over. I was so scared from that point of view, their physical, the security and then yes, I was scared because being the security guy was around and he was taking pictures. I knew that these pictures would be pictures for the court to [be used] against me and then I started to worry about being accused of helping people escape and then in my mind, I kept saying these women are detained and it is the local authorities who should be going to court and I already took action against that.

COCHRANE: What is the situation now for the women and children who have escaped from the centre? Where are they and what are they doing?

SOCHUA: Well, amazing. Right after they left the centre, they've gone through the housing task force which is a coalition of NGOs that work for the urban poor and people who are landless and they went to seek legal advice, that's number one. Then the next day, they mobilised over 100 families who are the victims of this sort of eviction in the same community and they all now filing complaints and working toward a class action against authorities and the company.

But on the point of view of housing and their wellbeing, medical care all that, they are on their own. Even the Red Cross is not assisting them, because the Red Cross is run by the First Lady. The Red Cross is totally, totally led by members, women of the ruling party.

COCHRANE: We should be clear this, this is the Cambodian Red Cross - not the International Red Cross - which is led by the prime minister's wife, Bun Rany.

SOCHUA: The Cambodian Red Cross made a statement and they defined these women as a part of [a] dispute, therefore the Cambodian Red Cross cannot take action. I want to make very clear statement that the Red Cross, the Cambodian Red Cross must be held responsible. If something that should happen to these women and as with these children and I want to make an appeal to the Government of Australia to take this also the moral ground and take action for once and not overlook this type of violation that are committed by the Government of Cambodia in order to protect a company that is totally, totally affiliated with members of the ruling party.