Cambodian Rights Worker Faces Death Threats Over Land Dispute

 
A worker with the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) has been intimidated and received death threats while trying to document the plight of three families involved in a bitter land dispute with a developer in the country’s capital, according to the center.

The worker, Vann Sophath, was shooting a video at the dispute site in Phnom Penh's Sangkat Boueng Kak 1 on May 9 when he was confronted by around six civilians known to work as security guards for the developer, Khun Sear Import Export Company, CCHR said in a statement.“Vann Sophath went to the site while the Khun Sear Company security guards were demolishing the home of one of the three families,” the statement said.

“He was interrupted by a group of Khun Sear Company security guards, who were armed with knives, axes, and hammers. They pushed him out of the site as other[s] threatened to cut him on the head.”CCHR said that one of the security guards screamed at Vann Sophath, saying, “Old fool! I will not allow you to be free” and ordered others to take photos of the worker and his car’s license plate.Vann Sophath left the site shortly after being threatened.

CCHR plans to file a complaint with the Phnom Penh Municipal Court against the Khun Sear guards because of the threats made against Vann Sophath, said Chhay Chhunly, project coordinator for CCHR’s Human Rights Defenders Project, which closely tracks those working to protect human rights in Cambodia“We think this is a serious threat,” she told RFA’s Khmer Service. “This group is a brutal group. They have attacked the villagers [involved in the land dispute with the company].”Chhay Chhunly said that the security guards had also threatened other rights activists, but that they had targeted Vann Sophath because he was filming the three families at the site.

“We want to produce a documentary which profiles the victim families,” she said.

Earlier incident

Vann Sophath and his team first visited Sangkat Boueng Kak 1 on April 25 to begin shooting interviews with the family of Ly Sreakheng—one of the three households involved in the dispute with the Khun Sear Import Export Company, which has offices on property adjacent to their homes and has been seeking to extend its property to include the residents’ land.During the shoot, around 10 company security guards “tried to interrupt by verbally attacking Mr. Sreakheng,” CCHR said, while one of them photographed the team, focusing on Vann Sophath’s face.

CCHR said that Ly Sreakheng and the two other families have been living on the plot since 1982, prior to which it had been occupied by the Vietnamese army after invading Cambodia in 1979 and driving out the notorious Khmer Rouge regime.The three families have repeatedly attempted to register the land under the country’s 2001 Land Law, but have been ignored by the authorities, CCHR said.

On Oct. 4, 2010, Cambodia’s Council of Ministers granted the land to Khun Sear and, in order to facilitate the transfer, the Phnom Penh municipal government in 2013 issued a certificate stating that the site belongs to the state.Since then, Khun Sear has claimed ownership of the land and has repeatedly harassed the three families, destroying crops, disconnecting electricity, damaging property, and beating the residents, CCHR said.

In October last year, ahead of a protest march on City Hall by dozens of residents involved in land disputes in the capital, the three families found three poisonous cobra snakes had been placed near their homes.Days earlier, after company employees had threatened the families about killing their pets, two of their cats and one of their dogs were poisoned to death and left on the doorstep, unidentified persons sprayed insecticide on one of the houses, and others harassed customers at one of the families’ businesses, according to a statement by rights groups.

Ly Sreakheng and his family members have requested intervention from nongovernmental organizations, including CCHR, regarding security and mediation in finding a solution to the land dispute.

Bitter problem

Land disputes are a bitter problem for Cambodia, where rural villagers and urban dwellers alike have been mired in conflicts that the U.N.’s special rapporteur for human rights to Cambodia has warned could threaten the country’s stability.The country’s land issues date from the 1975-79 Khmer Rouge regime, which forced large-scale evacuations and relocations, followed by a period of mass confusion over land rights and the formation of squatter communities when the refugees returned in the 1990s after a decade of civil war.

Chinese flowing in

 

Hundreds of Chinese nationals have fled to Cambodia since Tuesday following a series of deadly riots in Vietnam targeting businesses associated with China, police have said.

About 700 Chinese have crossed into Cambodia via the Bavet International Border Checkpoint in Svay Rieng province after the fallout from Chinese actions in the disputed South China Sea turned deadly, with reports of up to 21 people being killed during rioting that began with attacks on foreign-owned factories.About 60 Chinese entered Cambodia yesterday, down from the two prior days, when more than 600 made the journey, a senior border official in Bavet town said yesterday.

“They were worried about their personal safety,” the official said, adding that Vietnamese anti-China demonstrations, which led to several factories being burned down, had spurred the exodus.

