2 opposition activists escape to Thailand

16 August 2010
By Yun Samien
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Click here to read the article in Khmer

Two SRP activists who were accused of spreading anti-government leaflets in Phnom Pen on 11 August have fled to Thailand.

Chan Soveth, an official for the Adhoc human rights group, told RFA on 16 August that Chea Sok Cheam and Mrs. Chea Daly arrived in Thailand already in order to avoid being arrested by the Cambodian cops. The pair were accused of distributing anti-government leaflets in Phnom Penh on 11 August.

Chan Soveth added that the pair are concerned about their safety and they would like to return back to Cambodia if they receive the guarantee that the cops will not arrest them.

On 11 August, the Phnom Penh cops arrested a suspect and confiscated leaflets criticizing the government leaders, accusing these leaders’ cooperation led to the lost of Cambodian territories to Vietnam.

Touch Naroth, the Phnom Penh police commissioner, told RFA on Monday that the cops already sent the case of the two SRP activists to the tribunal already. He declined to provide details in this case.

The SRP rejected the accusation made by the cops claiming that its activists were involved in the distribution of these leaflets. He said that this is a political accusation intended to threaten SRP activists.

Kul Panha, the executive director of the Comfrel NGO, said on Monday that the Cambodian cops should educate the suspects involved with the distribution of the leaflets rather than arresting them. He said that the distribution of these leaflets is merely an expression of opinion, and the content of the leaflet does not affect significantly the government.

In Ausgust alone, at least 7 opposition activists have been accused by the Cambodian government cops of distributing false information and of sabotage.

SRP: Accusation of terrorism on activists is a trick

08 July 2010
By Meas Mony
Free Press Magazine Online
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Click here to read the article in Khmer

Cambodia’s opposition indicated that the terrorism accusation leveled by the Kampong Thom provincial court against SRP activists is a trick to weaken the SRP.

Yim Sovann, SRP MP and spokesman, told reporters on Wednesday that 4 SRP activists were accused of terrorism by the Kampong Thom provincial court. Yim Sovann said that this a renewed accusation after the same problem took place once in 2004 when the court summoned these men to go to court to clarify, but had to release them back due to lack of sufficient evidence.

Yim Sovann said: “They [the CPP] know that they cannot stop the SRP’s popularity, therefore, they don’t know what else to do but to raise this old case back in order to threaten our party.”

The four suspects include: Uk Thorn, SRP advisory chairman for Balaing district; Kim Hong, Kroya commune councilor; and Koy Koeun and Choam Cheav who are both SRP activists.

Uk Thorn said that this accusation stems from an event that took place in 2004. He explained that Kroya commune villagers living in Santuk district, were concerned about rumors spreading that a group of thieves would attack villagers with syringes during their sleep. The group of thieves was called the “paper tiger.” Uk Thorn’s colleagues reported the concerns to the provincial authority through a letter, however the end result was that the authority turned around and accused his group of spreading rumors and of creating unrest, then the court went on to accuse his group of terrorism.

Yim Sovann said that Kroya villagers suffered from the confiscation of their lands by the authority to give to a Yuon company for a rubber plantation. Because of this condition, the villagers went on to provide strong support to the opposition SRP party. This was the reason why the CPP created problems to try to weaken the SRP.

They rob your land and they put you in jail to silence you: Justice-a-la-Hun Sen Inc.

Boeung Kak resident Nhoem Ray at a protest against eviction in Phnom Penh on Monday. (Photo by: HENG CHIVOAN)

Arrests quash land dissent

Thursday, 30 October 2008
Written by CHRAN CHAMROEUN AND ELENOR AINGE ROY
The Phnom Penh Post

Human rights advocates say the arrests of nine community organisers in the past week is an attempt to silence dissent on the issue of rural land-grabbing

LOCAL rights groups are becoming increasingly concerned over the recent spate of arrests of community organisers, with the leaders of nine land-grabbing resistance groups arrested across the Kingdom in the last week.

"Community representatives continue to be arrested, charged and imprisoned because of their efforts to assist fellow villagers to protect their land," said Kek Galabru, president of the human rights group Licadho.

"Frequently there is no evidence whatsoever for the charges against them - the law is simply misused as a weapon to try to intimidate their communities into giving up land."

The recent arrest cases are unsettling as two of the charges against six of the arrested have been discovered to be unfounded and inaccurate, according to a Licadho investigation.

Six people arrested in Kampong Thom province on October 22 were the representatives of 1,300 families who are facing a land dispute with a Vietnamese company, Tin Bean Co. All six have been released, although only three have been formally charged.

In Svay Rieng province on October 23, two community organisers - Sum Oeung and Tia Khun - representing thirteen families, were arrested and have been charged with damaging private property. They are in detention.

A further four community organisers representing forty families were arrested in Siem Reap province Friday, and have been sent to pre-trial detention. The men in this case were charged with using violence, but according to Licadho's investigation, the accusations are incorrect.

International human rights group Amnesty International and the Asian Human Rights Commission have added their voices to the escalating concerns about the detention of community organisers.

Sam Rainsy Party spokesman Son Chhay said detention is commonly used as a scare tactic to frighten potential protestors.

"Such action is pre-meditative. It is used to scare other provinces from rising up and protesting," he said.

Son Chhay said such acts would continue as long as the justice system remained dependent and always supported those in positions of power and authority.

Hun Sen Warned NGOs Not To Talk Nonsense

Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen gestures while giving a speech at a bridge inauguration in Kampong Speu province, 40km (25 miles) west of Phnom Penh June 18, 2008. Cambodia's general elections is on July 27. Picture taken June 18, 2008. REUTERS/Chor Sokunthea

18th June 2008
By Mom Sophon
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Khmerization
On the web at http://khmerization.blogspot.com

PM Hun Sen (pictured) on Wednesday has warned some NGOs that have made comments regarding the government's investigation into what he called terrorism-related crimes in Cambodia.

PM Hun Sen said that those terrorism-related crimes include the mortar attack on his motorcade ten years earlier and the investigation on the Cambodian Freedom Fighters' attack in 2000 as well as investigation on the Moha Nokor Movement (Great Country Movement) against the government in Pursat province.

Mr. Hun Sen said: "I am sorry, there should be no proxy and don't have any fears. And I request to all NGOs that have a stance against the government not to talk nonsense because you are biased. A crime should not be whitewashed, wherever it was committed action must be taken against it."

It must be noted that on the 15th of June Mr. Hun Sen has ordered a military intelligence unit to re-open the investigation into this case after the government claimed that it has received information from a former Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) member who claimed that members of the SRP were involved in those attacks.