Governments accused of negligence over Preah Vihear dispute

http://enews.mcot.net

BANGKOK, Sept 16 (TNA) - An activist on Wednesday petitioned the anti-graft agency accusing both the previous and the present governments of negligence of duty for allowing foreign intrusion to occur in the disputed area near the ancient Preah Vihear temple.

A group of activists led by Veera Somkwamkid, chairman of the People's Rights and Liberty Protection Group, filed a petition against all governments since the Chavalit Yongchaiyut administration to the incumbent government led by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

The petition asked the National Counter Corruption Commission (NCCC) to investigate the charges and to take legal action against state officials found guilty for malfeasance or negligence of duty which caused damage to the state.

The petitioners accuse the previous and incumbent governments for not only failing to push Cambodian forces out of the area which they claim belongs to Thailand, but also accuse the successive governments of allowing foreign forces to occupy the area adjacent to the Preah Vihear temple--nearly 3,000 rai (1,200 acres)--since 1998.

They submit more than 10 documents and other evidence to back their claim.

In related developments, Lt-Gen Vissanu Sriyaphan, spokesman for the Royal Thai Armed Forces, reaffirmed that Thailand has not lost territory to Cambodia, but warned a group of people led by the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) who plan to carry their protest to the disputed 4.6 square kilometer-area on Saturday that they would be at their own possible risk from uncleared landmines.

"Thailand has not lost territory as understood by some people,” Gen Vissanu said, “but the pending problems is being solved through negotiations not violence. Therefore the ownership of the overlapping area has yet to be decided."

Meanwhile, the armed forces also issued a statement reaffirming that Thailand has not lost its sovereignty over the area and submitted a protest letter over the settlement of some Cambodians in the area.

Negotiations to relocate the settlements could be launched once Parliament endorses the result of the Joint Border Committee meeting. Any move by some Thais to push the Cambodian settlement out of the area would only complicate efforts to solve the problem in the long term, the statement said. (TNA)

READ MORE - Governments accused of negligence over Preah Vihear dispute

War-weary Asian nations offer new treats for tourists

Two years after the end of Nepal's brutal civil war, more tourists than ever visited the Himalayan country in 2008

Decades of civil strife ended in 1998, and tourism is now one of the few sources of foreign exchange for Cambodia

In 1988 more than 700,000 tourists visited Kashmir, but the number declined sharply as the insurgency intensified

The first Bali bombings in 2002 cut foreign tourist arrivals to the island by 70%

Sri Lanka's visitors numbers had dropped as decades of war tormented the teardrop-shaped tropical island

By Mel Gunasekera (AFP)

MIRISSA, Sri Lanka — Tempting tourists back when the bombing stops is never easy, but war-weary Asian countries are planning new treats for travellers in a bid to cash in on a "peace dividend".

Governments are scrambling to replace images of conflict with offers of dream holidays, from whale-watching in Sri Lanka to leisurely treks in Nepal, meditation in Bali and golf in Cambodia.

Sri Lanka's golden beaches, along with tea plantations and ancient religious sites, had long attracted visitors -- but numbers dropped as decades of war tormented the teardrop-shaped tropical island.

When government forces claimed victory against Tamil Tiger separatist rebels in May, tourism chiefs set to work, launching a campaign entitled "Sri Lanka: Small Miracle", to polish its post-war image.

One of the new activities designed to sell the country as a diverse destination is whale watching, focused on the giant mammals frequenting the island's shores between December and April.

British marine biologist Charles Anderson says the numbers of blue and sperm whales and their proximity to shore make the island a natural lure for the growing numbers of eco-tourists.

"Sri Lanka has enormous potential to be a whale destination," said the Maldives-based Anderson, who has been studying Indian Ocean whales for 25 years.

Dileep Mudadeniya, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau's managing director, estimates the promotional campaign will help raise tourist arrivals by at least 20 percent to 500,000 visitors in 2010.

"We have an image that has been challenged by war and travel advisories. Now the war is over. There is lot of interest in us and we will see an upswing by November," Mudadeniya told AFP.

Another country recently freed from the grip of conflict, Nepal, is also hoping that peace will bring back the tourists and is looking to tempt them with a new "Himalayan Trail" running the length of the country.

The number of tourists travelling to Nepal slumped during a 10-year civil war between the army and Maoist rebels which ended in 2006.

But last year a record 550,000 people visited the Himalayan state after foreign governments relaxed their travel warnings.

