Violence Breaks Out Over Land Dispute in K Speu Province

Police and military police in Kompong Speu province’s Phnom Sruoch district yesterday fired their guns in the air and used electronic batons to beat villagers who were protesting against provincial authorities attempting to clear their land, a rights group said. More than 100 villagers blocked National Road 4 for three hours after police and military police moved in with bulldozers to clear 160 hectares of farm and residential land, said Chheng Somphors, a senior monitor at human rights group Adhoc. Mr Somphors said that none of the protestors were seriously injured, but some sustained minor injuries on their hands and torsos. He also said one man was briefly detained. “For authorities to take measures like that, it is not an acceptable solution. The authorities ought to find a solution that both parties can agree to,” he said. In March 2009, the Supreme Court ordered that villagers in the disputed area in Treng Trayoeng commune relocated to an area 5 Km away. However, villagers refused, as the designated area is also to be cleared, said Seng Oeun, a villager representative. “The people disagreed with the authorities, and we protested against them,” he said. He also said that since the case has been sent to the Court of Appeals, the government has no right to clear the land until the case has finished its route through the justice system. Tep Mean, Phnom Sruoch district governor, confirmed that military police shot their weapons in the air to move the villagers from the road, but he declined to comment about whether villagers were beaten with electronic batons. Provincial court deputy prosecutor Muth Dara said the villagers were confused about the case. “The villagers do not understand this case, and yet they protest against the authorities,” he said.