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Showing posts with label Land dispute in Chikreng. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Land dispute in Chikreng. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
New film for Amnesty International: Foreced eviction of farmers in Chi Kreng, Siem Reap
September 18, 2011By Chris
Originally posted at: http://blog.thecauseofprogress.com/
For additional photos and video footage, click here:
http://blog.thecauseofprogress.com/
Originally posted at: http://blog.thecauseofprogress.com/
This is a new film made for Amnesty International about the precarious life of rural farmers faced with forced evictions and land disputes in Cambodia. This particular case follows the village of Chi Kreng during their more than two year struggle against a wealthy and well connected local businessman. The prisoners have been released, but the village are still without their land.
For additional photos and video footage, click here:
http://blog.thecauseofprogress.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BeRf6TXFJ3U
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Pressure mounts on monk
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| Venerable Loun Sovath (right) welcomes parliamentarian Seang Nam at a pagoda in Siem Reap province’s Chi Kraeng district to celebrate the release of 12 men from prison, some of whom were detained for more than two years, in connection with a land dispute. (Photo by: John Anthony) |
Tuesday, 23 August 2011
John Anthony
The Phnom Penh Post
A community that gathered yesterday to celebrate the release of farmers who had been jailed for more than two years following a land dispute were told that the monk who led their campaign to free the men had been banned from every pagoda in Siem Reap province.
The written notice from the province’s senior most monk, Venerable Pich San, was distributed ahead of the two-day event, which started on Saturday.
Pich San also banned Venerable Loun Sovath from leading the celebration and said that the monk, who has become famous for blessing communities involved in land disputes, had disobeyed Buddhist values.
Loun Sovath was undeterred by the ban.
“What I’m doing is right,” he said. “My activities are Buddhist and they do not break the law.”
Communist atheist Hochimonks' orders issued against Ven. Loun Savath
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| Ven. Loun Savath (Photo: The Phnom Penh Post) |
On 16 August 2011, villagers from Chikreng district asked to organize a Freedom day to celebrate the release of 12 villagers who were detained by the police for resisting the grabbing of their lands.
The Buddhist clergy in Siem Reap issued an order preventing Ven. Loun Savath - a native of Chikreng whose relatives were among the 12 arrested - from participating in the Freedom day celebration. Furthermore, all pagodas in Siem Reap are prohibited from providing refuge to Ven. Loun Savath. The authorities are ordered to take all legal measures against Ven. Loun Savath. With such devious thought and black hearts, how can these monks who issued these orders against Ven. Loun Savath call themselves Buddhist monks? They should call themselves COMMUNIST ATHEIST HOCHIMONKS instead!!!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Buddhist monk supporting Boeung Kak residents face arrest
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| Ven. Luon Sovath, a land activist in Cambodia (Photo: BBC) |
By Phorn Ryna
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Soch
Click here to read the article in Khmer
Venerable Luon Sovath, who appeared among the group of protesting Boeun Kak residents, is in hiding and he does not dare go to his pagoda because the authority is looking to arrest him.
Ven. Luon Sovath told RFA in the evening of Sunday 27 March that the authority was looking to arrest him since the morning of 25 March when he was watching and taping the protesters demanding a resolution to their rights to own the land in the Boeung Kak Lake area which took place in front of the Phnom Penh city hall. He was facing arrest because the authority accused him of violating the Buddhism rule because he was siding with the protesters.
In response to this accusation, Ven. Luon Sovath said that he did nothing to violate Buddhism. However, the authority attempted to chase him out from the location, but he refused: “I was not involved with the Boeung Kak residents, as a monk, I was only watching. Therefore, I did nothing to violate the law or any rule, then they sweet talk in an attempt to make me leave, but I refused. Then they said that if I don’t leave, I must bear the responsibility, they will not be responsible.”
Friday, March 04, 2011
"...it looks like it is back to the business of repression under the guise of the legitimacy of judicial order in the courts of Cambodia": Ou Virak
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| Chikreng villagers shot by the cops |
Thursday, 03 March 2011
May Titthara
The Phnom Penh Post
The Appeal Court handed down three-year sentences today to nine people from Siem Reap province’s Chi Kraeng commune for stealing property, while other charges and separate cases remain in connection with an ongoing land dispute.
Taking into account time served since their arrest on March 22, 2009, the court ordered eight villagers to serve an additional eight months and the ninth, Chheng Saroeun, to serve one more year, according to Sam Chetra, a lawyer provided to the villagers by the rights group Licadho.
The Siem Reap provincial court convicted two villagers in October 2009 and sentenced them to one year in jail and fined the other seven.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Rights groups slam dispute verdict
After Friday’s court hearing in Siem Reap, Chi Kraeng villagers beg provincial officials not to disrobe a monk who led protests in their commune’s ongoing land dispute. (Photo by: Rann Reuy)Monday, 23 August 2010
Rann Reuy and Khouth Sophak Chakrya
The Phnom Penh Post
Siem Reap province
LOCAL rights groups have criticised Siem Reap provincial court’s conviction of nine villagers from Chi Kraeng district last week, describing the decision as “another injustice” for those involved in the long-running land dispute.
On Friday, presiding judge Chhay Kong handed each of the nine a three-year jail sentence after finding them guilty of membership in an illegal armed force, suspending the remainder of their sentences.
The villagers, originally charged with attempted intentional manslaughter, were arrested after a March 2009 altercation in which police allegedly fired on a crowd in the district’s Chi Kraeng commune, injuring four residents.
Although the nine will be allowed to go free, human rights activists have criticised the fact that no charge has been filed against any of the officers accused of being involved in the shooting.
In a statement after the verdict, the local rights group Adhoc expressed “regret” over the three-year jail sentence.
“The Chi Kraeng villagers have suffered injustice again and again since 2008,” it said.
The arrests stemmed from a land dispute dating back to 1986, when one large village was divided equally between Chi Kraeng and Anlong Samnor communes, leaving an unspecified area of farmland in dispute. In January 2009, the provincial court ruled that the land to belong to Anlong Samnor, sparking conflict between the two communes.
Ny Chakrya, Adhoc’s head investigatior, said that the verdict was “socially unjust” because police involved in the shooting hadn’t been charged.
