Teenager Gunned Down by Security Forces and a 124,284-Hectare Logging ELC OLICE and Military Forces That Has Been Cancelled
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NATIONAL TWO DEAD AFTER SHOOTING IN SHOP PAGE - 3 R 1377 E MB U N SSUE I THURSDAY, MAY 17, 2012 Successful People Read The Post 4000 RIELS BUSINEss SPORT Rice export outlook not good PAGE 7 Pacman floors Olympic hopes BACK PAGE The body of Heng Chantha, 14, lies on a mat at her family’s home in Kratie province yesterday. She was shot dead by heavily armed officials who opened fire on a group of about 1,000 families they were sent to evict from the province’s Chhlong district. Two other villagers were injured during the confrontation. PHOTO SUPPLIED Girl killed in eviction May Titthara and David Boyle sion granted in 2007 near the area Teenager gunned down by security forces and a 124,284-hectare logging ELC OLICE and military forces that has been cancelled. shot dead a 14-year-old girl the latest, but perhaps most shock- had sprayed heavy automatic gunfire The forces were ordered to evict A military police officer who took yesterday when hundreds of ing, incident in a bloody wave of at them twice. On the second occas- the residents by a joint committee of part in the operation and spoke on heavily armed officers violence that military forces have ion, a bullet hit his 14-year-old sister, Minister of Interior Sar Kheng, Nat- condition of anonymity said they stormedP a village in Kratie province committed against activists and Heng Chantha, in the stomach. ional Police chief Neth Savoeun and had been ordered to storm the vil- and sprayed automatic gunfire dur- protesters this year. “My sister was just doing something Kratie provincial governor Sar Cham lage by the joint committee on be- ing a forced eviction. Witnesses said that about 8:30 yes- in my house, but she got hit in her Rong, which accused them of forming half of Casotim and another com- Two other people were injured and terday morning, hundreds of military stomach and she died along the way an autonomous state through a group pany that he did not name. five were arrested during the clash police, supported by a helicopter, when I took her to get medical treat- called “Democratic Association”. He said his forces acted in self-de- with residents of Prama village, in had stormed into the village, roun- ment at Snuol [district] hospital,” Te- But the residents of Prama village fence against the armed villagers, who Chhlong district’s Kampong Dam- ded people into separate groups and ang Kem Srin said. have been in a long-running land attacked a police officer last month. rei commune, some of whom were opened fire on them with automatic His sister “knew nothing”, he said, dispute with the company Casotim, “If we did not fire on them, they armed with crossbows or axes. weapons. and called on Prime Minister Hun which has an active 15,000-hectare The killing of the teenager is just Teang Kem Srin, 28, said the forces Sen to intervene. agricultural economic land conces- Continues on page 2 INSIDE 16 pages 2 THE PHNOM PENH POST MAY 17, 2012 National Girl killed Death points in violent eviction up urgency Continues from page 1 would have killed us, because we of ELC review had experience one time already,” he said, adding that Bridget Di Certo state at the department of plan- they arrested five people, who he and Chhay Channyda ning and statistics. did not identify, but confirmed The under-secretary, Ith they failed to catch the group’s HE government needs Nody, could not be reached leader, Bun Ratha. to act – and act now – yesterday, while Chhay Sakun, On April 6, Bun Ratha was to review all econom- deputy director of the depart- arrested for allegedly inciting ic land concessions, ment of planning and statistics villagers to destroy a Casotim whichT un derscore the King- in charge of economic land office, but police released him dom’s dark disease of violent concessions, declined to com- four days later after hundreds land disputes, rights groups ment and referred all questions of villagers repeatedly blocked said yesterday. about how the regulation would national road 78. Two villagers armed with homemade weapons were arrested following a violent eviction, during which a Ten days after Prime Minister be implemented back to the 14-year-old girl was shot dead by officials, yesterday in Kratie province’s Chhlong district. PHoto SUPPLIED In a statement released after Hun Sen signed a regulation for ministry management level. the incident, the Ministry of Inte- it so no one could get in. “I with our measures, and now we lost its credibility,” she said. an immediate and indefinite However, Council of Ministers’ rior said it was looking to inves- have been living in that area for can control that area and other Mathieu Pellerin, a consultant moratorium on any new eco- spokesman Ek Tha yesterday tigate and arrest Democratic about seven years already, now villagers had left from that area with the rights group Licahdo, nomic land concession grants said that the regulation demon- Association leader Bun Ratha, they come to take my house already,” he said. said the situation had reached a and a review of all existing ones, strated Hun Sen’s firm commit- 32, and masterminds Bun Chorn, and give the land to the com- But he was sorry a teenage new low. “It is turning out to be a teenage girl, caught up in a ment to addressing the issue. 