Cops prevent residents involved in land dispute fr...

Protesters Want Obama’s Support Over Evictions

By Aun Pheap and Joshua Wilwohl - November 6, 2012

About 100 residents embroiled in land disputes in Phnom Penh submitted a petition to the U.S. Embassy yesterday requesting that President Barack Obama raise the issue of evictions and reform of the country’s land concession policy when he visits Cambodia later this month.

Anti-eviction activist Nget Khun, 72, waves an American flag on Norodom Boulevard yesterday as some 100 protesters marched to file a petition at the U.S. Embassy, requesting President Barack Obama help reform Cambodia’s land concession policy during his visit to Phnom Penh later this month. (Siv Channa)

The plea comes on the heels of a resolution passed by the European Parliament last month, which blamed economic land concessions licensed to agro-business companies for driving some 400,000 families off their land in the past 10 years.

“Our government has approved too many land concessions. I would like to appeal to Obama to come and inspect the situation and not just believe what government officials are telling him,” said Nget Khun, 72, who was one of the dozens of protesters from Phnom Penh’s Boeng Kak, Borei Keila and Thmar Kaul communities waving a large American flag outside the embassy.

After the group submitted the petition to the embassy, they marched toward the Royal Palace only to be blocked by a line of police on Norodom Boulevard.

As they stood in front of the authorities the protesters shouted, “We are living under the pressure of this government. Please, President Obama, help us.”

Mr. Obama is scheduled to visit Phnom Penh for the Asean and East Asia summits, which run concurrently between November 18 and 21.

Prior to yesterday’s protest, municipal officials had said the government planned to evict 182 families in Choam Chao commune’s Thmar Kaul village ahead of this month’s summits in order to improve security arrangements around Phnom Penh International Airport.

But Choam Chao deputy commune chief Var Sarang, who sits on a joint commission created to orchestrate the eviction, said yesterday that plans to evict residents before the summits would no longer go ahead.

“We do not have plans to remove people before the summits because we will just strengthen security inside the airport,” said Mr. Sarang, adding that he was unaware if the eviction would go ahead in the future.

“We’re just worried that one day we will wake up and they will be clearing our land and destroying our homes,” Nop Sarim, 41, a resident in Thmar Kaul village, said outside the U.S. Embassy.

Sean McIntosh, spokesman for the embassy, confirmed that the petition had been received.

“In general, we are concerned about land rights issues and closely monitor developments,” he said in an email.

“It is important for there to be a resolution of property disputes in an independent and transparent manner that is well-understood by the public, and treats all Cambodians equally and according to the rule of law.”

Cops prevent residents involved in land dispute from petitioning US embassy - សមត្ថកិច្ច​រារាំង​ពលរដ្ឋ​មាន​បញ្ហា​ដី​​ពេល​ដើរ​ដាក់​ញត្តិ

05 Nov 2012
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Soch

In the morning of 05 November, residents from 3 communities in Phnom Penh city walked to the US embassy to hand over their petition asking US President Barack Obama to intervene with the Cambodian government. The residents come from Thmor Kaul community located near Pochentong airport, Borei Keila community and Boeung Kak community. Before they even arrive at the US embassy, a contingent of cops prevented them from leaving the Boeung Kak Lake area.

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ដោយ វិទ្យុ អាស៊ីសេរី
2012-11-05

ពលរដ្ឋ​មាន​បញ្ហា​ដីធ្លី​ចំនួន ៣ សហគមន៍ នា​រាជធានី​ភ្នំពេញ នៅ​ព្រឹក​ថ្ងៃ​៥ វិច្ឆិកា នាំ​គ្នា​យក​ញត្តិ​ទៅ​ដាក់​ជូន​ស្ថានទូត​សហរដ្ឋ​អាមេរិក ដើម្បី​ឲ្យ​ប្រធានាធិបតី​សហរដ្ឋ​អាមេរិក លោក បារ៉ាក់ អូបាម៉ា (Barack Obama) ជួយ​អន្តរាគមន៍​ទៅ​រដ្ឋាភិបាល​កម្ពុជា។ ពលរដ្ឋ​ដែល​មាន​បញ្ហា​ដីធ្លី​ទាំង​នោះ គឺ​មក​ពី​សហគមន៍​ថ្មគោល នៅ​តំបន់​ពោធិចិនតុង សហគមន៍​បុរី​កីឡា និង​សហគមន៍​បឹង​កក់។ មុន​ពេល​ដែល​ពលរដ្ឋ​ទាំង​នោះ​មក​ដល់​មុខ​ស្ថានទូត​សហរដ្ឋ​អាមេរិក ក្រុម​សមត្ថកិច្ច​បាន​រារាំង​ពួក​គាត់​មិន​ឲ្យ​ចេញ​ពី​តំបន់​បឹង​កក់​ឡើយ។