“The people were shot and seriously injured by the authorities, and hundreds of hectares of their rice fields were confiscated,” he said.
The villagers’ defence lawyer, Ham Sunrith, said that the court failed to find enough evidence to find the villagers guilty on the original charge of attempted intentional manslaughter, and had changed the charge to suit the evidence.
Am Sam Ath, a senior monitor for the rights group Licadho, said that the original charge had made little sense.
“Police opened fire on Chi Kraeng villagers who were harvesting their rice, and caused some serious injuries,” he said. “But the court charged the villagers with an attempt to kill authorities and using illegal weapons.
“How can we say this is justice for those people? We cannot.”
Ty Soveinthal, a Siem Reap court prosecutor, declined to comment on the verdict, but said the villagers were free to file an appeal.
On Friday, presiding judge Chhay Kong handed each of the nine a three-year jail sentence after finding them guilty of membership in an illegal armed force, suspending the remainder of their sentences.
The villagers, originally charged with attempted intentional manslaughter, were arrested after a March 2009 altercation in which police allegedly fired on a crowd in the district’s Chi Kraeng commune, injuring four residents.
Although the nine will be allowed to go free, human rights activists have criticised the fact that no charge has been filed against any of the officers accused of being involved in the shooting.
In a statement after the verdict, the local rights group Adhoc expressed “regret” over the three-year jail sentence.
“The Chi Kraeng villagers have suffered injustice again and again since 2008,” it said.
The arrests stemmed from a land dispute dating back to 1986, when one large village was divided equally between Chi Kraeng and Anlong Samnor communes, leaving an unspecified area of farmland in dispute. In January 2009, the provincial court ruled that the land to belong to Anlong Samnor, sparking conflict between the two communes.
Ny Chakrya, Adhoc’s head investigatior, said that the verdict was “socially unjust” because police involved in the shooting hadn’t been charged.
“The people were shot and seriously injured by the authorities, and hundreds of hectares of their rice fields were confiscated,” he said.
The villagers’ defence lawyer, Ham Sunrith, said that the court failed to find enough evidence to find the villagers guilty on the original charge of attempted intentional manslaughter, and had changed the charge to suit the evidence.
Am Sam Ath, a senior monitor for the rights group Licadho, said that the original charge had made little sense.
“Police opened fire on Chi Kraeng villagers who were harvesting their rice, and caused some serious injuries,” he said. “But the court charged the villagers with an attempt to kill authorities and using illegal weapons.
“How can we say this is justice for those people? We cannot.”
Ty Soveinthal, a Siem Reap court prosecutor, declined to comment on the verdict, but said the villagers were free to file an appeal.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Aug 20 incident in Siem Reap against Venerable Sovath and Chikreng villagers
In front of the Siem Reap provincial court, the villagers explained that Ven. Sovath did not break any law
Ven. Sovath (far right) explained that the cops shot his villagers
Balloons carrying messages calling for the release of Chikreng detainees
Villagers leaving the court
Siem Reap cops stopping the NGO's van carrying Ven. Sovath
A hochimonk can be seen illegally entering a private van in an attempt to physically remove Ven. Sovath
Elderly women villagers got on their knees to beg the hochimonks not to take away Ven. Sovath
Meanwhile the crowd of villagers kept on growing bigger and bigger
The villagers started to surround the van carrying Ven. Sovath to provide a shield protecting him against the cops and the hochimonks
The villagers provided an escort to the van as it crossed the city of Siem Reap
Providing their protection to Ven. Sovath is serious business for Chikreng villagers
Ven. Sovath walked the last 100-m through Siem Reap with his villagers
The villagers' convoy followed the van carrying Ven. Sovath out of townOn August 20, 200 people – including two communities and one union - gathered in front of the court waiting to hear two verdicts against Chi Kreng (CK) representative. Villagers held helium balloons holding messages calling for the release of Chi Kreng detainees and justice for Chi Kreng. Despite being threatened with defrocking, violence and arrest, Venerable Sovath insisted he go to the court to be with his community. Irish filmmaker and Canadian HRD (me) accompanied him by driving him to the court for safety.
Forty (40) monks and monk police showed up at the court to take Venerable Sovath. More than 20 police and military police were on scene, majority in civilian clothes. Villagers once again surrounded Venerable Sovath to protect him. Some villagers prayed and begged to monks/monk police to leave Venerable Sovath alone. Others tried negotiating with them, while a handful talked to the media.
After the verdicts were released (see Verdicts below) Venerable Sovath, the Irish filmmaker and I returned to the car and drove back into the city. Shortly after the van was in the city, we were stopped by traffic police. NGO workers who were following our van stopped and negotiated with police. After 5 minutes we were released only to be stopped a few minutes later by provincial police who forced our van to relocate to in front of a pagoda and escorted our van there.
Villagers heard about the problem and directed their trucks to the scene. Villagers arrived at the same time as the monks/monk police. One of the head monk police actually got into the vehicle and tried pulling Venerable Sovath out. My team and I then closed all the doors as the van was private property, and the villagers surrounded the van. The elder women sat on the road in front of the monks and prayed them to leave Venerable alone, some women lost complete emotional control and were screaming and wailing in desperation. Some monks and police were visibly moved by this display. Other police were intimidating villagers and NGO monitors by taking pictures of faces. One LC team member was threatened twice by police regarding her use of cameras at the scene.
The road started clogging with people stopping to check what was going on. Siem Reap is a tourist town so it was quite embarrassing for all authorities. After two hours like this, one policeman started yelling at me to move my van. Six Chi Kreng villagers and one NGO jumped in the van, and the other 200 villagers remained around the van. Together they walked the van through the town to where their trucks were waiting. The walk took an hour and blocked traffic that whole time. It was an amazing display of people power though I was too stressed to enjoy it. Once the crowed reached their trucks, the trucks escorted us outside of Siem Reap. We drove an hour with one truck filled with villagers in front of our van, two trucks behind, followed by two NGO cars, and one free-media car. After one hour, only one NGO remained behind our van to ensure no one was following us. After two hours, we carried on driving back to Phnom Penh on our own and and arrived safely.
On August 21, four Khmer newspapers and one English newspaper printed the story. One of the Siem Reaps main (pro-government) TV stations broadcast the incident and monk media conference held afterwards.
