CCHR HRD Alert - Threats Against CCHR Land Reform Project Coordinator

Human Rights Defender Alert – Phnom Penh, 10 May 2014

Threats Against CCHR Land Reform Project Coordinator

Brief Description:

On 9 May 2014, Mr. Vann Sophat, the Project Coordinator of the Land Reform Project at the Cambodian Center for Human Right(“CCHR”) was intimidated and received death threats while conducting a visit at the site of a land dispute located in Sangkat Boeung Kak I, Khan Tuol Kork, Phnom Penh. Around 4:30pm, while Mr. Sophat was shooting a video in order to follow up on the case of Mr. Ly Sreakheng’s family, one of the three families who have been involved in a land dispute with the Khun Sear Company, and to produce footage for a documentary on the demolition of the site. Mr. Sophat left the site at around 4:50pm after he was pushed, threatened and verbally attacked by a group of approximately six civilians, who are known as security guards for the Khun Sear Company.

Mr. Vann Sophat went to the site while the Khun Sear Company security guards were demolishing the home of one of the three families. He was interrupted by a group of Khun Sear Company security guards, who were armed with knives, axes and hammers. They pushed him out of the site as other threatened to cut him on the head.  One of them loudly insulted and screamed at him, saying “Old fool! I will not allow you to be free.” The same security guard ordered another to take a photograph of Mr. Sophat and of his car’s number plate. On 25 May 2014, Mr. Vann Sophat and his team first visited the site to begin producing documentary footage of Mr. Ly Sreakheng’s family. During the shooting, around 10 Khun Sear Company security guards tried to interrupt by verbally attacking Mr. Sreakheng. One of them photographed the team, focusing on Mr. Sophat’s face.

  

Mr. Ly Sreakheng and two other families have been living on the plot of land No.18, Street 289 and 528, Khan Tuol Kork, Phnom Penh since 1982. Prior to this, the land was occupied by the Vietnamese army between 1979 and 1982. In 1985, the Sangkat Boeung Kak I opened an office in the same building and in 2005, so did the Cambodian Peoples’ Party. The three families attempted multiple times to register their lands under the 2001 Land Law but have continuously been ignored by the authorities. On 4 October, 2010 the Council of Minister issued a letter signed by Mr. Bun Huy, Secretary of State, exchanging the disputed land with the Khun Sear Company. In order to proceed to the exchange, in 2013, the cadastral department of the Phnom Penh Municipality issued a land certificate stating that the disputed land belongs to the State. Since then, the Khun Sear Company has claimed ownership of the land. The three families, particularly Mr. Ly Srea Kheng’s have been harassed and violated again and again since May 2013 without any serious intervention from the authority. The company’s guards have destroy the plant, disconnect electricity, damage the material use for their business, beat and cut the families member, burn the house and currently facing demolish of their house.  Mr. Ly Sreakheng and his family members have requested for intervention from NGOs including CCHR regarding security and finding solution for land dispute.

For more information, please contact CCHR Human Rights Defenders Project Coordinator Chhunly Chhay via telephone at +855 (0) 1752 8021 or email at chhunly.chhay@cchrcambodia.org.