Trapeang Anh Chanh Buon village:Is Ms. Ros Bopha, a victim of NGO’s manipulation

Monday, 30 Apr 2012 14:59

On 6 April 2012, “cambodiatrainspotter” posted an NGO media statement relating to the violent situation occurred on the night of the 5th of April 2012 at Trapeang Anh Chahn. The “flash” media statement “condemns relocation site violence and railway evictions notice”.
In less than a day, with a combined efforts by CambodiaTrainspotter (CT), Bridges Across Cambodia Borders (BACB), Housing Rights Task Forces (HRTF), Sahmakum Teang Tnaut (STT), and Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO), the subjective presumed facts of the occurrences were presented in the statement and spreading across electronic media. These above NGO’s have been metamorphosed from responsible organizations helping Cambodia and the Cambodian people to the “eyes and the ears” of the world, “their extended ideal world” of idealistic and limitless human rights without rule of law.
Reading through the statement three things appeared to be added up to a pre-meditated media campaign against the national and municipal authorities. They are:
• The occurrence on the night of the 5th of April was strongly expected by the NGO’s;


• The failure of the NGO’s to assist Ms. Ros Bopha and her followers to “sue the project developers”, and to responsibly fight against the hardship that Ms. Ros Bopha and her followers have complaint about; actually NGO’s denies the role of problem solvers;
• The pleasure and excitement of local NGO’s to launch an electronic campaign discrediting the efforts of the municipal and national authorities for economic and infrastructure development and social responsibility and harmonization, to be amplified electronically by international NGO’s that foot their bills for their existence and operation.
Actually things started with a feud between two ladies, Ms. Ros Bopha who acts as the representatives of the relocation community of the Phnom Penh railroad tracks families and Ms. Chea Channy both residing at Trapeang Anh Chanh Buon village. Two points are needed to be described in details:
Point 1: Ms. Chea Channy was furiously angry after she has learnt that Ms. Ros Bopha had fraudulently used her name and her thump print and also her daughter’s name to petition the Asian Development Bank (ADB) that is funding the railroad rehabilitation project in Cambodia. If this is proven to be true, it amounted to a falsification of documents and abuse of individual rights. The feud went out of hands and escalated into physical confrontation resulting in some bodily injuries. The real causes will be known later after thorough investigation by the authorities.
Point 2: Also the real causes will be known later after thorough investigation, but for now Ms. Ros Bopha is suspected to be “placed” at the Phnom Penh railroad track community in 2010 by unknown person or unknown organization to organize and lead the community to complain and protest through an acquisition for seven hundred US dollars (0) of an officially recognized 3 x 4 meters location occupied by Mr. Koy San and his wife Mam Srey Nuon since 1996. The potential windfall profit from an investment of 0 from the settlement for relocation because of the railroad rehabilitation project seemed to be less appealing to Ms. Ros Bopha and her handler, whether a person or an organization, than her doing leg works for her handler.


The NGO media statement posted by “Cambodiatrainspotter” has painted Ms. Ros Bopha as a victim of abuses and hinted as she was targeted by the local authorities for her activities against the relocation. Of course, it is the job of NGO’s to ask the “ADB and AusAID to request the Royal Government of Cambodia (RGC) to conduct a public investigation into the conduct of the local authorities,” being accused by the NGO media statement of using violence against villagers. But needless to say about thing that is already obvious: the local and national authorities are seeking for the truth and the rule of law will be applied. It is fair to say that the culture of NGO’s to patronize the RGC and the local and national authorities have remained the NGO’s core value.
It was unfortunate that a few other NGO’s and rights advocates take a queue after the NGO media statement posted by “Cambodiatrainspotter” and added spices, such as “Ms. Ros Bopha under death threats”, “Ms. Ros Bopha went on hiding”, “Ms. Ros Bopha faces arrest” to sensationalize the occurrence on 5 April at Trapeang Anh Chanh Buon village, a typically poor understanding of Cambodia, known to be a wide open society under the rule of law. One must wonder whether or not Ms. Ros Bopha is a victim of NGO’s manipulation!
Legal Affairs and Human Right Division of Capital Hall