Please find attached photos from the incident on August 20th.
Please find below details of the verdicts and Buddhist Laws regarding defrocking of a monk.
Hope you are all well.
In Solidarity,
Lee
---------------
Two Chi Kreng verdicts from Siem Reap court on August 20, 2010:
According to Buddhist doctrine, discipline of monks is the internal affair of the Buddhist community of monks (Sangha) and Buddhist officials, and not the government. It is inappropriate for government authorities or police to facilitate the process of defrocking.
The decision to force a monk to defrock is not a secular affair. The decision is taken by the community of monks (the Sangha) and Buddhist officials, and not governmental officials.
Four Offenses
Upon entering the monkhood and donning the saffron or burgundy robes, Theravada Buddhist monks pledge to follow Buddhist precepts and discipline. Infraction of these rules is very serious, and can result in a monk being warned or put on probation. The more extreme step of forcibly defrocking a monk, dismissing him from the monkhood, and expelling him from the monastery is taken only for monks who have committed any of the four offenses (bap) that “defeat” a monk and require that he leave the monkhood: 1) engaging in sexual relations, 2) stealing, 3) killing, or 4) falsely claiming to possess superhuman powers.
Process
The Buddhist monastic code calls for such decisions to be made through a process called adhikarana-samatha, or the settlement of issues by a community of peers, which is analogous to due process and fair trial rights provided by secular justice systems. This means that prior to the decision to defrock, the accused monk may be allowed to answer questions, offer clarification, or defend himself. The most extreme disciplinary measure is defrocking; other measures include admitting a breach of discipline, pledging not to repeat the act, or placement under probation.
Defrocking as a human rights abuse:
When conducted by government officials backed up by police, rather than a religious organization, defrocking can constitute interference or limitation of the right to practice religion and religious belief. It can also be tantamount to a punishment imposed without any due process, and when conducted violently or in a particularly humiliating way, constitutes inhumane or degrading treatment.
Forty (40) monks and monk police showed up at the court to take Venerable Sovath. More than 20 police and military police were on scene, majority in civilian clothes. Villagers once again surrounded Venerable Sovath to protect him. Some villagers prayed and begged to monks/monk police to leave Venerable Sovath alone. Others tried negotiating with them, while a handful talked to the media.
After the verdicts were released (see Verdicts below) Venerable Sovath, the Irish filmmaker and I returned to the car and drove back into the city. Shortly after the van was in the city, we were stopped by traffic police. NGO workers who were following our van stopped and negotiated with police. After 5 minutes we were released only to be stopped a few minutes later by provincial police who forced our van to relocate to in front of a pagoda and escorted our van there.
Villagers heard about the problem and directed their trucks to the scene. Villagers arrived at the same time as the monks/monk police. One of the head monk police actually got into the vehicle and tried pulling Venerable Sovath out. My team and I then closed all the doors as the van was private property, and the villagers surrounded the van. The elder women sat on the road in front of the monks and prayed them to leave Venerable alone, some women lost complete emotional control and were screaming and wailing in desperation. Some monks and police were visibly moved by this display. Other police were intimidating villagers and NGO monitors by taking pictures of faces. One LC team member was threatened twice by police regarding her use of cameras at the scene.
The road started clogging with people stopping to check what was going on. Siem Reap is a tourist town so it was quite embarrassing for all authorities. After two hours like this, one policeman started yelling at me to move my van. Six Chi Kreng villagers and one NGO jumped in the van, and the other 200 villagers remained around the van. Together they walked the van through the town to where their trucks were waiting. The walk took an hour and blocked traffic that whole time. It was an amazing display of people power though I was too stressed to enjoy it. Once the crowed reached their trucks, the trucks escorted us outside of Siem Reap. We drove an hour with one truck filled with villagers in front of our van, two trucks behind, followed by two NGO cars, and one free-media car. After one hour, only one NGO remained behind our van to ensure no one was following us. After two hours, we carried on driving back to Phnom Penh on our own and and arrived safely.
On August 21, four Khmer newspapers and one English newspaper printed the story. One of the Siem Reaps main (pro-government) TV stations broadcast the incident and monk media conference held afterwards.
Please find attached photos from the incident on August 20th.
Please find below details of the verdicts and Buddhist Laws regarding defrocking of a monk.
Hope you are all well.
In Solidarity,
Lee
---------------
VERDICTS
Two Chi Kreng verdicts from Siem Reap court on August 20, 2010:
- Nine (9) CK representatives were convicted of three (3) years for ‘Organised Crime’ under Article 36/UNTAC, resulting in 17 months prison sentence and 19 months suspended prison sentence. Original charge was ‘Attempted Murder of Police Officers’. (Detainees have already served 17 months pre-trial)
- Three (3) CK reps (one in absentia) were convicted of a) three (3) years for ‘Illegal Confinement’ Article 35/UNTAC, resulting in three (3) years suspended sentence, and b) ‘Defamation’ Article 63/UNTAC, resulting in $120 fine.
- As most of these CK reps are facing additional charges/convictions, it is unclear if any CK reps will be released from CK prison. Also, prosecutor can appeal these verdicts.
DEFROCKING
According to Buddhist doctrine, discipline of monks is the internal affair of the Buddhist community of monks (Sangha) and Buddhist officials, and not the government. It is inappropriate for government authorities or police to facilitate the process of defrocking.
The decision to force a monk to defrock is not a secular affair. The decision is taken by the community of monks (the Sangha) and Buddhist officials, and not governmental officials.
Four Offenses
Upon entering the monkhood and donning the saffron or burgundy robes, Theravada Buddhist monks pledge to follow Buddhist precepts and discipline. Infraction of these rules is very serious, and can result in a monk being warned or put on probation. The more extreme step of forcibly defrocking a monk, dismissing him from the monkhood, and expelling him from the monastery is taken only for monks who have committed any of the four offenses (bap) that “defeat” a monk and require that he leave the monkhood: 1) engaging in sexual relations, 2) stealing, 3) killing, or 4) falsely claiming to possess superhuman powers.
Process
The Buddhist monastic code calls for such decisions to be made through a process called adhikarana-samatha, or the settlement of issues by a community of peers, which is analogous to due process and fair trial rights provided by secular justice systems. This means that prior to the decision to defrock, the accused monk may be allowed to answer questions, offer clarification, or defend himself. The most extreme disciplinary measure is defrocking; other measures include admitting a breach of discipline, pledging not to repeat the act, or placement under probation.
