Below are some articles related to the land grabbing in Kompong Speu. They illustrate the current situation trends in Cambodia where rich people (Cambidans?, Chineses, Taiwaneses,...) can do whatever they want over the poor Khmers... with the benediction of the law of course.
In this particular situation, the land is claimed to be owned by a Taiwanese busniessman (who was granted a Cambodian citizen in 2001) but the 80 famillies living on the land said they haven't sold their farmland...
In this particular situation, the land is claimed to be owned by a Taiwanese busniessman (who was granted a Cambodian citizen in 2001) but the 80 famillies living on the land said they haven't sold their farmland...
It hurts to see what happen to those poors....
----------- text and pictures excerpted from
http://ki-media.blogspot.com/2010/03/sacravas-political-cartoon-sun-bun.html
Sun Bun Chhuon: Shoot me! Shoot me! I don't care about my life! I lost my rice field! I lost my home! Where will I live? You came to rob Cambodians to give our lands to the Chinese! It's so unfair!
Sun Bun Chhuon demanding justice
Cop seen using an AK-47 rifle to shoot at the villagers
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Development at What Cost?
The above video clip of clashes between villagers in Kampong Speu and the authority is one of the repeating evidences long recorded and reported by all concerned human rights and civil society groups. Land evictions have driven large numbers of Cambodian families across the country, young and old into poverty and despair. Without immediate halt and without a change of government policy and attitude, plenty more Cambodians will face the same consequence with almost a certain future of long enduring hardships - a slavery like condition - for generations to come.
The Cambodian government could have conducted a more accommodated and yet humane investment policy. It should find for those evictees a new land with proper compensation of cash and shelter without resorting to forced eviction. If Cambodia can lease out so much land to foreigners, then it should be able to formulate a better inclusive investment policy than what it is doing now for its poor and its indigenous people. Speaking of indigenous people, their culture and life style will forever be altered, not for the better but for a whole lot worse than one can imagine.
The new round of assault on land eviction will reach farmers in remote areas, especially indigenous peoples who live far away from the eyes and ears of the main public. Since Cambodia is poised to focus more and more on developing its plantation economy, rubbers and acacia etc.., then we can expect to see a lot more events similar to the one in Kampong Speu taking place in the near future. Given that the government officials, judges and businessmen are not on the receiving end of the evictions, then its is hard to imagine anyone of them will ever understand the magnitude of the cold pain and daily apprehension of the evictees.
As I am writing this, it brought me back to my earlier years as I tried to explain to foreigners in the camp and in America of my personal experience during the Khmer Rouge, including a massacre on a village which I had witnessed a few days after the graves were freshly buried - the experience remains stuck with you given all the gruesome evidences of blood, hairs still attached to the skin. You can tell a story as good as it gets, but for a listener you can never feel the same or get the complete picture as what you were trying to describe. It would almost be the same to say that you can't really feel what the others are feeling since you are not in his/her shoes. In this case, the corrupt judges and all the big fat cats will never learn nor understand the pain of the land evictees.
Watch the video and take a moment to reflect as those people's lives as theirs are being reduced to practically NOTHING. Haven't we learn anything from the rise and fall of the past regimes for the last 50 years or so? It's all from MISTREATMENT of the people. In Cambodia today, it's on a grandiose scale again from not only political, but also from socio-economic standpoint. The gap is getting a lot wider now and it causes a lot of uncertainty and social distress across the land. People are not sure who will be next on the eviction list? Which companies will come in to evict their lands?
The government's own effort to stray away from democracy has continued to hinder meaningful development in all areas of the Cambodian society. At the rate of contracts signed under land concessions, the need to evict people out will be more frequent. It does not take a Ph.D. to see where the country is really heading to socially, politically and economically. Experiences can pretty much tell a person on the roads where he has walked on and where he will be led to. The government of Cambodia is relatively weak and inefficient. When a Prime Minister has to micro-manage every minor problems of the country, then that country is badly managed. All the institutions are useless. Corruption is like a cancer; it is a ticking time bomb and it continue to spread unmanageably. It corrupts the mind and the soul of everyone involved, rich and poor alike, Cambodian inside as well as those residing abroad.
When one look at a country's development such as ours, he/she needs to take into account the human component, real lives that are being negatively affected since it goes far beyond than just some number of tall buildings of 4-5 star-rated hotels, casinos, fancy restaurants, karaoke bars, massage parlors, and new SUV Landcruisers. There are real costs and many opportunities lost to the nation, especially when we look closely at the fabric of our society today compared to what it was prior to 1970.