“Yesterday, some 50 or 60 Chinese nationals came, but it was not the same level as on Tuesday. Out of some 600 Chinese, some work in the factories, some are investors and the figure is higher than usual,” he said.

The Chinese nationals were entering Cambodia with valid passports and applying for visas in line with local laws or else they would not be allowed into the country, he added.

Protests by Vietnamese workers have spread to 22 of the country’s 63 provinces, Vietnam’s minister of planning and investment said yesterday. He called for “tough measures” to bring the situation under control before foreign investors pull out of the country.General Khieu Sopheak, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, which deals with immigration, yesterday welcomed the arrival of the Chinese, who entered Cambodia on tourist and business visas.“If they enter our territory, they spend money. They spend money on guesthouses and hotels,” he said.

The latest riots broke out on Wednesday at a steel mill owned by Taiwanese industrial conglomerate Formosa Plastics in Vietnam’s central Ha Tinh province, about 500 kilometres from Hanoi.

“One Chinese male worker was killed in the chaos,” said Dang Quoc Khanh, a Ha Tinh local official.

The Chinese Embassy in Hanoi issued a statement on Tuesday calling on its nationals to exercise caution.“China’s embassy in Vietnam once again reminds Chinese firms and staff in Vietnam to take security precautions and avoid unnecessary trips outdoors,” it said. 

Cheng Hongbo, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy in Phnom Penh, said that the Cambodian authorities had not yet provided information about the scale of the problem.“We don’t have any info from Cambodian officials yet,” he said. “Maybe hundreds are coming here.”Vietnamese nationals in Cambodia meanwhile held talks over how to respond to the escalation of the dispute.

Sim Chy, president of the Vietnamese Association of Cambodia, yesterday denied that his organisation was planning a protest against Chinese interests, which would be illegal under Cambodian law.“We will not hold any protest, but some plans will be made to respond to the matter, which I cannot speak of in advance, because we are having a meeting with the committee at my association,” he said. 

Sopheak said that no protests against foreign nationals would be allowed, as they would be in breach of Cambodia’s constitution.“If they want to protest or to do anything against other nationalities, they cannot do it, because Cambodia’s . . . constitution does not permit it. Even if they want to protest against China, the US or Vietnam itself, that’s impossible. Cambodia is a neutral country,” he said.

Nearly 850 protests this year: police

 
Almost 850 demonstrations or strikes have occurred nationwide since the year began – a seemingly anarchic average of more than six a day, the General Commissariat of National Police announced this week, blaming politicians, NGOs and trade unions for helping to incite demonstrators and “complicating the security situation” in the country.But rights groups and the opposition party say that the sheer number of protests proves discontent is widespread in the Kingdom and that instead of playing the blame game, the government should be doing more to address the root causes of dissatisfaction, such as poor labour conditions and rights abuses.

Issues including land disputes, eviction resettlements, human rights and labour issues have fuelled 842 protests so far this year, at times leading to violence, rioting and the blocking of public roads, Police Commissioner Neth Savoeun announced in a report released to coincide with the 69th anniversary of the founding of the National Police on Monday.
“The security situation has become complicated due to the activity of those people who have taken the opportunity [to protest] . . . with interference from politicians, civil society groups and some unions,” he said.

While the report dutifully notes that public and private property had been destroyed, the “lives of investors” had come under threat and security forces had been attacked at protests, it makes no mention of the fact that at least four protesters were shot dead by authorities in early January and that a 16-year-old who went missing amid the clashes is also presumed dead.
“During difficult situations, our police forces struggled and were patient with rude words [and] the throwing of rocks and Molotov cocktails, causing many injuries. We were forced to cooperate with all authorities, especially the military police, to take measures allowed by the law to protect human lives and property against malicious tricks in order to normalise social and public order, security and normal daily life,” the report says.

While authorities argue that live ammunition was necessary to maintain order amid January’s protest violence, numerous peaceful protests and gatherings in Phnom Penh have been violently broken up in recent months, with bystanders and journalists often among the injured.
National Police spokesman Kirth Chantharith explained that while almost 850 protests in less than six months might seem staggering, police statistics include all protests nationwide, whether they occurred in ethnic minority farmlands in Ratanakkiri, hydropower dam sites in Western Cambodia or Freedom Park in Phnom Penh.“There were so many protests [this year] because the authorities included all protests nationwide that took place, which includes gatherings to protest land disputes, worker protests and political party protests,” he said.