Tourism authorities say they hope to attract a million visitors by 2011 and are focusing on some of the less developed areas of the country, where few foreigners have ventured.

"We are banking on the peace dividend," said Aditya Baral, director of the Nepal Tourism Board.

"There are lots of unexplored areas in western and eastern Nepal and this time we are trying our best to encourage people to visit those areas where very few people have travelled."

One plan -- still in its early stages -- involves creating a "Himalayan Trail", taking trekkers to some of the remotest parts of the country.

The trail would link paths already used by local people to transport goods and livestock, and would take three months to complete -- with most visitors expected to walk it in stages.

Even intermittent violence can ruin a country's tourist trade, as the Indonesian resort island of Bali learnt to its cost after Islamic militant bomb attacks in 2002 and 2005 killed a total of some 220 people.

The first Bali bombings cut foreign tourist arrivals to the island by 70 percent -- and they took years to return.

Bali Tourism Board secretary general Anak Agung Suryawan Wiranatha said the island had marketed itself as a haven of peace to counter the negative consequences of the bombings.

"Now we promote Bali as a peaceful and spiritual destination. We promote yoga and meditation on the island," Wiranatha said.

"Now health tourism and spas are booming. They are the favorites of tourists from Japan and Korea."

But it is not easy to rebuild tourism in a country that has seen sustained violence, like Cambodia, where up to two million people died under the brutal Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s.

Decades of civil strife ended in 1998, and tourism is now one of the few sources of foreign exchange for the impoverished southeast Asian nation.

Even though Cambodia now lures more than two million foreign visitors a year, most stay only briefly to see the ancient World Heritage-listed Angkor Wat temple complex.

"We need time to (change our image)," Ho Vandy, co-chair of Cambodia's tourism working group told AFP.

The government last year launched an international "Kingdom of Wonder" campaign promoting the country's beaches, eco-tourism and culture.

More than 20 islands have been designated for development, Vandy said, while a new airport in seaside Sihanoukville is expected to open later this year.

Other plans include a game park for well-heeled hunters in the remote jungle-covered northern Ratanakiri province and several luxury golf courses around the country.

Nothing illustrates the cost of violence and the value of peace in the Asian region quite as clearly as the contrasting situations in Pakistan's Swat valley and Indian Kashmir.

Tourists are returning to Kashmir, once described by a 17th-century visiting emperor as a "paradise on earth", as militant violence in the Muslim-majority region subsides to its lowest level since 1989.

In 1988 more than 700,000 tourists visited Kashmir, but the number declined sharply as the insurgency intensified. Now the tide appears to be turning again, with more than 380,000 visiting in the first seven months of 2009.

Not far away, Pakistan's Swat valley was the jewel of the country's tourism crown and known as the "Switzerland of Pakistan" -- until Taliban militants this year pushed into towns and villages in a bid to enforce sharia law.

It is not just Swat that has been hit by insurgents -- more than 2,000 people have been killed in Taliban-linked attacks across Pakistan in the last two years, scaring away all but the most intrepid foreign tourists.

Pakistan earned 16 billion rupees (200 million dollars) from 800,000 visitors in 2007. Fewer than 400,000 visitors came in 2008, bringing in just eight billion rupees, and the numbers are expected to be even lower this year.

"Terrorism has really affected us a great deal," Tourism Minister Ataur Rehman told AFP.

"We have started our endeavours to attract tourists from the world over as the situation in Swat and other areas is stable now and will enable us to again make them attractive tourist zones," he said.

But the World Economic Forum's Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2009 put Pakistan at 113 out of 130 countries, and officials say there is a long way to go until Swat is returned to its former glory.

Until then, tourists are likely to turn to the countries that have already put their conflicts behind them, to sample the new temptations on offer.

READ MORE - War-weary Asian nations offer new treats for tourists

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy called on the National Assembly to restitute the parliamentary immunity to MPs Mu Sochua and Ho Vann

Khmer Sthabna
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Two opposition MPs, Mrs. Mu Sochua and Mr. Ho Vann, who lost their parliamentary immunity (on 22 May 2009) and who was sentenced in defamation and disinformation lawsuits, seem to have difficulties looking for arrangement with high-ranking CPP officials to obtain their agreement to restitute their parliamentary immunity back. The National Assembly is currently controlled by CPP MPs.