១- ក្រុមសមត្ថកិច្ចចម្រុះបានរារាំងអ្នកភូមិមិនឲ្យចេញពីតំបន់បឹងកក់។ RFA/Vichey Anandh
Cops prevent residents from leaving Boeung Kak Lake area (RFA/Vichey Anandh)

២- ក្រុមសមត្ថកិច្ចកងអន្តរាគមន៍ប្រដាប់ដោយខែលការពារយាមមិនឲ្យអ្នកភូមិចេញពីតំបន់បឹងកក់។ RFA/Vichey Anandh
Intervention cops armed with shields stop residents from leaving Boeung Kak Lake area (RFA/Vichey Anandh)

៣- អ្នកស្រី ទេព វន្នី (ពាក់អាវខ្មៅ) តំណាងអ្នកភូមិបឹងកក់ ក្នុងពេលជជែកជាមួយសមត្ថកិច្ចដែលបានហាមពួកគាត់មិនឲ្យចេញពីតំបន់បឹងកក់។ RFA/Vichey Anandh
Tep Vanny (in dark clothes), the representative of Boeung Kak Lake residents, discussed with cops who prevented her group from leaving the area (RFA/Vichey Anandh)

៤- ពលរដ្ឋមានបញ្ហាដីធ្លីចំនួន ៣សហគមន៍ ជួបជុំគ្នានៅមុខស្ថានទូតសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិក នារាជធានីភ្នំពេញ។ RFA/Mom Sophon
Residents from 3 communities gathered in front of the US embassy in Phnom Penh (RFA/Mom Sophon)

៥- ស្ត្រីចំណាស់ម្នាក់ពរកូនក្មេងឈរនៅមុខសមត្ថកិច្ចដែលហាមឃាត់គាត់មិនឲ្យទៅមុខផ្ទះលោកនាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រី។ RFA/Mom Sophon
A woman carrying her child while standing in front of cops who stopped her in front of the Hun Xen’s house (RFA/Mom Sophon)

៦- សមត្ថកិច្ចបានដាក់របាំងបិតផ្លូវព្រះនរោត្តម ការពារអ្នកភូមិបឹងកក់ ធ្វើដំណើរទៅមុខផ្ទះលោកនាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រី។ RFA/Mom Sophon
A barrage closed Norodom Boulevards to prevent Boeung Kak Lake residents to travel to Hun Xen’s house (RFA/Mom Sophon)

៧- ស្ត្រីម្នាក់កាន់ទង់ជាតិខ្មែរឈរនៅមុខសមត្ថកិច្ច នៅពេលដែលសមត្ថកិច្ចបិតផ្លូវមិនឲ្យឆ្លងកាត់។ RFA/Mom Sophon
A woman held a Cambodian flag in front of cops who blocked the street to prevent them from crossing over (RFA/Mom Sophon)

៨- សមត្ថកិច្ចបានបិទចរាចរណ៍មិនឲ្យធ្វើដំណើរឆ្លងកាត់ផ្លូវព្រះនរោត្តម ខាងត្បូងស្ពាននាគក្បែរវត្តភ្នំ។ RFA/Mom Sophon
Cops blocked traffic on Norodom Boulevard near Wat Phnom Park (RFA/Mom Sophon)

៩- ស្ត្រីវ័យចំណាស់ម្នាក់កាន់ទង់ជាតិសហរដ្ឋអាមេរិក និយាយទៅកាន់សមត្ថកិច្ចដែលរារាំងពួកគាត់។ RFA/Mom Sophon
A Boeung Kak Lake woman held a US flag while talking to the cops who blocked her (RFA/Mom Sophon)

១០- ក្រុមសមត្ថកិច្ចឈររារាំងប្រជាពលរដ្ឋមិនឲ្យទៅតវ៉ានៅមុខផ្ទះលោកនាយករដ្ឋមន្ត្រី ហ៊ុន សែន។ RFA/Mom Sophon
Cops blocked the residents from protesting in front of hun Xen’s house (RFA/Mom Sophon)