Defrocking as a human rights abuse:
When conducted by government officials backed up by police, rather than a religious organization, defrocking can constitute interference or limitation of the right to practice religion and religious belief. It can also be tantamount to a punishment imposed without any due process, and when conducted violently or in a particularly humiliating way, constitutes inhumane or degrading treatment.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Siem Reap court holds hearing for representatives of Chikreng land protesters
Report by Hang Savyouth, Radio Free Asia
Video by Uon Chhin and Hang Savyouth
Hochimonks prevented Buddhist monk from participating in a demonstration on land dispute in Siem Reap
Chikreng commune villagers shot by cops in 2009 (Photo: Savyouth, RFA)
A Hochimonk (right) tried to grab Venerable Luon Savath's hand (left) and pull him out the crowd of protesters in front of the Siem Reap provincial court. The Hochimonk wanted to take the venerable away (most likely to be disciplined by other Hochimonks), but the protesters protected the venerable and prevented the Hochimonks from taking him away (Photo: Hang Savyouth, RFA)18 August 2010
By Hang Savyouth
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy
Click here to read the article in Khmer
Venerable Luon Savath said: “I came by myself … I am in nobody’s way, I wear the monk robe, and they know that my brother was shot [by the cops], that my nephew was shot and that my relatives are being jailed, therefore, I have the rights. I am alive because these villagers feed me.”Siem Reap monk officials attempted to remove a monk who represents Chikreng commune villagers who are involved in a 90-hectare rice field land dispute. The monk-representative was prohibited from participating in a protest in front of the provincial tribunal during the court hearing against 3 Chikreng commune representatives in the morning of 17 August.
Seven monk officials [KI-Media note: they are most likely Tep Vong’s communist Hochimonks] came to the provincial court and tried to take Venerable Luon Savath out. The latter represented the Chikreng commune villagers, and he was prevented from protesting in order to demand for a resolution in the land dispute. The protesters also demanded for the release of the 12 villagers who are currently being jailed. The Hochimonks accused Venerable Luon Savath of violating the Buddhist rule. However, the attempt made by the Hochimonks was a complete failure when the villagers defended Venerable Luon Savath and prevented the cops and the Hochimonks from taking him away.
Hochimonk Tek Bunlorng, an official monk for Siem Reap province, said that the participation by Venerable Luon Savath in the demonstration is a violation of Buddhist rule and monks are not allowed to stand in the open next to laymen. The Hochimonk added that even if there were shooting [on the villagers by the cops] just like during the Pol Pot regime, monks do not have the duty to protest or interfere on behalf of the laymen.
However, Venerable Luon Savath, the representative of the Chikreng commune villagers, rejected the accusations made by the Hochimonks, saying that he is not in any violation.
Venerable Luon Savath said: “I came by myself … I am in nobody’s way, I wear the monk robe, and they know that my brother was shot [by the cops], that my nephew was shot and that my relatives are being jailed, therefore, I have the rights. I am alive because these villagers feed me.”
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Chi Kreng Case Update
Wounded villagers in Chikreng (Photo: Licadho)Dear All,
The trial of nine villagers from Chi Kraeng commune is scheduled to resume at Siem Reap Provincial Court on Monday August 2 at 8:00am. The accused villagers are charged with attempted intentional manslaughter under Article 4 of the Law on aggravating circumstances of felonies. The charges arose after a dispute between villagers from Chi Kraeng and police, stemming from a long-running land dispute between villagers in Chi Kraeng and neighbouring Anlong Samnon commune. On March 22, 2009, military police opened fire on villagers from Chi Kraeng with AK-47 assault rifles, wounding four. Nine of the villagers were subsequently arrested and charged with attempted voluntary manslaughter after military police alleged that the villagers threatened them with machetes. The villagers were refused bail and have remained in pre-trial detention awaiting a hearing since March 2009.
On July 27, 2010 the trial commenced with a strong security presence. Journalists were barred from entering the courtroom after the court initially stated that the proceedings were closed to the public. The court later back-tracked stating that proceedings would be conducted publicly but noting that court officials could not allow many people to enter the courtroom due to its small size. After interrogation of the accused by the prosecutor and judges, the hearing was adjourned at 11:45am due to the complexity of the case and the requirement to hear a number of witnesses.
A trial monitor from the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, Mr. Vann Sophath, contactable at 012 941 206, will attend the hearing on Monday to monitor the continuation of proceedings.
Thank you and Kind Regards
CCHR
On July 27, 2010 the trial commenced with a strong security presence. Journalists were barred from entering the courtroom after the court initially stated that the proceedings were closed to the public. The court later back-tracked stating that proceedings would be conducted publicly but noting that court officials could not allow many people to enter the courtroom due to its small size. After interrogation of the accused by the prosecutor and judges, the hearing was adjourned at 11:45am due to the complexity of the case and the requirement to hear a number of witnesses.
A trial monitor from the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, Mr. Vann Sophath, contactable at 012 941 206, will attend the hearing on Monday to monitor the continuation of proceedings.
Thank you and Kind Regards
CCHR
Monday, April 27, 2009
Crackdown in Siem Reap [-"There is no truth in [state-run] media"]
Video by Licadho
Monday, 27 April 2009
Written by Vincent MacIsaac
Asia Sentinel (Hong Kong)
The rule of law goes by the board for Cambodia's land sharks
Victims of police shooting: A legacy of 30 years of CPP rule?
Video footage of an allegedly unprovoked attack by police on unarmed farmers in Siem Reap last month has sparked outrage in Cambodia because of what it showed and because the reaction from the national government sent another strong signal that state officials and those connected to them can violate laws with impunity, human rights groups say.
"Unless action is taken to defuse the tense land situation in the country, sadly there will likely be more shootings such as occurred in Chi Kreng [district, Siem Reap]," said Kek Galabru, president of to the Cambodian League for the Promotion of Human Rights (Licadho).
"Real action must be taken to address Cambodia's land crisis and to ensure that authorities do use violence against innocent villagers who are merely trying hold on their land," she said.