On 10 September, Kampot SRP MP Mu Sochua unabashedly criticized the Cambodian government and the Cambodian parliament in front of US Congressmen, and she asked the US Congress to intervene with the Cambodian parliament to restitute her immunity back, as well as that of MP Ho Vann.

However, on 14 September, during the Prek Kdam bridge inauguration, Hun Sen said that those who tell lies about Cambodia, they will go to the lowest level of hell. Furthermore, those who live outside Cambodia, they can actually watch on the Cambodian TV showing the various achievements and they will not be fooled by these lies [KI-Media note: All the TV stations in Cambodia are controlled by the CPP].

Hun Xen said that these people should stop lying because they can go to hell, as this is the Pchum Ben season, and [after going to hell], they will never be able to return back.

Ou Virak, President of the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR), told reporters at the National Assembly building (15 September 2009) that, regarding defamation lawsuits, the court should not ask for a lifting of parliamentary immunity from MPs, and this action does not have a clear basis besides serving as an act of intimidation.

Ou Virak added that Mrs. Mu Sochua and Mr. Ho Vann must automatically receive their immunity back without having to wait for the restitution of their immunity by the National Assembly, even if their immunities have been lifted already by a request made by the court because tens of thousands of people voted for them, but unfortunately [with these defamation and disinformation lawsuits], these MPs lost their ability to fulfill their mandate as representatives of the people.

Sam Rainsy told reporters in front of the National Assembly (on 15 September 2009) that a large number of democrats demand for the restitution of the parliamentary immunity for these two SRP MPs, because MPs have the right to talk about any issue without having to face pressure or the lifting of their immunities. Sam Rainsy indicated: “Therefore, we demand for a restitution of the parliamentary immunity for the MPs who lost them.”

Sam Rainsy indicated that the CPP with 90 seats at the National Assembly can stir storms and thunders as much as they want.

Hun Sen used to say that the lifting of SRP MP Mu Sochua is as easy a peeling a banana, but its restitution is difficult because the opposition does not have the necessary votes to restitute it back. However, Hun Xen told the SRP to replace [Mrs. Mu Sochua] with someone else, then maybe this could receive support from the National Assembly.

READ MORE - Opposition leader Sam Rainsy called on the National Assembly to restitute the parliamentary immunity to MPs Mu Sochua and Ho Vann

Hun Xen's barking mouthpiece in Washington DC statement: Excuses, excuses, and more excuses

Hem Heng (R, first row) and his wife (L) (Photo: Viseth, Cambodian-Buddhist.org)

Wednesday, 09 September 2009

Statement of the Royal Embassy of Cambodia
to the United States of America
(Regarding the Freedom of Expression in Cambodia)

The Royal Embassy of Cambodia wishes to draw the public’s attention to the following facts related to the general situation of human rights and freedom of expression in Cambodia:

1- Cambodia is a pluralistic democratic society, where democracy and human rights are fully guaranteed by its 1993 Constitution. The Cambodian Constitution recognizes the freedom of expression and other fundamental rights. Since 1993, Cambodia’s state of democracy and the overall human rights situation have continuously made significant progress.

2- At present, Cambodia has thousands of civil society organizations, as well as free press and trade unions which have been operating in the country. Out of that number, Cambodia has at least eleven foreign human rights organizations, including the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the International Republican Institute (IRI), that are working mainly on human rights-related issues. Cambodia also has the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the regular visits by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights.

3- Moreover, with regard to freedom of the press, Cambodia has almost 600 newspapers, journals and magazines, 40 radio stations, and seven television channels. If this is not enough, the people of Cambodia also have unobstructed access to all kinds of foreign media, such as the Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia, Cable News Network (CNN), just to name a few. Local media supporting or leaning to the opposition party are allowed a complete freedom to publish and thrive in the country. Some of the media have been critical of the government on a daily basis. The people of Cambodia, therefore, enjoy freedom of the press and freedom of expression.

4- With respect to the recent court verdicts regarding defamations and disinformation are in compliances with the law established by UNTAC, as provided in Article 61 on “Incitement to Discrimination,” Article 62 on “Disinformation,” and Article 63 on “Defamation and Libel.” The sentences handed down by the court are aimed at protecting the individual rights, as well as the security and stability of the country. Like any democratic country in the world, Cambodia cannot let the proliferation of voluntary public defamation and disinformation intended to create social disorder, which is detrimental to the well-being of the society and the dignity of all citizens.

