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Posted by: | Posted on: August 16, 2011

Scope of land evictions revealed

By Phnom Penh Post

Venerable Loun Sovath, the senior monk in Siem Reap’ province’s Chi Kraeng district, said that evictions violated human rights and international laws. “I call on the government, relevant ministries and stakeholders to enhance respect for human rights and the law,” he said. Loun Sovath has become an outspoken voice on land rights issues over the past two years, combining human rights and a respect for the rule of law with peaceful advocacy grounded in Buddhist precepts.  His advocacy on behalf of communities involved in land disputes began after two members of his family were shot during a land dispute in 2009.

Tuesday, 16 August 2011 15:01, John Anthony
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Photo by: Hong Menea

The Venerable Luon Sovath speaks during a meeting at the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights yesterday in Phnom Penh.

Land stats 2007-11

  • Worst provinces
    1. Phnom Penh –  22 conflicts
    2. Banteay Meanchey – 17
    3. Rattanakkiri – 17
  • Families: An estimated 47,342 families have been affected or could be in the future.
  • Resolution: About 90% of land conflict cases are unresolved.

Victims of land disputes nationwide are being encouraged to unite, as figures released yesterday highlighted the magnitude of what is often referred to as an “epidemic of land grabbing”.

Ownership of at least 5 percent of all land in Cambodia was a matter of dispute between 2007 and 2011, according to a study by the Cambodian Centre for Human Rights.

CCHR presented the findings of its study on land conflicts in Cambodia at a press conference in Phnom Penh yesterday. As many as 47,000 families had been or could be affected by land conflict cases, some of which are ongoing, covered in the study.
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Posted by: | Posted on: August 16, 2011

My young boy nostalgia, part I

Of course, I didn’t know much during the Khmer Rouge regime in between 1975-79, I started knowing something was in late 1982 when I was unable to chew and swallow the porridge of banana trunk. This dinner image has inscribed in my mind ever since. Many people including my siblings were so skinny, infected and weary.

Sit down under a tree to protect from a scorching sun, as I looked at far distance, my mind was so imaginary. Sometime, it thought of having a nice home equipped by luxurious furniture. Sometime, it wandered far to horizon through the air as my ears heard of airplane was flying. Sometime, it desired for huge amount of money to pleasure life. Suddenly, I was shaken by a rocket explosion at the edge of Phum Dong-het. I must rush to look around if my cows are still nearby. But none I saw. All my cows were so alert and I thought they left for home already. I had to run fast back home for both security and herding the cows to avoiding from eating and destroying seeds of neighbors.

It was in 1987 when I was in grade 7, the situation at my village was so ravaged by fractional fighting especially between Khmer Rouge guerrilla and Vietnamese army. The village is comparing like a cord for the players of “tug-of-war”. Villagers were so subservient to the inquiries of both Khmer Rouge army and Vietnamese army. In the night, they had no choice but to welcome Khmer Rouge army. In the day, they have no choice but to greet Vietnamese army. But if any of these two groups come to my village on a wrong schedule, the fighting must be happening. Both sides had good quality of weaponry and guns supported by their ideological masters in this very deadly confrontational war. The villagers were the front shield for them. But I don’t think that both factions had respected the universal rule of warfare. Very often, villagers who are civil people and gun-less were shot to dead, bruised, maimed or kidnapped; grain of rice, vegetables and livestocks are target for fighting supply. More often, family that has young singled and pretty daughters must hide them from the eyes of those soldiers from both sides. As we had to work hard on the rice field in the day, some night we had to stay inside bunker or escape away for personal and live-stocks security without having a nap.

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Posted by: | Posted on: July 27, 2011

Email from Canada, Freedom and the challenges of teen pregnancy in Canada

FREEDOM is the lifeblood of human enterprise.  Free-market countries have higher standards of living, social development and productivity levels.  Some, though, contend that freedom is a double-edged sword.

Greater independence from parents and guardians can lead to the creation of a more open, more progressive society in which young people are free to engage their talents and amass practical knowledge.

But some say too much freedom can lead to undisciplined and incompetent adolescents.

In Canada, adolescents enjoy a wide array of freedoms, sexual, romantic and otherwise.  But high teen pregnancy and divorce rates have some policymakers worried.

Still, statistics show that national teen pregnancy rates have been declining.  A study from 1996 to 2006 showed a drop of 37 per cent, compared with a 25 per cent decline in the neighbouring US.

This doesn’t necessarily mean  teenagers are less sexually active.  In fact, a study found about 50      per cent of teens aged 16 and 17 engage in sexual activity.

These findings confirm what has become only too visible in daily life: teens holding hands, hugging, kissing and generally revelling in young love, all in public.

The teen-pregnancy study includes statistics on births, abortions and miscarriages.  The Canadian government views all three outcomes as having a negative impact on society.
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Posted by: | Posted on: July 18, 2011

The decision of ICJ and the invisibility of modern world

I am glad to hear about this settlement. But I am disappointed about the order to withdraw Cambodian troops from the zone. Other provisions such as Cambodia can access to the zone without disturbed and allow the zone to be mediated by ASEAN. I am not good in legal procedure, but this order seems take into account of compromise rather than legally decision-making. At the note underneath, the ICJ has been established by the UNs since 1954. So the on-going task of this organ must not be worried. But what I am worrying is the change of legal set in accordance with the change of global and regional embodiments. For instance, in 1962, the influence of ASEAN or the proportional work must not be concerned by the ICJ to harvest with regional body like the ASEAN.

Furthermore, Thailand took a wrong path of its policy regarding conflict zone and border dispute by militarizing. Thailand should operate policy in the conflict zone as well as along the border line by materializing. Vietnam has successfully operated its co-operative policy with Cambodia in its modern update of economic innovation (I think they use the term do moi in Vietnamese). Vietnam has changed the conflict zone and border theme into the zone of development and co-operation (materialization). Vietnam has gained both the existing influence they capitalized during the 1979-1990 and the economic boom achieving during their do moi policy of economic liberalization and materialization.

Of course, if we look back to the post-sponsored democratization by UNs in Cambodia, Thailand successfully injected its media, telecommunication and other businesses in Cambodia. But after the burning of Thai embassy and the coup detat in 1997, Thailand has gradually lost its confidence in capitalizing economic cooperation with Cambodia.

In tern of this imbalanced approach between Thailand and Vietnam in Cambodia, the serious question will fall upon the policy makers and leaders of Cambodia. Remember, Cambodia has been in troubles as well as lost its pieces by pieces of border territory because of the imbalanced policies towards these two countries since the pre-French colonial to post-French colonial, and it is likely to this modern Cambodia.

Cambodian ancient saying keeps remind us that “the visible enemies are not dangerous to us, but the invisible ones are”. The decision of the ICJ might consider the path to strengthening cooperation between Thailand and Cambodia more important than to make these two countries a foe with one another. And the modern world is more invisible than visible. So Cambodia needs strong leadership of genuine democratization, policy planners, learned and experienced policy strategists, good governance and the rule of laws in order to confront with the invisibility and puzzling odds of current approaches of globalization and undeniable co-operations with every partner.

Sophan

ICJ order of 18 Jul 2011