According to the monitoring department of the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (Adhoc) the number of forced evictions in Cambodia is rising and land disputes are becoming more violent despite the free fall in land prices that began in the middle of last year and more frequent and fiery warnings from Prime Minister Hun Sen that any state officials involved in illegal land deals, no matter how high their rank, will be severely punished.
Moreover, the border conflict with Thailand and the subsequent build up of troops on the Cambodian side has increased land grabbing by the military as well as illegal logging in protected forests along the border, environmentalists and human rights investigators warn.
The Siem Reap farmers are the victims of both land grabbing and state-sanctioned violence, human rights groups say. At the root of the incident is a five-year dispute that escalated last December when two community leaders and one journalist were arrested following a court complaint from two businessmen who the farmers allege illegally obtained and then resold titles to 92 hectares of land they had been farming since, in some cases, 1982. In January farmers surrounded the provincial courthouse for 17 days to demand the release of the three.
It escalated further last month when a joint task force of about 100 police and military personnel opened fire on the farmers. The video of the crackdown almost never made it out of the rural pagoda where it was first shown, according to Buddhist monk Sovath Loun, who transmitted it to human rights groups in Phnom Penh via cell phone.
Sovath Loun, whose older brother and nephew were shot and wounded during the March 22 crackdown, said that at one point during his negotiations with district police over the incident, he was warned that if he didn't turn over his videos and photographs, the military might storm his pagoda in Chi Kreng district to seize them. The pagoda is located about 30 kilometers from Angkor Wat, the country's top tourist destination.
One video, which the monk obtained from a farmer who hid his video-equipped cellphone under his hat, suggests that the signal to begin shooting came from the deputy district police chief, and clearly identifies another officer who allegedly wounded two farmers after he opened fire with his AK47, according to the Cambodian League for the Promotion of Human Rights (Licadho). www.licadho-cambodia.org
The footage contradicts government claims that the police were acting in self defense, the league says, and it is calling for the prosecution of those who shot four farmers as well as the release of nine others subsequently jailed on charges of assault and attempted theft (of the rice they had planted).
"This was extremely serious violence against villagers committed by government armed forces, and it demands a strong response by the government. The police and other officials who committed this violence must be punished," Licadho said.
The province's governor, Mr. Sou Phirin, pledged to personally resolve the dispute following the protest at the provincial court, but his attempt at reconciliation aggravated it. He proposed that the businessmen be given the rice and farmers who had planted it be compensated by being paid for their seeds, according to the Adhoc report, which also said the governor's attempt at reconciling the two sides was marred by open hostility towards the farmers and their lawyer, whom he cursed at during the negotiations.
Sovath Loun's videos and scores of photographs include the aftermath as well as extremely graphic footage and photos from the hospital, including close ups of gaping wounds and doctors trying to treat them, as well as bleeding farmers beaten unconscious and tied together in rows. His videos and photos provide an extremely rare and detailed look into what many have been warning for years is, among other things, a grave threat to stability in Cambodia: the government's alleged complicity in allowing, and in some cases assisting, those in positions of power to steal land from the poor.
The 30-year-old monk first showed the videos to about 20 monks, nuns and laypersons at Vat Sleng Pagoda a week after the crackdown. The day after the first of several police officers paid a visit. The low-ranking officer had been instructed by the district chief of police to find out how many VCDs had been made and to take them, Sovath Loun said. "I asked the officer, ‘what law did I break?"
He broke the silence that ensued by enquiring further, "Do you want to borrow it or do you want to take it?"
"If you want to borrow it you can, but if you want to take it you can't," he continued. If the officer was devout he would be aware it would be a severe transgression to lie to a monk, while if he was merely superstitious he could be frightened into believing that a lie to a venerable monk in pagoda might be an invitation to bad luck for him and his family, he said.
The officer opted to relay the choice to his superiors. Over the next few days more officers and district officials visited him at the pagoda and the hospital where he was tending his brother and nephew. They told him to stop taking photos, turn over his VCD and sign a letter pledging not to disseminate the images, Sovath Loun said. He replied by telling them they could have the VCD if they signed a letter promising to resolve the land dispute and bring those who shot the farmers to justice.
During a second visit by police to his pagoda an officer warned him that if he kept the VCD he might have to deal with the military. Sovath Loun quoted the officer as saying: "The military might attack the pagoda to seize it."
On the third visit the monk turned over his VCD, but by this time he had already distributed about 100 copies throughout surrounding villages and widely transmitted the video of the crackdown taken by the farmer via his cell phone. This video ended up at human rights organizations based in Phnom Penh and on the internet (http://hub.witness.org/en/upload/shooting-chi-kreng-siem-reap-v2).
On April 2, Sovath Loun left his pagoda for Phnom Penh. "My heart was too heavy to remain in Siem Reap. I came here to try to regain my peace of mind," he explained at Ounalum Pagoda. The pagoda, which was founded in 1443, is the headquarters of the Cambodian Buddhism and has been experiencing a steady rebirth following its desecration by the Khmer Rouge.
Sovath Loun said his attempt to regain his peace of mind at the pagoda became more difficult after an advisor to the Supreme Patriarch of Cambodia's Buddhists, a layman and official from the Ministry of Cults and Religion, arrived at the pagoda on April 10 in a silver Lexus and told him to order the about 100 farmers from his district who had sought refuge with him to return to Siem Reap on April 10.
He described the ultimatum as being inspired by politics rather than the teachings of Buddha. "The order came from the government," he said.
During their 30 minute conversation, he tried to explain to the advisor that his claim that the farmers were "disturbing the pagoda" was illusory. "I kept telling him that no monks had complained while the farmers stayed at the pagoda. Instead, we gave them food and blessings. We felt great sorrow for them."
The government advisor, whom the monk described as "aggressive", could not be swayed, and after he drove off in his silver Lexus Sovath Loun had to tell the panicked farmers to leave the pagoda and return to Siem Reap. By midafternoon all but four had left. Monks paid for those who could not afford tickets, he said.
The four who remain in Phnom Penh, identified by Siem Reap police as leaders of the group, are in hiding at a "safe house". They fear they will either be shot or arrested if they return to their villages, one said by telephone. Police are searching house to house in their villages for them, Chan Soveth, an investigator with Adhoc said. The disputed farmland is now under guard by armed police and soldiers, he added.
