Villagers: Lawmaker Threatened Us With AK47
By Yun Samean
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
Six families in Ratanakkiri province's Banlung district have accused CPP lawmaker Bou Thang of laying claim to land they have lived on since 1998 and threatening them with an AK-47 assault rifle, villagers and a rights worker said Monday.
Laban Siek commune resident Puok Mao said by telephone that Bou Thang visited the commune on July 7 and laid claim to the two hectares of land where Puok Mao and the other families have lived.
Bou Thang told the families that if they had not left the land in Village Four by the time he returned, they would face an unspecified problem, Puok Mao alleged by telephone Monday.
"He grabbed the AK47 from his bodyguard and pointed it at me," Puok Mao added. "I was very afraid. As a lawmaker, he should not do that to his constituents."
Bou Thang firmly denied the allegations when contacted on Monday.
The lawmaker, who is a member of Ratanakkiri's Tampuon ethnic minority, said that the Khmer families had encroached on ethnic minority land.
'The [six families] are bad. They have taken the land illegally," he said.
Phi Ouk, a representative of the families, claimed that he witnessed Bou Thang point the weapon at several villagers while they were working in the fields. The villagers tried to present a complaint about the incident to local rights group Adhoc on Sunday, but the NGO's provincial office was closed, he said.
Banlung district Governor Chum Ngel said the six families have been illegally occupying Bou Thang's land.
"Although they have lived there for [more than] five years they cannot own it," he said.
Chum Ngel said he was unaware of the villagers' allegations against Bou Thang, but added that they sounded exaggerated.
Pen Bonnar, Adhoc provincial coordinator, said he visited the villagers on Sunday evening and that they told him about the alleged incident.
He said villagers are wary of taking legal action over the case. "Villagers are afraid because most of the time the powerful people win the cases," he said, adding that Bou Thang is a major landowner in the province.
Laban Siek commune resident Puok Mao said by telephone that Bou Thang visited the commune on July 7 and laid claim to the two hectares of land where Puok Mao and the other families have lived.
Bou Thang told the families that if they had not left the land in Village Four by the time he returned, they would face an unspecified problem, Puok Mao alleged by telephone Monday.
"He grabbed the AK47 from his bodyguard and pointed it at me," Puok Mao added. "I was very afraid. As a lawmaker, he should not do that to his constituents."
Bou Thang firmly denied the allegations when contacted on Monday.
The lawmaker, who is a member of Ratanakkiri's Tampuon ethnic minority, said that the Khmer families had encroached on ethnic minority land.
'The [six families] are bad. They have taken the land illegally," he said.
Phi Ouk, a representative of the families, claimed that he witnessed Bou Thang point the weapon at several villagers while they were working in the fields. The villagers tried to present a complaint about the incident to local rights group Adhoc on Sunday, but the NGO's provincial office was closed, he said.
Banlung district Governor Chum Ngel said the six families have been illegally occupying Bou Thang's land.
"Although they have lived there for [more than] five years they cannot own it," he said.
Chum Ngel said he was unaware of the villagers' allegations against Bou Thang, but added that they sounded exaggerated.
Pen Bonnar, Adhoc provincial coordinator, said he visited the villagers on Sunday evening and that they told him about the alleged incident.
He said villagers are wary of taking legal action over the case. "Villagers are afraid because most of the time the powerful people win the cases," he said, adding that Bou Thang is a major landowner in the province.
4 comments:
It VERY DANGEROUS for Cambodian people that a CPP'Lawmaker BOU THANG threat Cambodia people
I know that BOU THANG is no education like HENG SAMRIN piled up during the occupation of youns in Cambodia
That great to hear, it is first time for me to hear a law maker used weapen to solve a legal issue, well done CPP law Maker, you will defitely win this case at the end.
Booty Thang knew that AH HUN SEN is useless and ineffective that why he used AK47 to solve his legal issue!ahahahahahah
He who dares taking someone's life must also dare to forfeit his own.
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