Earlier this week, Interior Minister Sar Kheng partly blamed a spike in petty crime against foreigners last year on a lack of police resources, given forces were redirected to the numerous Cambodia National Rescue Party demonstrations held after the July election.According to Chantharith, police need to be deployed to all protests, even if they are peaceful.“For every protest, police are deployed, because police have to protect security and social order. So, police have to always be one step ahead. If nothing happens, it’s fine, but if anything happens that leads to deaths and social catastrophe and we could not prevent it, then that is a serious mistake made by our police forces.”

Opposition party spokesman Yim Sovann said yesterday, however, that police were being deployed to protect the ruling elite.“They deploy the police to protect the power of the individual, not to protect the interests of the people,” he said, adding that as long as widespread injustice prevails in Cambodia, protests will continue.“This is the root cause of demonstrations, so instead of blaming the political parties or NGOs, the government should try to try to understand the reason and solve the problem immediately.”Am Sam Ath, senior investigator at Licadho, said that he did not doubt the government’s figure of 842 protests.

“We have observed that so many protests really did occur and thus the government needs to address the reasons that lead workers and people to take to the streets,” he said. “If [the people] could live [on the current minimum wage] and if their land was not grabbed, would they have protested? That is the responsibility of the government.”Military police spokesman Kheng Tito said yesterday that his forces had needed to work and train “harder than before” in light of an increasing number of protests this year.According to Tito, the authorities expect protests will continue to increase in number if the ruling Cambodian People’s Party and opposition CNRP remain at loggerheads.

Hundreds of workers get poisoning in Thanh Hoa

Patients lie on the floor of a hospital in Thanh Hoa.

After drinking water before getting to work in the early morning, many workers of the shoe factory had symptoms of poisoning such as dizziness, foaming, vomiting and fainting.
The number of workers with similar symptoms increased very quickly. The factory’s health station had to ask for assistance from the Department of Health of Thanh Hoa Province. Dozens of ambulances were sent to the factory to take workers to hospitals.Because of the incident, all hospitals in the city of Thanh Hoa were overloaded. The Hop Luc Hospital alone received up to 500 people. The lobby of the first floor and the hallways in the hospital became patient rooms. After detoxification treatment, some patients were awake but many were still unconscious. The hospital hall was in turmoil when relatives of workers came to look for their family members.

Outside the Hongfu Vietnam factory, where has about 10,000 workers, traffic was congested. Workers stopped working to go to the street. The authorities sent security forces, traffic police and mobile police to the factory to restore order.Until the early afternoon on Thursday the local Department of Health did not have the accurate number of patients of the poisoning case. An official from the health department said water samples at the company had been collected for testing.
Hongfu Vietnam is a joint venture with Taiwan that began operation in 2011, employing about 10,000 workers. In 2011, hundreds of workers of this firm were also poisoned after the lunch.

At the shoe factory.
 
Police officers were sent to the shoe factory to maintain order.
 
 A police car at the shoe factory.
 

 Traffic congestion in front of the shoe factory.
 
Dozens of ambulances were sent to the factory to take patients to the hospital.
 
Other workers stopped working.
 
The patients at a local hospital.

Two factors empowering Vietnam

A Chinese ship attacks a Vietnamese vessel in Vietnam's waters. The photo provided by the VN Coast Guard.

On Tuesday, thousands of people attended a seminar to share information about the East Sea, held by the Union of Vietnam Friendship Organizations (VUFO). Attendance was much larger than the organizers anticipated, so they had to install a projector and arrange many more chairs outside of the conference room.Lt. Gen. Le Van Cuong, former Director of the Ministry of Public Security’s Strategy Institute, asserted that China’s anchoring of its oil rig in Vietnam’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is not a dispute. "When one breaks into the house of another, it is not called a dispute," he said.
Lt. Gen. Le Van Cuong said that 1.3 billion Chinese people are friends of Vietnam. But independence must be preserved. Photo: VNE

He said that the people of Vietnam have not been safe because of China’s aggression. China cut the cables of Vietnam’s Binh Minh ship and chased Vietnamese fishing boats from Vietnamese fishing grounds. China also established its so-called Sansha City which includes Vietnam’s Hoang Sa and Truong Sa islands."The legal invasion is extremely serious. The government of Vietnam needs to issue a statement of veto," he said, adding that this time, China set its rig on Vietnam's continental shelf and this act has made the entire people of Vietnam indignant. For the first time in three decades, both the government and the people of Vietnam resolutely protest China’s acts and the international community also condemns the illegal actions of China.

