Earlier eviction of Sambok Chab villagers (AFP). Their lands were later given to large developers.By Prak Chan Thul
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
Some of the remaining residents facing eviction from Tonle Bassac commune's Village 14 were advised by villagers from around Cambodia on Thursday how best to peacefully resist forced eviction.
At the workshop, villagers who have previously successfully resisted evictions shared tips with 60 residents of Village 14's Group 78.
"The most important thing is that Group 78 must stick together so outside forces cannot go in," said Chhim Chhoeun, 57, a Kompong Chhnang province villager previously involved in a fishing lot dispute.
"Don't wait for NGOs, prepare a camera. You should prefer to die in a place [than be evicted]," he said at the workshop held at the Community Legal Education Center in Phnom Penh.
He told the audience that after resisting an attempted eviction, the government in 2000 allowed him and his fellow villagers to fish on the disputed land, and that they have been able to remain there ever since.
Kompong Speu province commune councilor Yu Thor, 59, said that in his commune, 700 villagers successfully resisted a forced eviction in 2004, and that he has since refused $3,000 bribes to stop leading village resistance to evictions.
He added that villagers should stick together when armed officials arrive at the scene.
"They would not dare to [electric] shock all the villagers in the whole village," he said.
Kampot province villager Kem Da, 44, said women must lead nonviolent resistance to evictions. "Men would cause violence...men should be at the back," she said.
More than 1,000 families were evicted from Village 14 last month by hundreds of police officers and then relocated to Dangkao district, but 146 families in Group 78 continue to live on a strip of land the municipality has now designated a state road.
No deadline has been set for their eviction, but City Hall has said the villagers must be evicted soon and will be given $500 each, not the $700 per square meter they have demanded.
Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak said that instructing people to resist authorities is a violation of the law.
CLEC Director Yeng Virak said the workshop was intended to teach villagers "active nonviolence" to avoid clashes with police, and that the authorities should welcome such lessons.
"It is a positive thing...to teach people the ways of Mahatma Gandhi...to sit down and let themselves be arrested rather than use violence," he said.
(Additional reporting by Lor Chandara and Erik Wasson)
At the workshop, villagers who have previously successfully resisted evictions shared tips with 60 residents of Village 14's Group 78.
"The most important thing is that Group 78 must stick together so outside forces cannot go in," said Chhim Chhoeun, 57, a Kompong Chhnang province villager previously involved in a fishing lot dispute.
"Don't wait for NGOs, prepare a camera. You should prefer to die in a place [than be evicted]," he said at the workshop held at the Community Legal Education Center in Phnom Penh.
He told the audience that after resisting an attempted eviction, the government in 2000 allowed him and his fellow villagers to fish on the disputed land, and that they have been able to remain there ever since.
Kompong Speu province commune councilor Yu Thor, 59, said that in his commune, 700 villagers successfully resisted a forced eviction in 2004, and that he has since refused $3,000 bribes to stop leading village resistance to evictions.
He added that villagers should stick together when armed officials arrive at the scene.
"They would not dare to [electric] shock all the villagers in the whole village," he said.
Kampot province villager Kem Da, 44, said women must lead nonviolent resistance to evictions. "Men would cause violence...men should be at the back," she said.
More than 1,000 families were evicted from Village 14 last month by hundreds of police officers and then relocated to Dangkao district, but 146 families in Group 78 continue to live on a strip of land the municipality has now designated a state road.
No deadline has been set for their eviction, but City Hall has said the villagers must be evicted soon and will be given $500 each, not the $700 per square meter they have demanded.
Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak said that instructing people to resist authorities is a violation of the law.
CLEC Director Yeng Virak said the workshop was intended to teach villagers "active nonviolence" to avoid clashes with police, and that the authorities should welcome such lessons.
"It is a positive thing...to teach people the ways of Mahatma Gandhi...to sit down and let themselves be arrested rather than use violence," he said.
(Additional reporting by Lor Chandara and Erik Wasson)
2 comments:
I thought Cambodian people had moved beyond the nomad (hunter and gather)society and I guess not. When will Cambodian people be allowed to settle down and live like a civilize human being!
11:31AM
We can move forward like the rest of the world if we would have government that works for the country and supports the citizens. Look at Thailand, the King uphold his belief and follow his oaths and the laws of the land.
Does anyone in Khmer society for the laws? It is a very minute population follows it. The rest of the officials are corrupted. If we ridded of CPP, then we'll be prospereous with productive citizens.
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