Beoung Kok Lake, Urban Development and Poverty Reduction

Posted by: | Posted on: October 5, 2011

“Cambodia’s 2001 Land Law prohibits deprivation of ownership without due process and grants the right to apply for a land title to someone who has been in possession of a private property for five years. Article 44 of the Constitution states that the government can only deprive someone of property for “public interest” purposes and requires the payment of fair and just compensation.

Land issue in Cambodia is lingering by the corruption and anarchic settlement. In the wake of war, for Cambodia, both government and people are anarchic. But the anarchic people is a large profit for anarchic government. The issue of Beoung Kok Lake once has been academically and publicly debated by the researchers, environmentalists, anthropologists and the government. The solution was settled to preserve this natural lake as the leisure place and water reservoir for flooding water in Phnom Penh capital city. But later, the government decided to give concession this important strategic land to their patron tycoon for 99 years without considering the research finding or having proper plan for it.

In a short period, government can hand that huge amount of money, but in a long run, the children of Phnom Penh city will be drawn and badly affected by this self-suicidal concession.

To duly understand Beoung Kok Lake and the urban poor/development, you should visit this website: http://saveboeungkak.wordpress.com Or if you need more academic point of view on the controversial development of Beoung Kok Lake, you should read Dr. Bunnarith’s paper; he gave us much insight on the proper development of Beoung Kok Lake http://www2.hawaii.edu/~csaloha


WednesdayVenerable Loun Sovath’s Interview on Radio Australia – បទ​សម្ភាសន៍​ជាមួយ​ព្រះ​ភិក្ខុលួន សូវ៉ាត​នៅប្រទេស​អូស្រ្តាលី

Posted by: | Posted on: September 28, 2011

Summary of the Interview in English
Originally posted at: http://luonsovath.blogspot.com/2011/09/blog-post_27.html

Interviewer: Venerable, what are your purposes in coming to Australia?
Ven. Luon Sovath: My purposes to come to Australia this time is to participate with Khmer Buddhists in Australia during this auspicious Bon Pchum Ben during this Rain Retreat Season as in Cambodia I am expelled from the pagoda by the Supreme Patriarchs and the Chief Monk of Siem Reap because of my activity in engaging with the evicted communities and the victims of land grabbing. Other purpose is to bring petition for the greater support of everyone in requesting the supreme patriarch as well as the chief monk of Siem Reap province to withdraw their orders.

Interviewer: Now, Venerable is arriving Australia, do you plan to travel to other cities as well or just stay in Melbourne?
Ven. Luon Sovath: Yes, I will travel in accordance with the invitation and friendly relationship of the Buddhist friends here.

Interviewer: so Venerable plans to stay in Australia only one month?
Ven.Luon Sovath: Yes

Interviewer: Recently, Venerable has faced many problems because of your engagement with the social activities, could Venerable discuss those issues in details for the audience here?
Ven. Luan Sovath: Truly, it is because my engagement and outreaching to the communities of land grab victims and forced eviction. In reality, it is not my problem, it is the government problem whose people have been suffered. Look at the Australian government, the suffering of the people has been justly dealt. In Cambodia, the suffering of the people have been deeply embedded by the lawless activities, physical violence and bullet shooting.

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ខ្មែរ​ពីរ​រូប​ទទួល​ពាន​រង្វាន់​សិទ្ធិ​មនុស្ស

Posted by: | Posted on: September 13, 2011

ថ្ងៃអង្គារ, 13 ខែកញ្ញា 2011
ខ្មែរ​ពីរ​រូប​ទទួល​ពាន​រង្វាន់​សិទ្ធិ​មនុស្ស

ដោយ គង់ ​សុឋានរិទ្ធ​ វីអូអេ ​ខ្មែរ​ | ភ្នំពេញ

រូបថត៖ AP
លោក​ ព្រែត អាដាមស៍​ (Brad Adams) នាយក​អង្គការ​ឃ្លាំ​មើល​សិទ្ធិមនុស្ស​ (Human Rights Watch) ប្រចាំ​អាស៊ី​​ នៅ​ក្នុង​សន្និសីទ​ព័ត៌មាន​មួយ​កាល​ពី​​ឆ្នាំ​២០០៦។ អង្គការ​ឃ្លាំ​មើល​សិទ្ធិ​មនុស្ស​​នេះ​ថា ខ្លួន​នឹង​ផ្តល់​ពានរង្វាន់​ដល់​ពលរដ្ឋ​កម្ពុជា​​​ពីរ​រូប​ ដោយ​សារ​ពួក​គេ​មាន​សេចក្ដី​ក្លាហាន​ក្នុង​ការ​បង្ហាញ​ទស្សនៈ​របស់​​ខ្លួន​សម្រាប់​បម្រើ​ឲ្យ​សិទ្ធិ​មនុស្ស។