The general made the point that China has engaged in three unacceptable behaviors. The first is deploying its oil rig in Vietnam’s waters, in violation of international law. The second is attacking Vietnam's law enforcement vessels – an act of violence that has no place in the civilized world. The third is its shameless attempt to label Vietnam as the aggressor in this conflict, falsely slandering its southern neighbor when the whole world can plainly see who has been ramming whose vessels.
He compared present day events to those of February 17, 1979, when 600,000 Chinese soldiers swept over the Vietnamese border in daylight and the whole world knew. Yet every newspaper and radio in China reported to the Chinese people that it was Vietnam's army who invaded China. "For 35 years the Chinese media have relentlessly maintained that China only counterattacked against Vietnam after it was invaded," said Cuong.

Agreeing with General Cuong, lawyer Le Thanh Son from the Vietnam Bar Federation said that China is fraudulently redefining the law and deceiving the public. Under the provisions of international law, islands that are unsuitable for human habitation are not eligible for consideration in determining a nation’s exclusive economic zone and continental shelf. But China is attempting to graft all of the islands it is trying to occupy in making its EEZ claims, even enlisting shoals – which cannot emerge even at low tide –  as “inhabited islands”.

"Of course, these so-called inhabited islands of China have absolutely no human habitation and they don’t meet the standards for determining the continental shelf. But China is fraudulently distorting reality, turning the undisputed areas into the disputed areas and claiming its sovereignty rights there. By this method, in the very near future they will claim up to 80% of the East Sea. This is simply an invasion by China," he said.

On the issue of the balance of power between the two sides, General Cuong affirmed that in diplomacy and international dispute resolution, any country has two factors in making power: physical and spiritual. China has better material forces than Vietnam, with big guns, submarines and aircraft, but the material is not always crucial.For thousands of years, the Vietnamese people have always been friendly and civilized and they have never used intrigue against any country. But facing invaders, they are indomitable and creative. In the spring of 1954, when Vietnam achieved its victory in Dien Bien Phu, the nation could not produce machine guns while French had powerful planes."In the confrontation with China this time, Vietnam has two things that China can never have. They are legal and ethical factors. Physical strength plus moral strength create inviolable strength," Cuong said.

He said that China is strong but they have a lot of vulnerabilities and the weakest is legal and ethical. Vietnam has always acknowledged the help of the Chinese people in history but if China invades Vietnam’s territory, the Vietnamese will defend their land and waters by any means necessary.
"Vietnam never agitates the nationalists against China because only the weak do that. 1.3 billion Chinese people are friends of Vietnam. But independence must be preserved," General Cuong confirmed.

Dr. Nguyen Thi Lan Anh, of the Institute of International Relations, said: China stated that setting the HD-981 rig is a normal operation in China’s waters but this site is 119 nautical miles from the base point of Ly Son Island, up to 180 nautical miles from Hainan Island, and 17 nautical miles from Tri Ton island of Hoang Sa Archipelago of Vietnam. Vietnam has sufficient legal evidence to prove its sovereignty over Hoang Sa  from the 12th century through the actual possession of the Nguyen emperors.

China occupied the Paracel Islands by illegal use of force contrary to the Charter of the United Nations in 1974. Moreover, the Tri Ton Island that they illegally occupy consists only of sand dunes, which do not have continental shelf eligibility in accordance with the provisions of the Convention on the Law of the Sea 1982.China is also violating the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the East Sea (DOC)  and high-level agreements between the two countries on not threatening the use of force, resolving disputes and conflicts by peaceful means, and the six-point statements in 2011 between the leaders of Vietnam and China.

12 dead, dozens missing after Bangladesh ferry capsizes

 
Coast guard and other rescuers recovered at least 12 bodies after a passenger ferry with about 300 on board capsized in Bangladesh after getting caught in a tropical storm Thursday, officials said.

The ferry began its journey at a Dhaka terminal and was a couple of hours into its journey when it capsized, officials said.Some passengers swam to the shore, while many others remain missing. Dozens of others floating in the Meghna river were safely brought ashore by the rescuers, officials said.The dead included women and children, police said.

"We've found 12 bodies so far ... many people are still missing. We can't exactly say how many are missing," district police superintendent Zakir Hossain Majumder told CNN.

The death toll might rise as the rescue operation continues, deputy commissioner Saiful Hassan Badal said."It was a river estuary and very deep. ... I was on the deck of the ferry and jumped off as the ferry turned aside and started sinking," survivor Shafiqul Islam said. Shafiqui survived by swimming to the shore, he told CNN.Ferry accidents are common in Bangladesh because of overcrowding and poor monitoring systems.