October, 2014
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Cambodia land grab victims seek ICC ‘crimes against humanity’ probe
Blogger’s Comment: The Age of Enlightenment (យុគនៃការត្រាស់ដឹង) emerged with the creation of the United Nations (UNs) to safeguard the world from annihilation and destruction. While the UNs have been twisted by each powerful country for their own gain, the effort to bring about just, impunity and peace is also unstoppable. When I was young, I heard a lot about the legend and fairy story of angel and devil, good and bad, Eisey and Eiso etc. This political myth has forever existed in our earth. UNs have been created to symbolize the good actor in which global citizens have embraced. The ICC has experienced huge challenges to convict the accused although its jurisdiction is prevalent. Since the creation of the ICC, not many events that this world’s court of justice has been successful. But as said, the Khmer proverb keeps reminding us: “ជង់មិនដែលភ្លេចកុក តែកុកទេដែលរមែងភ្លេចជង់ or snare has never forgotten the heron bird, but the heron bird itself has always forgotten the snare”.
Aid groups estimate that 770,000 people, or 6 per cent of Cambodia’s population, have been evicted since 2000, including 20,000 people in the first three months of 2014.
Courtesy: AFP
PHOTOS
Cambodian military police stand guard as a bulldozer clears the Borei Keila community after the forced eviction of residents from a slum village in the centre of Phnom Penh on Jan 4, 2012. (AFP/Tang Chhin Sothy)
ENLARGECAPTION
THE HAGUE: Victims of land grabs by Cambodia’s “ruling elite” called on Tuesday (Oct 7) for the International Criminal Court to probe their mass evictions as a crime against humanity.
Courtesy: Bangkok Post
Hundreds of thousands of Cambodians have been affected as part of a “widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population, pursuant to state policy,” said a complaint to be filed at The Hague-based ICC. “The ruling elite have illegally seized and re-allocated millions of hectares of valuable land from poor Cambodians for exploitation or speculation by its members and foreign investors,” said the complaint to be filed on behalf of victims by lawyer Richard Rogers on Tuesday.
Ms. Sorn Sievmey: the modern heroine of Cambodia in a controversial context
Her first speech after championing gold medal of Taekwondo match from her rival in Asian Games 2014 at South Korea, Sievmey proudly said:“First of all, I would like to thank my mom who gave me life, who breastfed and raised me, and who has encouraged me all the time….” Her brilliant and vivid words are reflecting tough stature of Khmer women, and one of them is her mom who is a widow after her husband died several years leaving 6 children as a family burden for her to bear with. In Cambodian society, and like many other societies, children are taken care by mother; but the most challenging motherhood in Cambodia is there are many single-moms who must take care many children by her own responsibility without having support or subsidy from the government. Ms. Seavmey is her last daughter among those six children. She is only 18 years old. She failed the first BAC II exam this year, while she is busy in training to bring back both personal achievement and national fame, her second exam laid out by the Ministry of Education might be possibly unsuccessful. However, the prospect to give her BAC II pass for free from the Ministry is feasible and indisputable.
Ms. Sorn Chanty who is Siev Mey’s mother is very proud of her daughter’s achievement. In the news interview, she suddenly exclaimed that her daughter is bringing fame for the Cambodian people. Ms. Sievmey, who was trained out of the Olympic Stadium under South Korean coach Choi Yong-Sok, beat fighters from Uzbekistan, the Philippines and Iran to take the women’s under-73kg gold.
The national heroine of gold medalist Siev Mey landed home with the warmest welcome from Khmer compatriots. She is greeted in person by the Minister of Sport and Education, and the Minister of Tourism. Ms. Sorn Siev Mey must be supported by both short term and long term plan. Many thousands dollars shall be handed to her from personal pocket of Khmer millionaires including the Prime Minister Hun Sen. This action is considered a short term welcoming. At a long term support and modeling, the Cambodian Assembly through Commission for Women Affairs and Labors etc. led by Mrs. Ke Sovannaroath, must set up an agenda to approve for her status of at lease Special National Ambassador for Sport and Education of Cambodia with salary and recognition of not lower than Secretary of State. This action would encourage and empower the merit-based culture in Cambodian society.
Ms. Sorn Siev Mey has involved in many sport matches in both national and international arenas. Currently, she is possessing 7 medals of three gold medals, three copper medals, and one silver medal. In the future, she must be a national icon. The responsible government must be able to allow her to using her own potential at the highest such as to instruct and lead millions of Cambodian youths with genuine prize of merit.
‘Hun Sen’s Cambodia’ Charts Country’s Modern Political Changes
What is your vision about political development in Cambodia? Are you optimistic that better change is on the way?
Well, I am certainly optimistic that the demographic trend of this country is pointing the way it is. Now whether the changes that are happening are in a way that the West would describe as democratic or not, I am a little less certain of. But I certainly think the future of Cambodia will be bright. I think that there is very good chance that whether Prime Minister Hun Sen remains in power in the medium or long term or not, there is going to be a need for his party to address the concerns of the people. I don’t expect Cambodia to become a democracy overnight, and I think it would be naive to expect that, but I do hope that the government in power, regardless of its political character, will create a system that is more just and fair to ordinary people.
Sebastian Strangio, an international freelance correspondent and former editor at the Phnom Penh Post, has recently published a book, titled “Hun Sen’s Cambodia.”
