Thursday, November 18, 2010

Villagers’ Life after the Eviction of Angkor Sugar

On October 14, 2009 some 50 families in O’Bat Moan were donated by Licadho with food, materials and others.

Mr. Chheng Sophors, Senior Human Rights Monitor for Licadho said the organization supported the victims, including 400 kilograms of un-milled rice, 40 tents, can fishes and noodles. In addition, the organization also provided them with a lawyer to defend this case.

Mr. Ly Socheata, the lawyer claimed he had filed paperwork with the Siem Reap court on October 14, seeking the release of one of the arrested men, Ma Ouk Chhoeurn, 45. He added he would send requests for the release of the other men – Long Sarith, 24, and Long Chamkir.

On October 19, 2009 about 30 families from the aforesaid village came up to Phnom Penh in order to protest in front of the Council of Ministers. Later on they went to Prime Minister Hun Sen’s house in Takmao town to seek the premier’s intervention in order that they could get enough amount of land for their agricultural practice.

After 129 houses were completely burned and destroyed, villagers were forced to accept the authority’s compensation by giving them 30-meter-by-50-meter plots for home construction and each 1 hectare plot as farm land; but they complained that the amount was too small to support their living condition in case they were big families.

On November 23, a coalition of NGOs planned to file a joint petition to the provincial governor of Oddar Meanchey to request that those villagers whose homes had been wholly burned in a violent eviction be permitted to harvest the rice crop on their former land.

Mr. Srey Naren, Adhoc coordinator in Oddar Meanchey said that his group was trying to prepare document in order to send to the governor. The group had collected thumbprints from representatives of more than 11 NGOs to allow the harvest to go ahead.

However on December 1, 2009 a villager reported in the condition of anonymity that their rice had already been harvested by those local authorities, who prevented villagers from entering there.

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