«រង្វាន់​នេះ ​ជា​ការ​លើក​ទឹក​ចិត្ត​ធំធេង​បំផុត​សម្រាប់​ខ្ញុំ​ សម្រាប់​ការ​រួម​ចំណែក​ក្នុង​ការ​តស៊ូ​បញ្ចេញ​មតិ​នៅ​លើ​ទំព័រ​សារព័ត៌មាន​ របស់​ខ្ញុំ»។​

ប្រជាពលរដ្ឋ​កម្ពុជា​ពីរ​រូប​នឹង​ទទួល​ពានរង្វាន់​សម្រាប់​ការ​តស៊ូ​ដើម្បី​បុព្វហេតុ​សិទ្ធិមនុស្ស​នៅ​កម្ពុជា​នៅ​ថ្ងៃពុធ​ស្អែក​នេះ​នៅ​​ទីក្រុង​បាងកក​ ប្រទេស​ថៃ។​ នេះ​ជា​ពានរង្វាន់​ ហេល្លមែន ហាមេ្មត្ត (Hellman Hammett) ដែល​នឹងត្រូវ​ប្រគល់​ដោយ​អង្គការ​ឃ្លាំមើល​សិទ្ធិ​មនុស្ស (Human Rights Watch) ដែល​មាន​មូលដ្ឋាន​នៅ​ក្រុង​ញូវយ៉ក​ សហរដ្ឋ​អាមេរិក។

លោក​ ហង្ស ចក្រា​ និពន្ធ​នាយក​កាសែត​ខ្មែរ​ម្ចាស់ស្រុក​ ដែល​ត្រូវបាន​ផ្ដន្ទាទោស​ឲ្យ​ជាប់​ពន្ធនាគារ​ដោយសារ​ការ​ផ្សាយ​ពាក់ព័ន្ធ​នឹង​ការ​ចោទ​ប្រកាន់​អំពី​អំពើ​ពុករលួយ​ក្នុង​រដ្ឋាភិបាល​ និង​ព្រះ​តេជគុណ លួន សាវ៉ាត​ ត្រូវ​បណ្ដេញ​ចេញ​ពី​ វត្ត​លង្កា​ ក្រុង​ភ្នំពេញ​ ដោយសារ​តែ​ព្រះ​តេជគុណ​បាន​និមន្ដ​ចូល​រួម​គាំទ្រ​ការ​ធ្វើ​បាតុកម្ម​តវ៉ា​របស់​អ្នក​ភូមិ​បឹងកក់​ប្រឆាំង​នឹង​ការ​បំពាន​យក​ដីធ្លី។ បុគ្គល​ទាំង​ពីរ​រូប​គឺ​ជា​ជ័យលាភី​ពានរង្វាន់​នេះ។

លោក​ ហ្វ៊ីល រ៉ប៊តសិន (Phil Robertson) នាយក​រង​នៃ​អង្គការឃ្លាំមើល​សិទ្ធិមនុស្ស​ប្រចាំ​តំបន់​អាស៊ី​ បាន​ប្រាប់​ វីអូអេ​ខ្មែរ​តាម​ទូរស័ព្ទ​ថា​ ពលរដ្ឋ​កម្ពុជា​ទាំង​ពីរ​រូប​មាន​សេចក្ដី​ក្លាហាន​ក្នុង​ការ​បង្ហាញ​ទស្សនៈ​របស់​ ខ្លួន​សម្រាប់​បម្រើ​ឲ្យ​សិទ្ធិ​មនុស្ស។

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Monk evicted from pagoda

Posted by: | Posted on: September 13, 2011

Phnom Penh Post  Monday, 12 September 2011 15:02 May Titthara

110912_1

Photo by: Heng Chivoan

Venerable Luon Sovath speaks to reporters at Ounalom pagoda in Phnom Penh before removing his personal belongings from his room. The activist monk has been banned from pagodas.

A group of residents facing eviction from the Boeung Kak area yesterday turned out to support the monk who has shaken Cambodia’s Buddhist hierarchy by his peaceful advocacy on their behalf.

About 20 residents of the area helped Venerable Loun Sovath remove his personal belongings from Ounalom pagoda yesterday morning, following an order from Supreme Patriarch Non Nget that he do so.

The latest order followed one in April that banned the 32-year-old rural monk from all pagodas in the capital.

Boeung Kak representative Kong Chantha, 44, said it was an injustice that Loun Savath had been banned.
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