Crackdown on Mother Nature Sparks Outrage

Protesters and monitors are escorted to Koh Kong provincial police station yesterday. Photo: Sorn Chandara/Licadho

Khmer Times/Jonathan Cox

Wednesday, 02 September 2015

PHNOM PENH (Khmer Times) – Police in Koh Kong province detained 17 people yesterday morning during a protest in front of the provincial courthouse, tearing down the protesters’ camp in a nearby football field and dispersing the group after weeks of protests.

The crackdown drew swift condemnation from three local rights groups: Adhoc, Licadho and the Community Legal Education Center (CLEC).

In a joint press release they said they were “outraged by the detention of 17 protesters, NGO staff and media workers in Koh Kong’s provincial police station.”

 A group of 50 had gathered to protest the arrest of three environmental activists on August 19, who were charged with threatening to destroy sand-dredging boats in Koh Kong riverbeds. 

Early Wednesday morning, journalists, human rights monitors, and medics who were on the scene to ensure the protest did not turn violent, said protester Thon Ratha. The group was escorted to the local police station, though sources say they were not formally charged or arrested. The group was released at 6:30 pm after being held for almost eight hours.

“Detaining observers, media and a medic as well as protestors is yet another scare tactic now used by the government to intimidate and suppress peaceful dissent of grassroots groups,” Licadho director Naly Pilorge said in the press release. 

Moeun Tola, head of CLEC’s labor program, questioned why the 17 people were detained. “The way that the police treat them, it could be considered confinement or detention,” he said. “I don’t see any grounds that the police should keep them [at the police station].”

After almost two weeks of protests, provincial police in Koh Kong ordered protesters Tuesday night to stop protesting, and told them to vacate the football field they camp at by 5 pm. The police crackdown came earlier than expected though, as the protesters were detained and their tents torn down around 10:30 am. 

Mr. Tola said that by seizing people before the 5 pm deadline the government did not give the protesters time to disperse. “The government should give a clear explanation to the community of when they should go home, explaining what is acceptable or unacceptable,” he said.

The group had been protesting the arrest of three young activists from environmentalist group Mother Nature last month. More than 100 protesters organized by Mother Nature have been opposing sand dredging by Vietnamese companies in the estuary off Andong Teuk commune.

Mr. Ratha said now that the police have shown they will not tolerate further protests at Koh Kong provincial court, the protests will likely end. “[The protests] were legal before, but now they are illegal,” he said. Additional reporting by Tin Sokhavuth