5- In any democratic society, the rule of law is fundamental, particularly in ensuring that people’s dignity and honor are well respected and protected. Freedom of expression is not absolute and does not allow one person to defame another person. It also does not permit a campaign of disinformation to take place repeatedly.

6- In the face of this growing defamation and disinformation campaign to smear the reputation of the leaders, the Royal Government of Cambodia—like any other democratic governments—has the right to resort to justice and due process of law, such as in the cases of Mme. Mu Sochua’s defamation against Prime Minister Samdech Hun Sen and Hang Chakra’s engagement in the campaign of disinformation.

7- The recent verdicts by the Cambodian Court on both cases are in compliance with the existing laws in relation to those offences. The prevailing laws and regulations concerning defamation and disinformation exist worldwide, particularly in developed countries, in order to protect and guarantee the right to dignity and honor of everyone alike.

8- Therefore, democracy, respect for human rights and freedom of expression must be in compliance with the rule of law.

9- All of the facts above are a clear demonstration of Cambodia’s full commitment to the promotion, development and protection of human rights and other fundamental freedoms in the country.

10- With respect to land problems, Cambodia has a land law since 2001 aimed at determining the regime of ownership for immovable properties (land) and guaranteeing the rights of ownership of the land.

- The National Authority for the Resolution of Land Disputes (NARLD) was established in 2006 for the settlement of the land disputes.

- The RGC has put in place a “Social land concession policy” to provide to the landless and the poor people plots of land. Presently, approximatively 4000 hectares of land in Kratie province, 870 hectares in Kampong Cham province and 3017 hectares in Kampong Thom province have been provided to them for housing and family farming.

- But in Cambodia, there are people who occupied the side-work [KI-Media note: sidewalk?] and used some part of the street as a market place and illegally occupied public and private properties. There are also professional squatters who take illegal possession of state or private land, and then demand compensation before moving to occupy another public or private land.

- Here also, the RGC, on the one hand, has the obligation to secure social order, and, on the other hand, to provide land for people who are in genuine need.

READ MORE - Hun Xen's barking mouthpiece in Washington DC statement: Excuses, excuses, and more excuses

Cambodians testify in US

Photo by: Heng Chivoan
Children from the Group 34 community, one of several affected by an increasingly bitter fight over land rights.

The Phnom Penh Post
Friday, 11 September 2009 15:03 James O'toole and Meas Sokchea

Witnesses attack government's human rights record at congressional hearing

HUMAN rights and freedom of expression are under grave threat in Cambodia today, a panel of Cambodian witnesses told representatives from the US Congress on Thursday at a hearing in Washington.

Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarian Mu Sochua, Licadho rights group president Kek Galabru and Community Legal Education Centre (CLEC) labour programme head Moeun Tola were invited to testify in front of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, a congressional body that monitors human rights norms around the world. Copies of prepared remarks were obtained from all three by the Post.

Cambodian democracy is "experiencing an alarming free fall", Mu Sochua said, according to the testimony. Having refused to pay court-ordered compensation to Prime Minister Hun Sen in connection with her defamation conviction last month, Mu Sochua warned that she will be sent to prison in the absence of intervention by the US and other donor countries.

Moeun Tola's testimony focused on labour conditions in the Kingdom, which he said had deteriorated sharply in the last few years. He expressed concern for the security of union organisers in Cambodia, citing the murders of officials from the Free Trade Union of the Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia including Chea Vichea, Ros Sovannareth and Hy Vuthy. Moeun Tola also criticised Cambodia's lack of a minimum wage, and said that in the only industry with such a standard in place - the garment industry - wages are "insufficient, especially in light of rising costs of food, health problems related to work and other necessities".

He called for the US to institute duty-free status for Cambodian textiles and to urge the Cambodian government to fully implement the 1997 Labour Law.

Kek Galabru highlighted the status of land and housing rights in Cambodia, noting that more than 250,000 people have been victims of land-grabbing since 2003 in the 13 provinces in which Licadho operates.

"Cambodia's increasing landlessness is a recipe for future economic and social instability," she said.

She also cited recent threats to freedom of expression, outlining several of the nine criminal complaints the government has filed against members of media, opposition and civil society organisations since April of this year.

In view of these developments, the Licadho president said that her organisation "believes that the country is facing the gravest threat to its democratic development since the 1997" factional fighting.

