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| (Picture credit: AFP) |
Jun 27th 2012
by L.H. | PHNOM PENH
The Economist
AMID cheers and the odd tear, a band of 13 women—a dowdy lot of impoverished middle-aged mothers, homemakers, and a grandmother—were set free by a Cambodian appeals court on June 27th. The court’s decision was welcomed by human-rights groups as well as by local land-rights activists, who believe the national government has taken advantage of these women as part of a programme of evicting the poor to make way for lucrative commercial developments.
The youngest of the gang of 13 is 25 years old and the eldest is 72. They were among 4,000 families evicted from their homes around Boeung Kak lake, a natural waterway and a parcel of prime real estate near the centre of Phnom Penh. The surrounding land was then cleared and the lake filled to make way for an up-market housing project.
The development is supposed to be built by an extremely discreet firm called Shukaku Inc, which is owned by Lao Meng Khin, a senator for the ruling Cambodian People’s Party (CPP), and a Chinese group, Erdos Hongjun Investment Corporation.
Some families received a paltry mix of cash and land to move while others received nothing. The women kept on protesting at the site, even after they were evicted. Eventually they were arrested and on May 24th, after a three-hour hearing, they were convicted of occupying the land in question illegally. Each was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in jail.
Their arrest had been condemned swiftly by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. They too are concerned about the prevalence of land-grabbing, which is made all the uglier by allegations of corruption and the deadly use of force. According to a local human-rights group called Licadho, foreign interests—owning mines, plantations, real-estate development firms and the like—now control more than 22% of Cambodia’s total surface area.
But then at a crucial juncture the “Boueng Kak 13”, as they had become known, started to win the sympathy of ordinary Cambodians and the support of America’s secretary of state, Hillary Clinton.
Cambodia’s prime minister, Hun Sen, has responded to the growing agitation over land rights with a freeze on further land concessions and a promise to resolve the rest of the country’s outstanding cases of land-grabbing. This pledge did not, however, lead to any cessation in the granting of vast tracts of land to commercial interests.
Hun Sen took to lashing out at media accounts which reported that he had gone back on his earlier promises. He argued that the contracts on thousands of hectares of state forests and other protected areas that have been granted in recent weeks had been approved already—before the freeze was announced.
Tight security was visible around the courthouse where the Boeung Kak 13’s appeal came down. It seemed emblematic of Hun Sen’s distaste for being challenged on this issue. A large stretch of the capital went into lockdown in the hours before the verdict was announced. The fear had been that protests mounted by supporters of the jailed women might interrupt a state visit being paid by Japan’s Crown Prince Naruhito.
About six city blocks along Sothearos boulevard and Sisowath quay, stretching past the royal palace and the courts, were closed to traffic. About 200 protesters were kept a full kilometre from the court, along the banks of the Tonle Sap. There they were confronted by 300 riot police, military police and soldiers.
Sporadic incidents of violence were reported around town but inside the cramped courthouse the mood was optimistic nonetheless. International and local pressure had raised expectations that the Boeung Kak 13 would be set free.
The hopefulness was partly due to Cambodia’s growing international stature. Phnom Penh occupies the current chair of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and will shortly play host to a summit of foreign ministers, which Mrs Clinton is expected to attend. Anything less than the release of the imprisoned women would’ve been an international embarrassment for the government.
The presiding judge, Seng Sivutha, did not disappoint. He noted noting that the women, who appeared before him in their prison blue, had children to look after and that moreover they had little knowledge of the law. He reduced their prison terms to exactly one month and three days—exactly the time served—and so they were freed. Their conviction, however, stays on the books.
Khek Chan Raksmey, a villager from Boeung Kak, was overwhelmed by the rare sense of victory. “Long live, we won now. The court has released our people.”
5 comments:
fighting for land title rights and housing rights is one good thing; however, i don't know about their greed because apparently these unruly group of people want more compensation for lands that's belongs to the state in the first place. to me, it's all about greed the way i see it, you know. just listen to all their argument from the beginning: something like this: we want more compensation for our huts, our squatters' community, etc because we like being primitive and living like the stone age era like hunting and gathering style; it's saves money and doesn't cost any money to live like that. i say no way, this is not the dark ages or the stone age era, ok. get with the program and move on with the rest of the country. cambodia is not about the boeung kak greedy bunch, ok.
