Rasmei Kampuchea reporter beaten up

Tuesday 02 March 2010
By P.B.
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Alain de Veng
Click here to read the article in French

While he was taking pictures at a market, the reporter was assaulted by several individuals.

Vong Thou, a reporter for the Rasmei Kampuchea newspaper in Banteay Meanchey, was beaten up at the beginning of the week by owners of gambling parlors while he was trying to take pictures of Yuki, a gambling that is very popular in Cambodia, especially at the Kbal Spean market in Poipet.

The reporter was severely injured on his head and his face. The cops had already arrested two of the assailants and Vong Thou brought up a lawsuit to the provincial court, accusing his assailants of murder attempt.

In a communiqué issued on 02 March, the Club of Cambodian Journalists [CCJ] considers the violence as a serious attack on the freedom of the press: “We call on the justice [system] and the police to arrest the authors of the attack, and to sentence them according to the law,” the CCJ indicated.

Nhiek Bun Chhay involved in an upcoming land dispute eviction in Poipet

Poipet families facing eviction

26 November 2007
By San Suwidh
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Armed policemen plan to raid 600 families living in Palelay village, Poipet commune, O’Chrov district, Banteay Meanchey province, stemming from a land dispute with the National Agriculture Development Association (NADA) which is backed by Nhiek Bun Chhay, the association honorary president and vice-prime minister.

A Licadho human rights organization official indicated that the land dispute between the families and NADA is very complicated, and 3 to 4 orders were sent to the families, sometimes telling them that they are authorized to continue living there, sometimes telling them to move out immediately, but only after negotiations have been conducted first.

However, this time around, another order was issued telling the families to move out before 28 November.

A Licadho official told RFA that he is very concerned that the authority could use the latest order to tear down the homes belonging to the families before the due date. “We received information from the people saying that, currently, the authority is telling people to move out before the 28th, and right now they are preparing 3 police units (to raid the homes). The first police troop is Brigade Unit 991 which is a border police unit, the 891 border brigade unit, and the third unit is a provincial police unit. The order the authority issued to the villagers is for them to move out, otherwise their homes will be torn down.”

There are concerns that the police raid could lead to violence just like what happened recently in O’Chheu Teal village, Choam Ksan district, Preah Vihear province.