Kompong Speu Villagers Plan Court Protest

A roughtly 1,000-person-strong protest will be held outside the Kom­pong Speu Provincial Court­house tomorrow when five residents of Thpong district are due to be questioned over arson and destruction of property allegations linked to a land dispute involving CPP Senator and businessman Ly Yong Phat, community representatives said.

The planned demonstration follows last week’s eruption of violence when hundreds of villagers in Thpong district burned down two makeshift shelters belonging to land concession companies owned by Mr Yong Phat and his wife.

On Friday, a crowd of roughly 600 local people halted the companies’ bulldozers from any further land clearing for a proposed 10,000-hectare sugar cane plantation.

The Phnom Penh Sugar Com­pany alleges in its court complaint that five Omlaing commune vill­agers—You Thou, Khem Vu­thy, Dol Leang, Yuth Than and Chin Sarom—destroyed the wooden shelters and incited other villagers to obstruct the company’s land-clearance equipment. The five have yet to be formally charged with a crime.

Mr Thou, a member of the commune council and one of those summoned for questioning, confirmed that he and the four others would appear in court on Wednesday, but he expressed trepidation for the future.

“Of course, I am really concerned of being arrested and placed in prison because the power is in their hands,” he said yesterday.

San Thou, a villager from the commune who has not been summoned, said people from 12 villages in the commune are due to assemble at the court for a show of solidarity and also prevent the court from detaining the five who have been summoned.

“We are afraid the court will possibility arrest and jail the summoned villagers. So people are gathering to prevent any possible arrest,” Mr San Thou said.

Six villagers have already been questioned by the court in relation to protests against the agricultural concession, making a total of 11 people singled out by authorities for their roles in the land dispute.

Kompong Speu Prosecutor Khut Sopheang could not be reached for comment, but court clerk Seng Cham Roeun said the summonses were a “chance for the villagers to provide sufficient claims to prove their innocence.”

Vann Sokha, secretary-general for the provincial government, said officials in the province are scheduled to meet with the protesting villagers on Friday at the Omlaing commune office.

“Regarding the court’s procedure, it is out of our hand,” Mr Sok­ha maintained.

“We are trying to resolve the matter,” Mr Sokha claimed, adding that the dispute between the companies and the villagers only began after a small group “provoked and set up the matter to urge villagers to protest.”

Commune chief Hap Dam said the meeting would be an opportunity to seek a compromise with villagers and lobby them to accept a relocation deal offered to affected families.

“The new location has a big wa­ter basin to help them grow rice and other crops,” she said.

 

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