While we somehow managed to increase the numbers of buildings, business investments (bad and good), cars, motorcycles, bicycles, perhaps a few more rich individuals than before, but let's also look at the cost of other things as well.
Let's look at the gap between the rich and the poor; the magnitude of corruption (size and scale); the irreversible cost of deforestation factored in the climate change effect; the number of Cambodian beggars and those large number of people who have to seek work outside the country at the mercy of our neighbors; the frequency of land evictions which resulted in large number of displaced persons with no future. The large percentage and still growing number of young women being driven into prostitution, something unheard of during the 60s and the 70s. Then, how many Cambodian women would take risky chance to marry foreigners just to get out of poverty and our of the country altogether? Some were reportedly and severely mistreated, sold and re-sold in South Korea, beating up in Malaysia so on and so forth. The number is staggering, something you have never heard of during the Sihanouk era - the way our Cambodian women are being denigrated is shameful at best. Any country has its low point, but Cambodian women and their dignity are being compromised to the maximum as a result of the Cambodian government's corrupt policies and practices.
There is a complete change in Cambodian mentality not for the better of course - one that I am not at all proud of when you are reaching a point where you cannot really trust anyone anymore, not your relatives, your friends, your physicians, your justice system and your government. Doctors that once trained to save lives have turned to extorting patients for cash. There is a very low sense of morality, pride, compassion and righteousness. Having said that, I am encouraged to see that there are still good Cambodians who have unselfishly taken risk to serve, to promote and advocate Cambodia's interests. Good for them and they deserve all the respect and supports in the world.
So, those are the costs which I think we all need to plug into our calculation in order to see if there is other way to encourage a better policy of development - one that is less harsh on the poor and the country as a whole given its long term implication outlook. Social imbalances, injustices, mistreatment of the needy will lead to some strange unwarranted consequences and history has always reminded all of us not to over indulge ourselves with what we should have learnt from our past. What the Khmer Rouge has taught me is to understand what boil underneath the mistreated people and to be attentive to their despair, as well as to be a bit more humane, fair and kind regardless how little you can be a part of.
Is it too late to change from wrongs to rights?
Cambodia can still advance together, but the government has to change its course of action, policy and direction. A complete halt to all land evictions across the country would be a good start to ensure that people could be moved properly or compensated fairly. The Prime Minister, if he is serious about stability and our people's welfare beings, needs to rid of corruption in its entirety, and the passage of corruption law will need to be modified to reflect that sincerity. The government needs to be more open to public scrutiny and criticism since it is natural that people aren't thinking the same. It needs to be more inclusive in political decision and process in order to secure long term stability and peace among all people. It won't solve all the problems but it will be a tremendous start in advancing the country and everyone involved forward to a more equitable state, poor and rich alike.
The Cambodian government could have conducted a more accommodated and yet humane investment policy. It should find for those evictees a new land with proper compensation of cash and shelter without resorting to forced eviction. If Cambodia can lease out so much land to foreigners, then it should be able to formulate a better inclusive investment policy than what it is doing now for its poor and its indigenous people. Speaking of indigenous people, their culture and life style will forever be altered, not for the better but for a whole lot worse than one can imagine.
The new round of assault on land eviction will reach farmers in remote areas, especially indigenous peoples who live far away from the eyes and ears of the main public. Since Cambodia is poised to focus more and more on developing its plantation economy, rubbers and acacia etc.., then we can expect to see a lot more events similar to the one in Kampong Speu taking place in the near future. Given that the government officials, judges and businessmen are not on the receiving end of the evictions, then its is hard to imagine anyone of them will ever understand the magnitude of the cold pain and daily apprehension of the evictees.
As I am writing this, it brought me back to my earlier years as I tried to explain to foreigners in the camp and in America of my personal experience during the Khmer Rouge, including a massacre on a village which I had witnessed a few days after the graves were freshly buried - the experience remains stuck with you given all the gruesome evidences of blood, hairs still attached to the skin. You can tell a story as good as it gets, but for a listener you can never feel the same or get the complete picture as what you were trying to describe. It would almost be the same to say that you can't really feel what the others are feeling since you are not in his/her shoes. In this case, the corrupt judges and all the big fat cats will never learn nor understand the pain of the land evictees.
Watch the video and take a moment to reflect as those people's lives as theirs are being reduced to practically NOTHING. Haven't we learn anything from the rise and fall of the past regimes for the last 50 years or so? It's all from MISTREATMENT of the people. In Cambodia today, it's on a grandiose scale again from not only political, but also from socio-economic standpoint. The gap is getting a lot wider now and it causes a lot of uncertainty and social distress across the land. People are not sure who will be next on the eviction list? Which companies will come in to evict their lands?