Excuse us 1:32 for living in our primative huts unlike you living your your villas. But even in our humble huts, we still know the different between right and wrong because we believe in the rule of laws and just or fair compensation of our private property instead of stealing someone else properties so you can get richer; which is the very difinition of greet by the way.
It is you who are living in the dark age, such as the stone age as you mentioned, a time when a few with brute strenghs, weapons, moneys and powers rule over the many without concern for the rule of laws. I for one would prefer an ordinary hut built with my own two hands and with my own moneys in the 21th century under the rule of laws and justics then living in a dark age in a villa earned from the suffering of others.
ចលនាអំណាចពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរបានដឹងយ៉ាងច្បាស់ថាក្នុងប្រទេសខ្មែរបច្ចុប្បន្នពរពេញទៅដោយជនជាតិយួននិងប៉ូលីសយួន រីឯងរដ្ឋាភិបាលខ្មែរវិញវាគ្រាន់តែជាខែលបញ្ឆោតខ្មែរនិងអន្តរជាតិតេប៉ុណ្ណោះ ការពិតគឺអំណាចយួននៅពាសពេញទាំងស្រុក ដូច្នេះហើយបានជាយើងជាខ្មែរនៅក្រៅស្រុកត្រូវតែបង្ខំចិត្តបង្កើតជាចលនាអំណាចពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរនេះឡើងដើម្បីធ្វើការផ្លាស់ប្តូររបបកញ្ជៈយួននេះចេញ ដោយគ្មានជំរើសអ្វីក្រៅពីការតស៊ូមត្តិជាអហឹង្សាដោយផ្អែកលើច្បាប់ធម្មជាតិក្នុងនាមយើងជាខ្មែរម្ចាស់ប្រទេសហើយនិងច្បាប់អន្តរជាតិជាគោល។ ដូច្នេះសូមបងប្អូនខ្មែរដែលកំពុងតែរងទុក្ខវេទនានៅក្នុងប្រទេសនោះកុំអស់សង្ឃឹមអី! ចលនាអំណាចពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរកំពុងតែធ្វើដំណើរទៅរំដោះសេរីភាពបងប្អូនហើយ គឺមានតែចលនាអំណាចពលរដ្ឋខ្មែរមួយគត់ដែលហ៊ានធ្វើការប្រឆាំងយ៉ាងពិតប្រាកដជាមួយបនក្បត់ជាតិនៅភ្នំពេញគឺយើងបានដាក់ពាក្យបណ្តឹងទៅតុលាការឧក្រិដ្ឋកម្មអន្តរជាតិ(ICC)រួចហើយកាលពីថ្ងៃទី២២ខែមិថុនាឆ្នាំ២០១២កន្លងទៅនេះ ដូច្នេះពពួកឧក្រិដ្ឋជននៅភ្នំពេញទាំងអស់នេះគឺមិនអាចគេចរួចពីសំណាញ់ច្បាប់របស់តុលាការអន្តរជាតិមួយនេះបានជាដាចខាត! ពេលវេលាដ៏ខ្លីខាងមុខនេះពួកវាទាំងអស់នឹងត្រូវអស់អំណាចនិងប្រឈោមមុខនិងតុលាការជាក់ជាមិនខាន។
I just read few words,I knew who
he is. Just ignore this guy.
I usually call him Mr.OK! Really! You
know!
oh then go live in africa is you like like your primitive, stone age community build from mud huts and bushes or brushes, etc. let the lion and the hyena and the tiger eat you for dinner everyday if you so choosy for that, ok. leave my cambodia alone because cambodia want development, and advancement, not primitive, ok! the bottom line is nobody in their right mind want to live in primitive society like you, ok! of course, we prefer the rule of law in cambodia, but not your primitive lifestyle to save money, really! that's all!
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