Mu Sochua echoed these criticisms, calling for visa sanctions on officials suspected of corruption and a suspension of US aid to the Ministry of Defence until a regulatory framework is established for mineral and petroleum concessions.

Govt denies repression
On Wednesday, the Cambodian Embassy in Washington released a statement defending its government's record on human rights, though it did not mention the congressional hearing specifically.

"Like any democratic country in the world, Cambodia cannot [allow] the proliferation of voluntary public defamation and disinformation intended to create social disorder," the statement said.

Koy Kuong, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, repeated his criticism that the hearing was "unfair" because no representatives of the Cambodian government were invited.

"The opposition groups have never said anything good about the government," he said Thursday. "Whenever there is good news, they ignore it."

Though all three witnesses called for specific reforms in US policy toward Cambodia, it is not clear whether the hearing will generate any substantive changes.

Chea Vannath, an independent analyst and the former executive director of the Centre for Social Development, noted that the commission has no legislative authority in Congress, only the ability to make recommendations.

"In the political structure of the United States, it takes more than a hearing to change policy," she said. Still, she added, such events are important because of their "indirect effects", and their capacity to raise awareness of rights issues.

"This is an international mechanism to promote the rule of law, democracy and international standards," she said.

"I am one of the thousands of innocent journalists, trade union leaders, teachers and villagers who are tried by a judicial system that is well known for corruption, for incompetence and for acting under the control of the government and those who have political influence and money.... As the direct result of widespread corruption in the courts, Cambodian families find themselves in debt as bribes must be paid to court officials and to judges just to have access to justice or to be free from legal persecution."
- Mu Sochua, SRP parliamentarian

"The Cambodian authorities regularly use violence or the threat of it to restrict workers' rights to peacefully protest over legitimate labour rights issues. Peaceful gatherings outside factories by striking workers have repeatedly been forcibly dispersed by armed police in recent years. In the process, strike leaders and workers have been injured and may be unlawfully arrested. Local government authorities routinely reject requests for unions to march and rally in public areas."
- Moeun Tola, head of labour programme unit, CLEC

"Cambodia is currently facing a crisis in human rights, which constitutes a backward slide in the country's democratisation and efforts to promote good governance. The international community, including the United States, made a significant contribution to bringing peace and the concept of democracy to Cambodia in the early 1990s. Sadly, the hard-won steps which have been made toward pluralistic democracy, and toward economic and social development, are now in danger."
- Kek Galabru, president of Licadho

READ MORE - Cambodians testify in US

Work cut out for them

Photo by: Heng Chivoan

The Phnom Penh Post
Friday, 11 September 2009 15:03 May Titthara and Kim Youthana

Roughly 100 science students demonstrated Thursday in front of the University of Health Science, complaining that the institution had unfairly blocked too many of them from advancing to the next level. They say only 500 students made the cutoff, whereas they were previously promised a quota of 700 students. "We need school, but the school does not need us," said student Him Sokneag. The students say they will draw 3,000 people to a protest today.

READ MORE - Work cut out for them

Evictions hit Cambodia's poor, group says

Villagers in northwest Cambodia set court documents on fire in protest over a land dispute.

By Miranda Leitsinger
CNN

(CNN) -- Villagers march more than 300 kilometers from northwest Cambodia to ask the prime minister to save their homes from developers. Some 400 families in the country's south learn their farmland had been given to developers only when bulldozers arrive.

Such examples of forced evictions and land conflicts are cited by the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC) in a report, "Losing Ground," released Thursday.

The report was a collection of voices from people rarely heard and "present a painful look into the lives of people affected by forced evictions and intimidation, mainly the rural poor," said CHRAC, a network of 21 non-governmental organizations.

"The voices in the report belong to Cambodians who have been or are facing eviction. Most have insisted that their names and photographs be used, believing that openness will bring justice and appropriate solutions," the group said, adding that such trust is "the springboard for the next stage of Cambodia's recovery from decades of civil strife."

An estimated 150,000 Cambodians live at risk of forced eviction, Amnesty International said in its 2008 report on the country. Read about AIDS patients who were resettled to an isolated area

Beng Hong Socheat Khemro, deputy director general of Cambodia's Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction, said the government was committed to finding the best solutions for not just squatters, but the entire population, and that it is drafting legal guidelines on squatter resolution. He also said the government rejected the term forced evictions, saying that meant people were forced off land they legally owned.