"There is no truth in [state-run] media," Sovath Loun said, explaining his motivation for compiling and disseminating the videos. "Soldiers and police have guns for protecting people not shooting them," he added before beginning his evening meditation on April 12.
Within a week, however, he had also left the pagoda, according to venerable monk Thaich Chhorn, who kept a written diary of the protests by the Siem Reap farmers in Phnom Penh . Thaich Chhorn said Sovath Loun, who is also a painter, left the pagoda to paint murals on the inner walls of another one in the countryside.
Victims of police shooting: A legacy of 30 years of CPP rule?Video footage of an allegedly unprovoked attack by police on unarmed farmers in Siem Reap last month has sparked outrage in Cambodia because of what it showed and because the reaction from the national government sent another strong signal that state officials and those connected to them can violate laws with impunity, human rights groups say.
"Unless action is taken to defuse the tense land situation in the country, sadly there will likely be more shootings such as occurred in Chi Kreng [district, Siem Reap]," said Kek Galabru, president of to the Cambodian League for the Promotion of Human Rights (Licadho).
"Real action must be taken to address Cambodia's land crisis and to ensure that authorities do use violence against innocent villagers who are merely trying hold on their land," she said.
According to the monitoring department of the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (Adhoc) the number of forced evictions in Cambodia is rising and land disputes are becoming more violent despite the free fall in land prices that began in the middle of last year and more frequent and fiery warnings from Prime Minister Hun Sen that any state officials involved in illegal land deals, no matter how high their rank, will be severely punished.
Moreover, the border conflict with Thailand and the subsequent build up of troops on the Cambodian side has increased land grabbing by the military as well as illegal logging in protected forests along the border, environmentalists and human rights investigators warn.
The Siem Reap farmers are the victims of both land grabbing and state-sanctioned violence, human rights groups say. At the root of the incident is a five-year dispute that escalated last December when two community leaders and one journalist were arrested following a court complaint from two businessmen who the farmers allege illegally obtained and then resold titles to 92 hectares of land they had been farming since, in some cases, 1982. In January farmers surrounded the provincial courthouse for 17 days to demand the release of the three.
It escalated further last month when a joint task force of about 100 police and military personnel opened fire on the farmers. The video of the crackdown almost never made it out of the rural pagoda where it was first shown, according to Buddhist monk Sovath Loun, who transmitted it to human rights groups in Phnom Penh via cell phone.
Sovath Loun, whose older brother and nephew were shot and wounded during the March 22 crackdown, said that at one point during his negotiations with district police over the incident, he was warned that if he didn't turn over his videos and photographs, the military might storm his pagoda in Chi Kreng district to seize them. The pagoda is located about 30 kilometers from Angkor Wat, the country's top tourist destination.
One video, which the monk obtained from a farmer who hid his video-equipped cellphone under his hat, suggests that the signal to begin shooting came from the deputy district police chief, and clearly identifies another officer who allegedly wounded two farmers after he opened fire with his AK47, according to the Cambodian League for the Promotion of Human Rights (Licadho). www.licadho-cambodia.org
The footage contradicts government claims that the police were acting in self defense, the league says, and it is calling for the prosecution of those who shot four farmers as well as the release of nine others subsequently jailed on charges of assault and attempted theft (of the rice they had planted).
"This was extremely serious violence against villagers committed by government armed forces, and it demands a strong response by the government. The police and other officials who committed this violence must be punished," Licadho said.
The province's governor, Mr. Sou Phirin, pledged to personally resolve the dispute following the protest at the provincial court, but his attempt at reconciliation aggravated it. He proposed that the businessmen be given the rice and farmers who had planted it be compensated by being paid for their seeds, according to the Adhoc report, which also said the governor's attempt at reconciling the two sides was marred by open hostility towards the farmers and their lawyer, whom he cursed at during the negotiations.
Sovath Loun's videos and scores of photographs include the aftermath as well as extremely graphic footage and photos from the hospital, including close ups of gaping wounds and doctors trying to treat them, as well as bleeding farmers beaten unconscious and tied together in rows. His videos and photos provide an extremely rare and detailed look into what many have been warning for years is, among other things, a grave threat to stability in Cambodia: the government's alleged complicity in allowing, and in some cases assisting, those in positions of power to steal land from the poor.
The 30-year-old monk first showed the videos to about 20 monks, nuns and laypersons at Vat Sleng Pagoda a week after the crackdown. The day after the first of several police officers paid a visit. The low-ranking officer had been instructed by the district chief of police to find out how many VCDs had been made and to take them, Sovath Loun said. "I asked the officer, ‘what law did I break?"
He broke the silence that ensued by enquiring further, "Do you want to borrow it or do you want to take it?"
"If you want to borrow it you can, but if you want to take it you can't," he continued. If the officer was devout he would be aware it would be a severe transgression to lie to a monk, while if he was merely superstitious he could be frightened into believing that a lie to a venerable monk in pagoda might be an invitation to bad luck for him and his family, he said.
The officer opted to relay the choice to his superiors. Over the next few days more officers and district officials visited him at the pagoda and the hospital where he was tending his brother and nephew. They told him to stop taking photos, turn over his VCD and sign a letter pledging not to disseminate the images, Sovath Loun said. He replied by telling them they could have the VCD if they signed a letter promising to resolve the land dispute and bring those who shot the farmers to justice.
During a second visit by police to his pagoda an officer warned him that if he kept the VCD he might have to deal with the military. Sovath Loun quoted the officer as saying: "The military might attack the pagoda to seize it."
On the third visit the monk turned over his VCD, but by this time he had already distributed about 100 copies throughout surrounding villages and widely transmitted the video of the crackdown taken by the farmer via his cell phone. This video ended up at human rights organizations based in Phnom Penh and on the internet (http://hub.witness.org/en/upload/shooting-chi-kreng-siem-reap-v2).
On April 2, Sovath Loun left his pagoda for Phnom Penh. "My heart was too heavy to remain in Siem Reap. I came here to try to regain my peace of mind," he explained at Ounalum Pagoda. The pagoda, which was founded in 1443, is the headquarters of the Cambodian Buddhism and has been experiencing a steady rebirth following its desecration by the Khmer Rouge.
