Top: A former Borei Keila resident cries after being forced onto a bus by police and security guards during a protest outside City Hall in Phnom Penh yesterday. About 30 people were detained and then bused to Prey Speu correctional centre in Choam Chao commune in Phnom Penh’s Pursenchey district. Hong Menea/Phnom Penh Post
Bottom: Former Borei Keila residents are forced onto a bus by police and security guards during a protest yesterday outside City Hall in Phnom Penh.Hong Menea/Phnom Penh Post
By Khoun Leakhana
By Khoun Leakhana
Thursday, 12 January 2012
The Phnom Penh Post
See more pictures here.
About 30 Borei Keila residents, including six children, were being detained in a small cell in Prey Speu Correctional Centre in the capital’s Chaom Chao commune last night after police forced them onto a bus outside city hall on Preah Monivong Boulevard during another day of protests, a detained resident said.
For the second day in a row, displaced residents marched from Borei Keila – where their homes lie in ruins – to the city centre to demand municipal governor Kep Chutema resolve their land dispute and release the eight residents detained during violent clashes in Borei Keila on January 3.
Residents handed Hok Hour Lim, deputy director of the legal office of city hall, a petition at about 10:45am.
Defying an order to go home because they “had no homes”, about 30 of the 45 residents protested throughout the afternoon – chanting slogans through megaphones, waving signs and spilling onto the road – before about 60 police forced them onto a bus about 4:30pm, which drove them to the correctional facility.
Speaking by phone from Prey Speu late yesterday, detained villager Chum Ngan, 36, said all 30 people, including six children, were being detained in a 10 x 10 metre room.
“I heard that the officials said that we have to be detained here until all the old buildings in Borei Keila community are destroyed and the dispute is solved,” she said.
Kiet Chhe, deputy administrative director of municipal hall, defended the response from the authorities, saying residents had been sent to Prey Speu “for their own protection”.
“We took them there to give them protection and vocational training and to support their children to go to school,” he said. “We don’t want their children in their protest because they have to go to school.”
Khiev Malay, 38, said Daun Penh district police had pushed her to the ground and kicked her until she was unconscious during the protest; however, police denied this allegation.
Naly Pilorge, director of rights group Licadho, said residents were being treated as “sub-human” and their detention at the correctional centre was likely to enflame the situation.
“This decision ... is illegal and shocking. If there needed to be any further proof of Prey Speu’s sole purpose, this is it,” she said.
“The goal is likely to get these people out of the way so that the controversy dies down. But this may in fact do the opposite.
“This action really raises the ante in what was already an outrageous case.”
In 2003, Phan Imex agreed to construct 10 buildings on two hectares of land at Borei Keila to house 1,776 families, in exchange for development rights to a remaining 2.6 hectares.
The firm has constructed only eight buildings.
The Phnom Penh Post
See more pictures here.
About 30 Borei Keila residents, including six children, were being detained in a small cell in Prey Speu Correctional Centre in the capital’s Chaom Chao commune last night after police forced them onto a bus outside city hall on Preah Monivong Boulevard during another day of protests, a detained resident said.
For the second day in a row, displaced residents marched from Borei Keila – where their homes lie in ruins – to the city centre to demand municipal governor Kep Chutema resolve their land dispute and release the eight residents detained during violent clashes in Borei Keila on January 3.
Residents handed Hok Hour Lim, deputy director of the legal office of city hall, a petition at about 10:45am.
Defying an order to go home because they “had no homes”, about 30 of the 45 residents protested throughout the afternoon – chanting slogans through megaphones, waving signs and spilling onto the road – before about 60 police forced them onto a bus about 4:30pm, which drove them to the correctional facility.
Speaking by phone from Prey Speu late yesterday, detained villager Chum Ngan, 36, said all 30 people, including six children, were being detained in a 10 x 10 metre room.
“I heard that the officials said that we have to be detained here until all the old buildings in Borei Keila community are destroyed and the dispute is solved,” she said.
Kiet Chhe, deputy administrative director of municipal hall, defended the response from the authorities, saying residents had been sent to Prey Speu “for their own protection”.
“We took them there to give them protection and vocational training and to support their children to go to school,” he said. “We don’t want their children in their protest because they have to go to school.”
Khiev Malay, 38, said Daun Penh district police had pushed her to the ground and kicked her until she was unconscious during the protest; however, police denied this allegation.
Naly Pilorge, director of rights group Licadho, said residents were being treated as “sub-human” and their detention at the correctional centre was likely to enflame the situation.
“This decision ... is illegal and shocking. If there needed to be any further proof of Prey Speu’s sole purpose, this is it,” she said.
“The goal is likely to get these people out of the way so that the controversy dies down. But this may in fact do the opposite.
“This action really raises the ante in what was already an outrageous case.”
In 2003, Phan Imex agreed to construct 10 buildings on two hectares of land at Borei Keila to house 1,776 families, in exchange for development rights to a remaining 2.6 hectares.
The firm has constructed only eight buildings.
8 comments:
Land's price high rising in the market today. People from the rural area or nowhere came to clear land and claim it as their lands..?? People should realize that Lands belonged to state the samething with boeung kok area...There's no people living there before?? The place is for people jogging, canoeing, relaxing, it's a state park during King Suramaridh reign....People taken advantage on govt today coz of their greeds!!!!!!
These people live there since 1979, the same year as when Hun Sen, Chea Sim, Heng Samrin and other CPP leaders occupied empty houses and land and got to keep them, so these people have the rights to keep their land. Under present law, anyone occupied any land more than 5 years can keep ithem
Govt paying these people for relocate...We(govt) need to rebuild our country, all city and town throughout the kingdom will be rebuild...It'gonna be good for all cambodian people in the future, jobs, economy, lots lots of thing will happening!!You don't want to live in a SLUM?? Take the offer and relocate or take a new condo...But people want more thing, it just like you give them a car, they want money for gas too??
13 January 2012 2:32 AM comments must be Hun Sen. Sound like it. Look Govt need negotiates with it people. You can't blame people when you are as govt body so corrupted and can't reinforce law. You still can force people to move out in a better and peaceful way. From my understand was that people were offer a deal to move out but those deal only happen when you know someone who is that team (the one was appointed to negotiate). For example each family was offer $30000 US dollar to move or they can move into a new build house which locate in 10Km from PP with $5000 on top. Then the Negotiator come to people and said "here $4000 and you have to move".Will people be happy about it? For sure they are not. if you know them (negotiator) they would say "here $30000 and you can move into a new build house". Now you tell me if i am wrong?
It is just to steal the land from the poor and give it to the rich.
these peoples deserve in jail, they so stupid, i have no mercy on them
finally subhuman people like 3:18PM shown up here too.
3:18 PM is not even subhuman, he is worse than animal because even and an animal loves and protects their own kind, not killing their own kind. These people are victims, they have their land and homes taken away, so to dehumanize them like 3:18PM did is very cruel indeed.
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