He noted that various factors affect land use and ownership in the country: The 1970s ultra-Maoist Khmer Rouge regime abolished all legal and regulatory documents regarding land, strong economic growth has contributed to demand for land, particularly in urban areas, and the pace of urbanization has stepped up in recent years.

"Many people illegally occupy land that does not belong to them," he said, later noting: "What has happened now with the resettlement, or the relocation, of people is the fact that the government is implementing the law."

"I am very sure that those who claim to be on the land before the legal land owner, most of them do not have any proof at all," he said. "Most of the cases that people -- illegal squatters, settlers -- have claimed that they have been on that land since, let's say 1979, are not true. If you study the legal development of Cambodia, you will understand, and not many people understand, including the NGOs (non-governmental organizations) themselves."

Amnesty said poor Cambodians share the plight of many impoverished people around the world. The group cited the forced evictions of thousands in Angola, violence and insecurity in Brazil's shantytowns, and social services denied to Roma in Italy.

"There are more than 200,000 such communities, home to 1 billion people around the world," the group said.

"In Cambodia for the last two years, Amnesty International has been focusing on forced evictions as one of the country's most serious human rights violations today," Amnesty said in a statement on CHRAC's report. "The increasing number of land disputes, land confiscations, and industrial and urban redevelopment projects hurt almost exclusively people living in poverty."

People fighting evictions "experience harassment at the hands of the authorities or people hired by private businesses. The rich and powerful are increasingly abusing the criminal justice system to silence communities taking a stand against land concessions or other opaque business deals affecting the land they live on or cultivate," Amnesty said.

CHRAC said development of Cambodia, recovering from the Khmer Rouge genocide and ensuing decades of conflict, "must not negatively affect" people's lives.

"Our communities are losing land and natural resources. These are the resources that people have depended on for generations," CHRAC said.

The report details evictions across the country.

One group of villagers walked from the rice bowl of Battambang in the northwest to Phnom Penh to deliver a letter to Prime Minister Hun Sen, seeking help in two long-running court fights with businessmen who claim to own a total of 200 hectares of their land.

"We didn't have enough money to get the bus to Phnom Penh. We had to walk. It was our last hope. We had to see Hun Sen or we would lose our land," said Chim Sarom, 45.

They delivered their letter, but Sarom said they were unsure whether he ever got it. She said authorities gave them money to go home and were told an official would visit them.

READ MORE - Evictions hit Cambodia's poor, group says

Preah Vihear temple hostilities over : Thai and Khmer army chiefs

http://www.nationmultimedia.com

By Rasmei Kampuchea/Asia News Network, Deutsche Presse Agentur

Phnom Penh - Cambodian and Thai armed forces chiefs said 13 months of sometimes-fatal hostilities around the ancient Preah Vihear temple are at an end.

Military top brass of Thailand and Cambodia meet in Phnom Penh on Monday.

After the meeting, Thai Supreme Commander Gen Songkitti Jaggabatra said the dispute would no longer be allowed to damage relations between the two kingdoms.

"I would like to clarify again that there will be no more problems between Thailand and Cambodia. The border will not be the cause of any further disputes," he said.

"Cambodia and Thailand can not live separately. As Asean members, both countries shall not be in any cannot confrontation," said Songkiti.

At least seven soldiers from both sides were killed in occasional clashes around the temple complex since mid-2008 in a tense standoff that has had other members of the Asean regional bloc concerned.

Meanwhile Songkitti's counterpart; Gen Pol Saroeun echoed; "We have the same view. Our goal is to achieve peace and solidarity with each other as siblings."

Their meeting came just days after Prime Minister Hun Sen announced Cambodia would cut the number of troops stationed at Preah Vihear after Thailand reduced its forces to just 30 soldiers.

Preah Vihear Temple has been at the heart of controversy between Thailand and Cambodia. In 1962, the World Court granted ownership of the temple to Cambodia. The conflict erupted again after the Unesco listed it into the World Heritage List, a move that draw opposition from the Thai side.

READ MORE - Preah Vihear temple hostilities over : Thai and Khmer army chiefs

Losing Ground - A report published by the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC)

Click here to download the report (PDF)

Poem posted by the protesters:
We, the villagers, sit in despair because we lost our lands and waters.
The Ly Yong Phat Company is the cursed thief, it robbed all our lands and waters.

With a good leadership, the people are rich and plentiful.
When the leadership is greedy, the people are destroyed and ruined.