Sovath Loun said his attempt to regain his peace of mind at the pagoda became more difficult after an advisor to the Supreme Patriarch of Cambodia's Buddhists, a layman and official from the Ministry of Cults and Religion, arrived at the pagoda on April 10 in a silver Lexus and told him to order the about 100 farmers from his district who had sought refuge with him to return to Siem Reap on April 10.
He described the ultimatum as being inspired by politics rather than the teachings of Buddha. "The order came from the government," he said.
During their 30 minute conversation, he tried to explain to the advisor that his claim that the farmers were "disturbing the pagoda" was illusory. "I kept telling him that no monks had complained while the farmers stayed at the pagoda. Instead, we gave them food and blessings. We felt great sorrow for them."
The government advisor, whom the monk described as "aggressive", could not be swayed, and after he drove off in his silver Lexus Sovath Loun had to tell the panicked farmers to leave the pagoda and return to Siem Reap. By midafternoon all but four had left. Monks paid for those who could not afford tickets, he said.
The four who remain in Phnom Penh, identified by Siem Reap police as leaders of the group, are in hiding at a "safe house". They fear they will either be shot or arrested if they return to their villages, one said by telephone. Police are searching house to house in their villages for them, Chan Soveth, an investigator with Adhoc said. The disputed farmland is now under guard by armed police and soldiers, he added.
"There is no truth in [state-run] media," Sovath Loun said, explaining his motivation for compiling and disseminating the videos. "Soldiers and police have guns for protecting people not shooting them," he added before beginning his evening meditation on April 12.
Within a week, however, he had also left the pagoda, according to venerable monk Thaich Chhorn, who kept a written diary of the protests by the Siem Reap farmers in Phnom Penh . Thaich Chhorn said Sovath Loun, who is also a painter, left the pagoda to paint murals on the inner walls of another one in the countryside.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Licadho urges action on Chi Kraeng clashes
Monday, 30 March 2009
Written by Chrann Chamroeun
The Phnom Penh Post
Written by Chrann Chamroeun
The Phnom Penh Post
Villagers say they are being intimidated by police.
HUMAN rights group Licadho has urged the government to take action after four villagers were shot and wounded by police when a land dispute in Siem Reap province turned violent earlier this month.
"This was extremely serious violence against villagers committed by the government's armed forces, and it demands a strong response by the government," said Licadho President Kek Galabru in a statement.
"The police and other officials who committed this violence must be punished, and there must be a fair resolution to this land dispute."
Fifteen villagers gathered at the NGO's Phnom Penh headquarters on Friday to show what they say is a video of the shootings in Chi Kraeng district and to ask the government for help.
The clash followed a dispute over 92 hectares of farmland between two groups of villagers from neighbouring communes.
Licadho in a statement called on the Ministry of Interior to suspend Chi Kraeng district's Deputy Police Chief Srey Sam Ol, who the group said could be seen in the video firing the first shot, as well as a second policeman whom it said shot at least two villagers, pending an investigation into their actions.
Neither Srey Sam Ol nor ministry officials could be reached Sunday for comment.
Villagers, meanwhile, denied police claims that they had been carrying weapons.
Not carrying machetes
"We were not carrying machetes or wooden sticks as the authorities claim, and the video footage of the incident proves that," said village representative Thoang Sareith. "Their actions go against Prime Minister Hun Sen's speech saying to solve land disputes peacefully."
He said he was confident the government would help bring those guilty parties before the courts. But he also warned that villagers had been intimidated.
"Now we feel scared for our safety - we have received threats on our mobile phones, and the police patrol near our houses looking to arrest us, so we are afraid to go home," he said.
"We don't want an investigation after we've been killed - we want the government, NGOs and reporters to keep an eye on us and intervene."
Thoang Sareith said villagers wanted to be allowed to harvest their crops on the disputed land and that the nine villagers arrested by police be released.
HUMAN rights group Licadho has urged the government to take action after four villagers were shot and wounded by police when a land dispute in Siem Reap province turned violent earlier this month.
"This was extremely serious violence against villagers committed by the government's armed forces, and it demands a strong response by the government," said Licadho President Kek Galabru in a statement.
"The police and other officials who committed this violence must be punished, and there must be a fair resolution to this land dispute."
Fifteen villagers gathered at the NGO's Phnom Penh headquarters on Friday to show what they say is a video of the shootings in Chi Kraeng district and to ask the government for help.
The clash followed a dispute over 92 hectares of farmland between two groups of villagers from neighbouring communes.
Licadho in a statement called on the Ministry of Interior to suspend Chi Kraeng district's Deputy Police Chief Srey Sam Ol, who the group said could be seen in the video firing the first shot, as well as a second policeman whom it said shot at least two villagers, pending an investigation into their actions.
Neither Srey Sam Ol nor ministry officials could be reached Sunday for comment.
Villagers, meanwhile, denied police claims that they had been carrying weapons.
Not carrying machetes
"We were not carrying machetes or wooden sticks as the authorities claim, and the video footage of the incident proves that," said village representative Thoang Sareith. "Their actions go against Prime Minister Hun Sen's speech saying to solve land disputes peacefully."
He said he was confident the government would help bring those guilty parties before the courts. But he also warned that villagers had been intimidated.
"Now we feel scared for our safety - we have received threats on our mobile phones, and the police patrol near our houses looking to arrest us, so we are afraid to go home," he said.
"We don't want an investigation after we've been killed - we want the government, NGOs and reporters to keep an eye on us and intervene."
Thoang Sareith said villagers wanted to be allowed to harvest their crops on the disputed land and that the nine villagers arrested by police be released.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
SRP calls for probe of Siem Reap violence
Military police man a checkpoint in Siem Reap's Anlong Samnor commune following outbreaks of violence Sunday. (Photo by: KYLE SHERER)Tuesday, 24 March 2009
Written by Chrann Chamroeun and Kyle Sherer
The Phnom Penh Post
Siem Reap province:
Local officials and rights groups say armed confrontation between police and villagers is the result of long-simmering land dispute between rival communes.
WITH some villagers in prison, others in hospital with serious bullet wounds and more still missing, the mystery surrounding the swift yet brutal eruption of violence Sunday in a long-simmering Siem Reap land dispute continues, with opposition lawmakers petitioning the National Assembly for an investigation.
