By Kim Pov Sottan
Radio Free Asia (a station labeled insolent by Hun Sen)
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
6 representatives of villagers had expressed their concerns over the (potential) arrest (to be made) stemming from a land dispute with Okhna Kaing You Mean in Cheung Keub commune, Kandal Stung district, Kandal province. The provincial court summoned the villagers to come to court to clarify this issue on Tuesday morning.
Em Sitha, a representative for the villagers, said that the villagers have been accused of destroying the properties belonging to a private company, and of money extortion, when in fact, the villagers were preventing the company from clearing lands.
Em Sitha said: “We are being summoned, they say that we destroy and extort money from Oknha Kaing You Meng’s company. We did not destroy the company’s properties, we only prevented the company and asking it to provide a peaceful and sensible resolution for the people who did the upkeep of these lands.”
Sun Sim, another representative for the villagers, added that the villagers are very concerned about this severe accusation made by Kaing You Meng’s company: “The villagers are concerned, we don’t know what else will happen because they are summoning us one after another. Those who have not been summoned yet are also worried because in the court summon, we are accused of criminal activities.”
This is the second summon from the provincial court, and on each occasion, villagers accompanied their representatives by the hundreds because they fear that their representatives would be arrested.
This land dispute started after Kaing You Meng bought several hundred hectares of land in Chueng Keub commune, he subsequently allowed the villagers to farm the lands during the past 10 years. Recently, the company started to clear the lands according to its plan, but the villagers prevented them to do so by asking for a fee for the 10 years of land upkeep.
The villagers accused the company of buying the lands from them, but it did not pay the full price of the lands yet, and now the company wants to transfer the ownership of the lands to someone else.
Sieng Sophal, a representative of Kaing You Meng’s company, claimed that his company is the third owner of the lands. Kaing You Meng left the lands to the villagers to farm after he purchased them, and at the end, the villagers are extorting money from his company instead. “I have [my property markers] installed between theirs (the villagers), they destroyed (all my markers), I had to install them twice. They said that they do not ask for their lands back, they only ask for a fee for the upkeep of the land. At first, they asked for $20,000 per hectare as the upkeep fee. But they are troublemakers, they create troubles nonstop, my company complained to the authority saying that they (the villagers) bother our business.”
Huot Vuthy, the Kandal province prosecutor, declined to provide comment over the phone on this case to RFA, even if the case is now sent to the court for a resolution.
On the villagers’ side, they are looking for help from human rights organizations after they received court summons one after another.
Em Sitha, a representative for the villagers, said that the villagers have been accused of destroying the properties belonging to a private company, and of money extortion, when in fact, the villagers were preventing the company from clearing lands.
Em Sitha said: “We are being summoned, they say that we destroy and extort money from Oknha Kaing You Meng’s company. We did not destroy the company’s properties, we only prevented the company and asking it to provide a peaceful and sensible resolution for the people who did the upkeep of these lands.”
Sun Sim, another representative for the villagers, added that the villagers are very concerned about this severe accusation made by Kaing You Meng’s company: “The villagers are concerned, we don’t know what else will happen because they are summoning us one after another. Those who have not been summoned yet are also worried because in the court summon, we are accused of criminal activities.”
This is the second summon from the provincial court, and on each occasion, villagers accompanied their representatives by the hundreds because they fear that their representatives would be arrested.
This land dispute started after Kaing You Meng bought several hundred hectares of land in Chueng Keub commune, he subsequently allowed the villagers to farm the lands during the past 10 years. Recently, the company started to clear the lands according to its plan, but the villagers prevented them to do so by asking for a fee for the 10 years of land upkeep.
The villagers accused the company of buying the lands from them, but it did not pay the full price of the lands yet, and now the company wants to transfer the ownership of the lands to someone else.
Sieng Sophal, a representative of Kaing You Meng’s company, claimed that his company is the third owner of the lands. Kaing You Meng left the lands to the villagers to farm after he purchased them, and at the end, the villagers are extorting money from his company instead. “I have [my property markers] installed between theirs (the villagers), they destroyed (all my markers), I had to install them twice. They said that they do not ask for their lands back, they only ask for a fee for the upkeep of the land. At first, they asked for $20,000 per hectare as the upkeep fee. But they are troublemakers, they create troubles nonstop, my company complained to the authority saying that they (the villagers) bother our business.”
Huot Vuthy, the Kandal province prosecutor, declined to provide comment over the phone on this case to RFA, even if the case is now sent to the court for a resolution.
On the villagers’ side, they are looking for help from human rights organizations after they received court summons one after another.
