Phnom Penh Towh Hall official attempted to evict Ven. Loun Sovath from a rally in Phnom Penh on 25th March, 2011.
By Khmerization
Source: RFA
Ven. Loun Sovath, the activist monk who had actively campaigned against land evictions, said that after he was banned from residing at any pagodas in Siem Reap, authority threatened to evict students who stay at his abode at Phnom Penh's Wat Ounnalom Pagoda and threatened to dismantle his abode. "Ounnalom Pagoda in Phnom Penh is a pagoda where I have stayed for more than 10 years, 15 years to be exact, where I reside at abode No. 45 where I have a small room to live, to study Buddhist teachings. This room was built by myself from timber, about 2 metres long and 1.5 metres wide. But at the end, I was evicted from the pagoda and other pagodas had banned me from residing. Not only that, the Buddhist officials and the Buddhist Patriarch had threatened the students who are staying and studying at the pagoda, by threatening them not to have any contacts with me. They accused those students of conniving with me because I have sometimes come in and out of the pagoda", he said.
Ven. Loun Sovath has appealed to the authority to provide justice to those students who had done nothing wrong. "In relation to my case, the religious officials and authority have evicted me and banned me from residing in many pagodas in Phnom Penh, as well as in Siem Reap. Up until now, I don't have a permanent abode in any particular pagodas, but I'd rather face the problems by myself and let them evict only me alone", he said.
Despite receiving threats for his activism, his campaigns against deforestation and evictions of poor people from their lands, Ven. Loun Vovath has risked his own life by vowing to continue his campaigns. "I will continue to demand freedom, justice like those people who have been evicted from their homes, their residences and from their lands", he said.
Ven. Loun Sovath has been threatened with arrests on many occasions and was banned from all pagodas in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. He has gone into hiding once before, but re-appeared recently to attend rallies against evictions and deforestation of Prey Lang. NGOs and foreign human rights defenders fear for his life and safety.
Source: RFA
Ven. Loun Sovath, the activist monk who had actively campaigned against land evictions, said that after he was banned from residing at any pagodas in Siem Reap, authority threatened to evict students who stay at his abode at Phnom Penh's Wat Ounnalom Pagoda and threatened to dismantle his abode. "Ounnalom Pagoda in Phnom Penh is a pagoda where I have stayed for more than 10 years, 15 years to be exact, where I reside at abode No. 45 where I have a small room to live, to study Buddhist teachings. This room was built by myself from timber, about 2 metres long and 1.5 metres wide. But at the end, I was evicted from the pagoda and other pagodas had banned me from residing. Not only that, the Buddhist officials and the Buddhist Patriarch had threatened the students who are staying and studying at the pagoda, by threatening them not to have any contacts with me. They accused those students of conniving with me because I have sometimes come in and out of the pagoda", he said.
Ven. Loun Sovath has appealed to the authority to provide justice to those students who had done nothing wrong. "In relation to my case, the religious officials and authority have evicted me and banned me from residing in many pagodas in Phnom Penh, as well as in Siem Reap. Up until now, I don't have a permanent abode in any particular pagodas, but I'd rather face the problems by myself and let them evict only me alone", he said.
Despite receiving threats for his activism, his campaigns against deforestation and evictions of poor people from their lands, Ven. Loun Vovath has risked his own life by vowing to continue his campaigns. "I will continue to demand freedom, justice like those people who have been evicted from their homes, their residences and from their lands", he said.
Ven. Loun Sovath has been threatened with arrests on many occasions and was banned from all pagodas in Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. He has gone into hiding once before, but re-appeared recently to attend rallies against evictions and deforestation of Prey Lang. NGOs and foreign human rights defenders fear for his life and safety.
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