In a formal request to parliament Monday, Ke Sovannroth, the Sam Rainsy Party's representative from Siem Reap, asked for a probe into Sunday's fighting between rival communes and local authorities in Chi Kraeng district, which saw at least four people injured.
Some 90 armed security personnel, sent by local authorities, opened fire on a crowd of about 300 Chi Kraeng villagers when they prevented the arrest of community representative Kim Savoeun, the SRP said.
Chi Kraeng villagers have been locked in dispute with neighbouring Anlong Samnor commune over a 92-hectare plot of land for years now, the SRP added.
"Authorities should have solved the problem peacefully because they have tried to solve this dispute several times already," Ke Sovannroth said in the party's request to the National Assembly.
In a statement Monday, Siem Reap's provincial Department of Information said that troops opened fire on the crowd in Chi Kraeng district at 9am Sunday, as they confronted about 100 villagers carrying machetes and wooden sticks.
The department said police and military police were sent to enforce a court-ordered arrest warrant for Kim Savoeun, who was hiding among the crowd.
According to the statement, villagers from neighbouring Chi Kraeng and Anlong Samnor communes are disputing the plot of land that abuts the two communes, and that authorities have made many attempts to resolve the problem.
Nou Puthyk, provincial coordinator for Cambodian rights group Licadho, told the Post that the group would launch its own investigations into both the land dispute and the response by the authorities.
"We visited three victims today with serious bullet wounds," he said, adding that a fourth injured man was being treated in hospital.
"We are undertaking a thorough investigation to clear up the problem of who has the right to the 92 hectares of farmland."
He said that provincial Governor Sou Phirin ruled on February 2 that Anlong Samnor residents could continue farming the land, while Chi Kraeng commune residents would receive a social land concession.
Sou Phirin said Monday that he regretted the violence and that those injured would have their medical bills paid for.
Despite Sunday's violence, 155 Chi Kraeng families continued Monday to squat land, in what Anlong Samnor commune chief Seng Young described as an "invasion".
He said that the altercation erupted Sunday when Anlong Samnor farmers attempted to harvest their rice but were forced to call the police when Chi Kraeng farmers refused them access to the land.
"My people tried to harvest their crops, but the people from Chi Kraeng village went to fight them and took the crops," he said.
"The police went to settle the problem, but the Chi Kraeng people wanted to fight the police instead," Seng Young said.
"They don't listen to the governor or the military police. They just fight whoever goes near them."
Licadho's Nou Puthyk said that of the 40 people arrested, those who were allowed to return home had to sign a statement promising not to continue the dispute.
Those remaining in police custody are accused of masterminding the violence and could be charged with robbery for allegedly taking the land, Ty Sovinthal said.
Chhuon Leng, a Chi Kraeng villager, also confirmed that only nine people, including representative Kim Savoeun, remained in prison, while the other 30 had been released.
"There are still people who are missing, and we are looking for them now," he said.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY VONG DARA
Local officials and rights groups say armed confrontation between police and villagers is the result of long-simmering land dispute between rival communes.
WITH some villagers in prison, others in hospital with serious bullet wounds and more still missing, the mystery surrounding the swift yet brutal eruption of violence Sunday in a long-simmering Siem Reap land dispute continues, with opposition lawmakers petitioning the National Assembly for an investigation.
In a formal request to parliament Monday, Ke Sovannroth, the Sam Rainsy Party's representative from Siem Reap, asked for a probe into Sunday's fighting between rival communes and local authorities in Chi Kraeng district, which saw at least four people injured.
Some 90 armed security personnel, sent by local authorities, opened fire on a crowd of about 300 Chi Kraeng villagers when they prevented the arrest of community representative Kim Savoeun, the SRP said.
Chi Kraeng villagers have been locked in dispute with neighbouring Anlong Samnor commune over a 92-hectare plot of land for years now, the SRP added.
"Authorities should have solved the problem peacefully because they have tried to solve this dispute several times already," Ke Sovannroth said in the party's request to the National Assembly.
In a statement Monday, Siem Reap's provincial Department of Information said that troops opened fire on the crowd in Chi Kraeng district at 9am Sunday, as they confronted about 100 villagers carrying machetes and wooden sticks.
The department said police and military police were sent to enforce a court-ordered arrest warrant for Kim Savoeun, who was hiding among the crowd.
According to the statement, villagers from neighbouring Chi Kraeng and Anlong Samnor communes are disputing the plot of land that abuts the two communes, and that authorities have made many attempts to resolve the problem.
Nou Puthyk, provincial coordinator for Cambodian rights group Licadho, told the Post that the group would launch its own investigations into both the land dispute and the response by the authorities.
"We visited three victims today with serious bullet wounds," he said, adding that a fourth injured man was being treated in hospital.
"We are undertaking a thorough investigation to clear up the problem of who has the right to the 92 hectares of farmland."
He said that provincial Governor Sou Phirin ruled on February 2 that Anlong Samnor residents could continue farming the land, while Chi Kraeng commune residents would receive a social land concession.
Sou Phirin said Monday that he regretted the violence and that those injured would have their medical bills paid for.
Despite Sunday's violence, 155 Chi Kraeng families continued Monday to squat land, in what Anlong Samnor commune chief Seng Young described as an "invasion".
He said that the altercation erupted Sunday when Anlong Samnor farmers attempted to harvest their rice but were forced to call the police when Chi Kraeng farmers refused them access to the land.
"My people tried to harvest their crops, but the people from Chi Kraeng village went to fight them and took the crops," he said.
"The police went to settle the problem, but the Chi Kraeng people wanted to fight the police instead," Seng Young said.
"They don't listen to the governor or the military police. They just fight whoever goes near them."
Licadho's Nou Puthyk said that of the 40 people arrested, those who were allowed to return home had to sign a statement promising not to continue the dispute.
Those remaining in police custody are accused of masterminding the violence and could be charged with robbery for allegedly taking the land, Ty Sovinthal said.
Chhuon Leng, a Chi Kraeng villager, also confirmed that only nine people, including representative Kim Savoeun, remained in prison, while the other 30 had been released.
"There are still people who are missing, and we are looking for them now," he said.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY VONG DARA
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