55, Sok Tong, 61, Ma Chang, 47, pany. They were very cruel to girl had been killed by a stray the most violent year ever when protest over farmland, was shot and Khat Saroeun, 42. shoot on villagers like we are bullet that he said accidentally it comes to the use of lethal force and killed by military officials. This morning’s The five men are accused of animals,” she said. ricocheted into her. against activism,” he said. “This morning’s [death] was [death] ... highlights six offences including fraudu- She denied any plot to create Rights groups, the opposition In January, security guards linked to a conflict that arose the urgency of a lently distributing land, kid- an autonomous state and said and observers expressed disbe- dressed in military fatigues from a land concession, and review by the napping two soldiers, illegally now she was homeless. lief that the military police had opened fire on a crowd of pro- this further highlights the government of all blocking roads, nullifying vil- Kratie governor Sar Cham yet again fired on the public this testers in Kratie’s Snuol dis- urgency of a review by the land concessions lages, threatening village Rong was upbeat about the suc- year, just over three weeks after trict, injuring three people, government of all land con- chiefs and preventing officials cess of the operation, which he they gunned down environmen- one seriously. cession,” Licadho consultant “Recently, our Prime Min- from registering citizens. said had foiled the “Democratic tal activist Chut Wutty. In February, three female pro- Mathieu Pellerin said. ister issued a direct order to Sok Phany, 34, who fled the Association” – the so-called Surya Subedi, the UN special testers were shot, one through “An honest review of all land suspend ELCs, this shows the village with her two children organisation the joint commit- rapporteur on human rights, the chest, at a protest outside a concessions issued by the gov- government commitment to before the shooting, said the tee has alleged is behind a suc- who just wrapped up a trip to shoe factory in Svay Rieng prov- ernment whether technically pay more attention to the so- forces had evicted everybody cession movement. Cambodia where he investigated ince’s Bavet town, allegedly by labelled as economic land con- cial needs of our people,” Ek and set up a perimeter around “A lot of villagers are happy economic land concessions and the town governor who was cessions or otherwise is nec- Tha said. “We all must respect evictions, said he was shocked. charged but never arrested. essary,” Pellerin said. “These and execute his policy for the “I am very concerned by this Ek Tha, a spokesman at the land concessions granted by benefit of our people and the killing, which comes soon after Council of Minister’s Quick the government have led to nation as a whole.” the killing of Mr Chut Wutty. and Press Reaction Unit, called land conflict.” Rights groups were initially This is a very worrying trend the killing “heartbreaking” and After the regulation was sceptical of what change the indeed,” he said. said the culture of violence announced, which was de- regulation would introduce, Sam Rainsy Party lawmaker had to stop. termined by the Council of with some labelling it a “politi- and human rights campaigner “It is time for Cambodian Ministers a day after the mur- cal ploy”. Mu Sochua said Prime Minister armed officials to think and der of forestry activist Chut Pellerin said yesterday’s inci- Hun Sen had completely lost think and think again and again Wutty, the Post contacted gov- dent only added to doubts. control of the military and before raising guns to shoot at ernment officials to enquire “The real issue here is wheth- needed to face up, in person, to [their] own blood, own people,” about the implementation of er the government has any will his people to explain. he said, adding that villagers also the regulation. to do any type of real review,” “The prime minister has lost needed to not protest violently. At the time, officials did not he said.