Japanese firms undertake oil exploration study in northern Cambodia

January 31, 2012

PHNOM PENH (Kyodo) -- Two Japanese oil firms began seismic acquisition studies in Cambodia on Tuesday to explore for oil and gas reserves in three northern provinces.

Cambodian government spokesman Phay Siphan said the state-owned Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corp. and Mitsui Oil Exploration Co. started the seismic acquisition operation in Tbeng Meanchey, Preah Vihear Province.

The operation will be conducted in a total area of 6,500 square kilometers in Preah Vihear, Siem Reap and Kompong Thom provinces, Phay Siphan said.

JOGMEC Executive Director Akira Suzuki told Deputy Prime Minister Sok An in a meeting Monday that the operation will roughly take four months to complete, according to a Cambodian official who attended the meeting.

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/

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

Cambodia: The miracle of Taom, the Christian village reborn after 40 years of persecution and neglect

Hours from the city of Siem Rap, the village owes its existence to 30 people attracted to Christianity. In three years, the local neo-gothic church, which had been turned into a barn, was renovated and is now used for Sunday Mass. Fr Winarta, an Indonesian Jesuit, tells the story of the small ...

Monday, September 05, 2011

By Asia News

Phnom Penh – The Catholic community of Taom (Battambang Diocese, Angkor Wat) can be reached from the city of Siem Rap after travelling for hours on a muddy road. Its life revolves around the fervent activities of its 29 members and 2 Indonesian Jesuit missionaries. AsiaNews recently visited the tiny impoverished village that was reborn last year after 40 years of oblivion and neglect when 30 locals were baptised.

Fr Stephanus Winarta SJ, from Java (Indonesia), is in charge of St John Parish Church in Siem Reap, and has followed the young community for some time. When he arrived there were no Catholics in Taom, he said. The St Mary Parish Church built by the French in the early 1900s had fallen into ruin under the Khmer Rouge regime, alternatively used as a barn and for human habitation.

“Then one day, a miracle occurred, and a few locals asked to be baptised,” the priest said. “In three years, 30 people became Catholic, participating in catechism courses organised by Fr Heribertus Bratasudarma, an indonesian Jesuit who has lived in cambodia for 11 years. In 2010, the bishop of Battambang baptised them and now they lead the community.

COMFREL Release the Result of Workshop on Voter's Voice in Remote Areas; Srae Nouy, Varin, Siem Reap province

Dear all,

COMFREL is please to release its press release on the result of workshop on voter's voice in remote areas; Srae Nouy, Varin, Siem Reap province held on July 11, 2011.

Please see the attached document for details.

FYI : If you need releases or articles related to workshop on voter's voices, elections reforms, democracy/political reforms, decentralisation and governance, please feel free to visit our website: 

www.comfrel.org

Best regards,

COMFREL


http://www.box.net/shared/qt4az8z5nik8lsuveepe

Authorities confiscate SRP MP Son Chhay’s land

SRP MP Son Chhay

Military police cordoned off the area to protect the officials who came to confiscate SRP MP Son Chay’s land in Siem Reap city on 01 April 2010 (Photo: Hang Savyouth, RFA)

01 April 2010
By Hang Savyouth Radio Free Asia Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy Click here to read the article in Khmer

The joint authority forces came to confiscate the 3-hectare land belonging to SRP MP Son Chhay in Siem Reap province, as ordered by the Supreme Court.

On Thursday morning, a joint authority force, including military cops, regular cops and more than 100 demolition workers, came to put into application the order issued by the Supreme Court. They dismantled 3 huts belonging to people guarding the land and they also confiscated a 3-hectare plot located inside the Apsara authority zone, located in Slor Kram commune, Siem Reap city. The land belongs to SRP MP Son Chhay.

Mr. Son Chhay, who was not present at the incident location, said on Thursday afternoon that he opposes the court decision to confiscate his land. He claimed that this confiscation is not done to serve the public interest, but to lease the land to a private company to build a hotel instead. He also indicated that there is no law that allows the authority to confiscate people’s land to lease to private business interests.

Son Chhay said: “This is a robbery through the use of the court system. They confiscate the land in violation of the land law, they used armed forces [for the confiscation]. This is a savage act that is contrary to the stipulations of the law. This is not affecting just me, but even people who own small plots of land fall victim to so many of such cases.”

Sok Keo Bandit, the deputy prosecutor of the Siem Reap provincial court, said that the 3-hectare plot of land belonging to Son Chhay was confiscated and considered as public property owned by the state and it will be handed over the Apsara authority to manage.

Sok Keo Bandit claimed: “The application of the sentence this morning is based on the Supreme Court’s order. The latter decided to [revoke] H.E. Son Chhay’s occupation rights and turn it into a state public property, i.e., it will be placed under the management of the Apsara authority.”

Pal Chandara, the government lawyer involved in this case, refused to comment on the court decision, however, he claimed that he found out the Mr. Son Chhay does not have sufficient documents to claim the ownership of this land.