The government's own effort to stray away from democracy has continued to hinder meaningful development in all areas of the Cambodian society. At the rate of contracts signed under land concessions, the need to evict people out will be more frequent. It does not take a Ph.D. to see where the country is really heading to socially, politically and economically. Experiences can pretty much tell a person on the roads where he has walked on and where he will be led to. The government of Cambodia is relatively weak and inefficient. When a Prime Minister has to micro-manage every minor problems of the country, then that country is badly managed. All the institutions are useless. Corruption is like a cancer; it is a ticking time bomb and it continue to spread unmanageably. It corrupts the mind and the soul of everyone involved, rich and poor alike, Cambodian inside as well as those residing abroad.
When one look at a country's development such as ours, he/she needs to take into account the human component, real lives that are being negatively affected since it goes far beyond than just some number of tall buildings of 4-5 star-rated hotels, casinos, fancy restaurants, karaoke bars, massage parlors, and new SUV Landcruisers. There are real costs and many opportunities lost to the nation, especially when we look closely at the fabric of our society today compared to what it was prior to 1970.
While we somehow managed to increase the numbers of buildings, business investments (bad and good), cars, motorcycles, bicycles, perhaps a few more rich individuals than before, but let's also look at the cost of other things as well.
Let's look at the gap between the rich and the poor; the magnitude of corruption (size and scale); the irreversible cost of deforestation factored in the climate change effect; the number of Cambodian beggars and those large number of people who have to seek work outside the country at the mercy of our neighbors; the frequency of land evictions which resulted in large number of displaced persons with no future. The large percentage and still growing number of young women being driven into prostitution, something unheard of during the 60s and the 70s. Then, how many Cambodian women would take risky chance to marry foreigners just to get out of poverty and our of the country altogether? Some were reportedly and severely mistreated, sold and re-sold in South Korea, beating up in Malaysia so on and so forth. The number is staggering, something you have never heard of during the Sihanouk era - the way our Cambodian women are being denigrated is shameful at best. Any country has its low point, but Cambodian women and their dignity are being compromised to the maximum as a result of the Cambodian government's corrupt policies and practices.
There is a complete change in Cambodian mentality not for the better of course - one that I am not at all proud of when you are reaching a point where you cannot really trust anyone anymore, not your relatives, your friends, your physicians, your justice system and your government. Doctors that once trained to save lives have turned to extorting patients for cash. There is a very low sense of morality, pride, compassion and righteousness. Having said that, I am encouraged to see that there are still good Cambodians who have unselfishly taken risk to serve, to promote and advocate Cambodia's interests. Good for them and they deserve all the respect and supports in the world.
So, those are the costs which I think we all need to plug into our calculation in order to see if there is other way to encourage a better policy of development - one that is less harsh on the poor and the country as a whole given its long term implication outlook. Social imbalances, injustices, mistreatment of the needy will lead to some strange unwarranted consequences and history has always reminded all of us not to over indulge ourselves with what we should have learnt from our past. What the Khmer Rouge has taught me is to understand what boil underneath the mistreated people and to be attentive to their despair, as well as to be a bit more humane, fair and kind regardless how little you can be a part of.
Is it too late to change from wrongs to rights?
Cambodia can still advance together, but the government has to change its course of action, policy and direction. A complete halt to all land evictions across the country would be a good start to ensure that people could be moved properly or compensated fairly. The Prime Minister, if he is serious about stability and our people's welfare beings, needs to rid of corruption in its entirety, and the passage of corruption law will need to be modified to reflect that sincerity. The government needs to be more open to public scrutiny and criticism since it is natural that people aren't thinking the same. It needs to be more inclusive in political decision and process in order to secure long term stability and peace among all people. It won't solve all the problems but it will be a tremendous start in advancing the country and everyone involved forward to a more equitable state, poor and rich alike.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
An article from the Phnon Penh post
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2010031933896/National-news/land-disputes-flare-in-kampong-speu.html
Land disputes flare in Kampong Speu
Kampong Speu Province
Photo by: Sovan Philong
Villagers armed with clubs and slingshots await the return of police after clashes over land in Kampong Speu province’s Oudong district on Thursday morning.An early-morning altercation between authorities and 88 families at Oudong district’s Phnom Touch commune broke out when the authorities tried to carry out a Supreme Court-ordered eviction of the families from a 65-hectare plot of land, villagers said Thursday. Twelve villagers and 14 local police were hurt in the brawl.
