The
Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), NGOs' coalition
including FORUM-ASIA member ADHOC, expressed their concerns over the
violence during the search for suspects of arrest on 16 September 2009.
This is a part of a land dispute of the area, without people's
agreement. Below is their statement, issued on 23 November.
The
Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), NGOs' coalition
including FORUM-ASIA member ADHOC, expressed their concerns over the
violence during the search for suspects of arrest on 16 September 2009.
This is a part of a land dispute of the area, without people's
agreement. Below is their statement, issued on 23 November.

The Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee
(CHRAC), a coalition of 21 NGOs, expresses its regret and concerns over the
violence that happened on November 16, 2009, caused least 9 people injured and 7
people arrested and still there are some more people that authorities are
searching for the arrest, the violence has also caused the destruction of other
properties.

Based on actual monitoring on the site found that
after the eruption of violence, the joint competent authorities some of more
than 70 people have been deployed and surrounded and closed the road access for
with the aim to search for suspects for arrest and, therefore, created the
situation for those people who live in that area a grave fear. Until this time,
a number of seven people have been arrested by authorities under the charge of
destruction of public properties and amongst of these arrested people, four of
them were arrested in Kampong Cham province.

CHRAC noted that the land dispute in the area of
Banteay rongeang has happened since there is presence of Vietnamese Company
namely Tan Bien Kampong Thom Aphivath Caoutchouc Co
LTD, this company has received land concession from the Cambodian
government with the land size of 8,100 hectares in 2007, the land concession is
for the development and growing of agro-industry of rubber, this land dispute
has not been resolved properly by local authorities and there was no any field
study prior to the granting of land concession to this company. The land tenure
by the affected people has started the year of 2004 and land was given through
the land allocation by Association of disabled military for
agricultural development before the arrival of Tan Bien Company.

CHRAC believed that the earlier resolution of land
dispute between the people and Tab Bien Company did not perform according to the
reality of living situation of people and principle for the exchange of land of
authorities was not able to make people acceptable because of the land targeted
to be exchanged or given to people is far away, with small size, lack of merits
or elements in provision as a land possession. Furthermore, the authorities have
caused fear against people such as shooting, threatening and secretly setting
fire on the people's houses, banning of people not to travel freely, all of
these factors increased even more tensions in the land dispute area.

In
order to solve this case sooner and acceptable, CHRAC wishes to recommend and
appeal to the royal government, provincial authorities and all classes of
competent authorities to act as follow: 

• Stop using the armed forces for the suppression
  violently against the people and open road access for people to travel in the
  area.
• Urgently stop the arrest of community people
  representatives including all forms of threatening.
• Release the arrested and detained representatives of
  community people for them to re-gain their freedom.
• Quickly resolve the land dispute for those affected
  and poor people fairly and acceptable or alternatively, undertaking of on-side
  upgrading by allowing people to grow rubber on their respective land and sell
  their rubber products to company.
• Organize to have real negotiation and in person
  between people and authorities.
• Establishment of joint and independent commission for
  dealing with this land case.