Pal Chandara said: “Whether it’s right or wrong, it all depends on the Supreme Court’s decisions. However, to me, H.E. Son Chhay does not have any document. In the past, H.E. Son Chhay told a number of radio stations and news media, that he has the private right or an ownership title, or that his [ownership] was recognized by the ministry of Finance, the Apsara authority, of the commune or district chiefs. This, he is lying, he does not have them, he only has a letter asking to occupy the land.”

Son Chhay said that he purchased the 3-hectare land in 1995, but that now there is a dispute with the Apsara authority. In the past, government officials used to offer to pay him $0.50 per square-meter, including the price of trees, i.e., he could have received $19,000, but he refused to accept the offer.

Son Chhay said that he does not accept the Supreme Court’s decision, and that he is consulting with national and international lawyers to find a way to continue his protest.

Government in tourist hub of Siem Reap to quit town in land swap

Thu, 18 Mar 2010
DPA

Phnom Penh - The local government in Cambodia's tourist hub of Siem Reap is to relocate outside the city next month in an opaque property swap that is to see a private company take over government buildings, many on prime riverfront land, national media reported Thursday. The news followed a number of similar reports about swaps of government land in central Phnom Penh, which has rocketed in value in recent years, for cheaper land outside the capital. Details of the deals are seldom made public.

Siem Reap Deputy Governor Bun Tharith told the Cambodia Daily newspaper that every provincial government department would move to the new site except one, the meteorology office, whose specialized equipment means it has to stay in the city.

"It is a special plan, and it is good for providing efficient services," he said. "The old buildings will be handed over to the company for investment. This happens in every developed country."

However, neither he nor the Ministry of Interior, which has authority over the deal, would be drawn on the details of the land swap or the cost of the new 42-hectare site, which is located 16 kilometres from the city centre.

Siem Reap is home to the Angkor Wat temple complex, which draws millions of local and foreign tourists each year.

Licadho urges action on Chi Kraeng clashes

Monday, 30 March 2009
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.

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

Injured victims of Siem Reap police shooting demand compensation

Injured victims of cops opening fire on protesting villagers in Chikreng commune, Siem Reap province (Photo: Savyouth, RFA)

23 March 2009
By Savyouth
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata
Click here to read the article in Khmer

Relatives of three men from Chikreng commune who were seriously injured following the shooting perpetrated by armed cops in Chikreng district stemming from a land dispute involving 90-hectare of rice field located in the Dike 78 Suong region, are looking for legal help to sue for compensation for their injured loved ones.

In the morning of Monday 23 March, Mrs. Cheng Hon said that Luon Vinh, her husband, was seriously injured by bullets (shot by the cops) and he is currently undergoing medical care at the Siem Reap province hospital. She said that she is currently suing the Chikreng district authority which is responsible for this case and she also said that each family of the victims demands $5,000 in damage compensation for their loved ones who were shot. The victims have contacted the Adhoc human rights group in Siem reap province to ask for its help to file the lawsuit against the shooting perpetrated by the cops: “My husband was shot twice, he was seriously injured and his knee cap was shattered. We ask $5,000 in compensation.”

The decision by the victim’s families to sue the cops was made one day after a joint civilian and military police forces opened fire on a group of villagers from Chikreng commune. The villagers came by the hundreds to hold a protest at the Dike 78 Suong because of a land dispute involving their rice fields. The shooting injured 4 villagers and 40 other villagers were arrested on the morning of 22 March.

Ty Sovinthal, the prosecutor for the Siem Reap court, denied involvement in the armed violence, he said that the shooting was not undertaken by his order. He said that he only traveled to the incident location based on the request made by the Chikreng district governor and the police inspector. He then went on to visit the incident location, but 3 kilometers away from his destination, he received the information that the cops were shooting at the villagers there.

Nevertheless, Ty Sovinthal added that he will order the cops to file a report so that the cops involved in the shooting will face the law. However, he also threatened to sue news reporters and RFA which published the information in which he allegedly led the cops during the shooting raid on the villagers.

Ty Sovinthal said: “If you can find that I arrived at the incident location, and I wrongfully ordered (the shooting), I agree to go to jail.”

Sou Phirin, the CPP Siem Reap provincial governor, said that in the case of the land dispute involving 90-hectare of rice field between villagers from Chikreng and Anlong Samnor communes, the provincial authority attempted to mediate this issue on several occasions already, he also regretted to see the shooting on the protesting villagers and the injuries inflicted on them. Therefore, the provincial authority will pay the medical bill for the villagers and it will continue to find a better solution to this land dispute: “The medical care cost will be paid by the provincial authority, these are poor [villagers].”

In the afternoon of 23 March, a group of provincial officials led by Sou Phirin himself, visited the incident location and they studied the land dispute in order to provide a new land subdivision.

On Monday evening, it was learnt that a number of villagers have disappeared following the shooting by the cops. Several hundred rounds of bullet were shot by the cops. As for the 40 villagers arrested by the cops, more than 30 of them were released and sent back home.