At about 6:45am police attempted to forcibly evict the residents so that they could bring in equipment to tear down their houses, but the eviction was thwarted by locals who attacked police with stones and bamboo clubs, and disrupted their advance with burning tyres, villagers said.
The police responded by beating them with batons and firing their weapons in the air and into trees where villagers had displayed photographs of Prime Minister Hun Sen.
The land in Phnom Touch commune is claimed by the Meng Keth Company, owned by Taiwanese businessman Kuo Sheng. According to a copy of his citizenship request letter obtained by the Post, Kuo Sheng, 62, was granted Cambodian citizenship in 2001 after Hun Sen wrote to then-King Norodom Sihanouk recommending that he be naturalised due to his positive attitude and his role in developing Cambodia.
However, Sun Bun Chhoun, a village representative, insisted that the villagers haven’t sold their farmland to any businessman, and that they would give up their lives to protect it.
Describing the incident Thursday, Sun Bun Chhoun said, “The police did not explain; they just tried to tear down our houses”, adding that eight villagers were seriously hurt after being beaten by the police with batons.
According to another villager, San Mean, about 400 villagers and 150 police were involved in the incident.
“They shot at me, but the bullet just barely caught my ear … the police pushed a pregnant woman to the ground.... They did not care about villagers’ lives,” he said.
The altercation ended around 10:30am when the police withdrew to a nearby location with their equipment – including a fire engine and two excavators. Villagers, fearing the authorities would return, continued guarding their homes rather than take their injured to the hospital, he added.
“We have been here since 1979,” San Mean said, adding that he implored the authorities to stop trying to take over their land.
Ky Dara, a representative of the Meng Keth Company and a partner of Kuo Sheng, says his company bought 223 hectares of land between 1997 and 2000, and that they plan to plant acacia and coconut trees, and build a factory.
“If they say that they have lived there since 1979, please show us a copy of the land documents and we will provide them compensation, because since 1985 our government has released land documents to all Cambodian people,” he said.
“We have tried to avoid violence. We invited the villagers to negotiate, but they did not come, so now I have no idea what will happen to them,” he said, adding that one prosecutor was also injured in the altercation.
“We’ve decided to stop for a while and will find another way to settle this problem later,” he added.
Kampong Speu Governor Kang Heang said: “It’s a simple case: If the villagers beat the police, the police will beat them back.” He added that the authorities are looking to arrest several ring leaders they say are responsible for instigating the protest.
Ouch Leng, a land programme officer for the rights group Adhoc, said that according to his organisation’s research, the Meng Keth Company did not have the proper legal documents, and simply was trying to use force to take over the land at Phnom Touch commune.
“The authorities should not be using violence to settle these problems,” he added. “They should find a peaceful way to settle the issue.”
Photo by: Uy Nousereimony
A villager in Kampong Speu province’s Oudong district holds a portrait of Prime Minister Hun Sen following clashes with police on Thursday morning. Locals say 14 police and 12 villagers were injured as authorities moved to evict 88 families.Company office torched
In a separate incident Thursday, about 500 villagers from Omlaing commune in Kampong Speu’s Thpong district burned down an office belonging to the Phnom Penh Sugar Company, owned by Cambodian People’s Party Senator Ly Yong Phat, after failing to come to resolve their dispute with the business.
The disputed land in Thpong district is part of a 9,000-hectare concession to the company. Meanwhile, Ly Yong Phat, who owns sugar plantations in Koh Kong and Oddar Meanchey provinces that were developed following evictions, has also confirmed he will participate in a controversial partnership between businesses and the Cambodian military that some observers say could see soldiers used to further the aims of the private sector.
Suon Ly, a villager who joined the protest outside the offices, said people from 11 villages came to speak with company representatives about the land dispute, but that when nobody emerged to talk with the group, they decided to torch the company’s office buildings.
Suon Ly added that this is the third time they have tried to speak with representatives of the company.
Governor Kang Heang earlier this month tried to reassure villagers that the concession would not affect their farmland.
Villagers say the company originally offered compensation of US$200 per hectare of rice farmland and $100 per hectare of plantation land, but that as a group they decided to keep their land because they need it to grow rice, which is essential for their livelihoods.
Adhoc’s Ouch Leng said that the villagers “burned down five office buildings” because the authorities and representatives of the company had failed to respond to their requests for negotiations.
Chhean Kimsuon, a representative of Phnom Penh Sugar Company, refused to comment on the incident, and Senator Ly Yong Phat said he had not yet heard about the fire.
Kang Heang could not be reached for comment on the Thpong district dispute.