[KI-Media note: CPP Tycoon-Senator Ly Yong Phat is a crony of Hun Xen]

Police fire teargas during the forced eviction of Dey Krahom in January 2009
Injured farmers were tied to poles after being shot and beaten on March 22, 2009 in a violent crackdown in Chi Kraeng commune, Siem Reap province

From : http://ki-media.blogspot.com

READ MORE - Losing Ground - A report published by the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC)

Source: LICADHO : Land Evictions in Cambodia

Group 78 Eviction



July 17, 2009 - The small community know as Group 78 located in the riverside area of Phnom Penh have live on their land since 1983. Over the years, Group 78 families were served with a number of eviction notices by local authorities while witnessing two violent forced eviction that took place in the same area, namely Dey Krahorm and Sambok Chap. The 3-years-long coercion campaign of Group 78 residents to leave their homes and land, culminating in this morning's final eviction of the area.

At 4 am this morning [July 17, 2009], dozens of armed police took up positions around Group 78 in order to enforce a municipal order that they dismantle their homes or be forcibly removed. This followed 53 families yesterday "agreeing" to the authorities' demand that they accept an offer of $8,000 compensation or their homes would be forcibly destroyed. Negotiations this morning with the remaining 7 families who had not "agreed" led to a final offer to them of up to $20,000 in compensation which they all accepted, except for one family whose home was destroyed against their will.

As the sun rose on Friday July 17, 2009, dawn bore witness to the heart wrenching sight of the homes of the Group 78 community being dismantled piece by piece.

Imminent Eviction in the Heart of Phnom Penh



July 16, 2009 - The small community know as Group 78 located in the riverside area of Phnom Penh have lived on their land since 1983. Over the past 3 years they have seen their neighbouring communities vanish in the face of forced and violent evictions. In May 2006 over 1300 families from the neighbouring Sambok Chap village and in January 2009 over 400 families in the neighbouring Dey Krahorm village. Group 78 was told to move by Friday July 17, 2009 and they fear the worst will come with the authorities threatening to bring 200 police to evict them. However for now the villagers are staying to ensure they are fairly compensated for the prime land they own.

Forced Eviction Coming at Borei Keila

April 30, 2009 - Over 30 families living with HIV/AIDS in the "green shed" at the Borei Keila social land concession are facing the prospect of eviction. The families living in the temporary "green shed" have been waiting for new apartments to be allocated to them for the past 2 years, but they are now faced with the prospect of being evicted to the Toul Sambo relocation site 20km outside of Phnom Penh. At Toul Sambo there is inadeuqate housing, no clean water and is far from any markets, schools, employment opportunities and most importantly medical facilities.

Learn more about Borei Keila from our partner WITNESS.

Shooting in Chi Kreng, Siem Reap



March 30, 2009 - A land dispute in Chi Kreng district of Siem Reap province, turned ugly when four villagers were wounded when members of a joint force - including police, military police, border police and soldiers - opened fire on a crowd of farmers in Anlong Samnor commune on Sunday, March 22.

Land Crisis in Cambodia: Kratie Province



February 19, 2009 - 750 ethnic minority families in Kratie Province, Cambodia are embroiled in a land dispute over farming land, that the provincial authorities say they have leased to a private company for a rubber plantation. In October 2008 the bulldozers came into clear the land and the villagers were there to stop them. (Music courtesy of the Messengers Band)

Violent Eviction at Dey Krahorm


January 27, 2009 - This video is a compilation of footage captured by human rights monitors on January 24, 2009 during the violent eviction at Dey Krahorm. Video footage courtesy of Platapus, LICADHO, LICADHO Canada, Bridges Across Borders, and Karl Bille.

Boeung Kak Lake: $79 million for who?

December 11, 2008 - In February 2007 the Municipality of Phnom Penh entered into a 99-year lease agreement for US$79 million for 133 hectares, including Boeung Kok lake and surrounding land, with a private developer, Shukaku Inc, owned by a ruling party senator. According to the government, the company will turn the area into "pleasant, trade, and service places for domestic and international tourists," including by filling in 90% of the lake.

On 26 August 2008 a company began filling the lake, which has worsened flooding and caused the destruction of some houses. The development will lead to the eviction of almost 4,000 families, despite many of the affected families having strong legal claims to the land under the Land Law.

READ MORE - Source: LICADHO : Land Evictions in Cambodia