Human rights situation in Cambodia is very rapidly at its lowest point.
Donors should call an emergency meeting to redirect aid to NGOs while finding solutions to address land issues and the illegal arrests of innocent villagers.
The Cambodian government records on the protection of women’s human rights
must be condemned openly and not behind close door diplomacy.
The touching of the head of Venerable Loun Sovath by these secret agents is not acceptable.
The US government must stop the funding of the armed forces in Cambodia.
An emergency meeting of donors on Cambodia and the human rights situation must be held immediately.
The topic of the meeting should be:
1/ suspension and review of aid to Cambodia till economic land concessions are reviewed;
2/ stop the use of armed forces on
civilians;
3/ preparations for 2013 free and fair elections.
We demand the immediate released of the 13 women and Venerable Loun Savath.
Human Rights Defenders Alert Phnom Penh, 24 May 2012
Day of Crackdown 13 Lake Activists Imprisoned as Multi-Media Monk is Detained and Defrocked
Thirteen women affected by the land
conflict at Phnom Penhs Boeung Kak
Lake who have led protests against the
eviction were today convicted by the
Phnom Penh Municipal Court on
charges of inciting others to take land
illegally under Article 504 of the Penal
Code and obtaining land illegally under
Articles 34, 259 of the Land Law Act
after being detained without charge for
a period of 48 hours. The 13 women
are Kong Chantha, Tol Sreypov, Tep
Vanny, Pov Sophea, Suong Samai, Pan
Chhunret, Heng Nom, Chan Navy, Po
Davy, Nguon Kimleang, Song Sreyleap,
Chheng Leap and Nget Kun. Seven of the women have been sentenced to two years and six months in prison, five have been sentenced to two years and one has been sentenced to a term of one year.
The Venerable Loun Savath, a prominent human-rights activist and monk joined some one hundred protestors outside the court today. As shown in this , at around 10am, Loun Savath was manhandled and forced into an unmarked Land Cruiser by policemen, army officers and unidentified men before being driven to Wat Botum Pagoda, where police and officials from the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Cults and Religion barricaded him inside. As of 4pm, Wat Botum remained completely sealed off, with even fellow monks unable to gain access to the site. It was widely rumoured that Loun Sovath had been defrocked although a M inistry of Cults and Religion official has stated that this remains unclear. Last year, Loun Savath was banned from entering all pagodas in Phnom Penh as a result of his human rights and community activism.
In another development, a further two Boeung Kak representatives Ly Channary (female) and Say Sareoun (male) were arrested outside the Phnom Penh Municipal Court at 2pm and taken to Phnom Penh Police Station where they are being held without charge.
Suon Bunthoeun, Human Rights Defenders Project Coordinator (tel: 012 48 35 46; e-mail: bunthoeun).
Some of the young men on these boats end up farther than Thailand.
2 Cambodians called me last month from Senegal as the ship they were kept was being repaired in this African country. Somehow they had my phone number.
My advice to them was to reach a police station in own and seek help. They did! and arrived in Cambodia last week.
Latest trend: the employment agencies that used to recruit young women as domestic workers for Malaysia are now mobilizing young men for Thailand.
I am walking the campaign trail every day and half of the villages in this North West province is empty as the young and strong men have left for Thailand.
& gt; For Americans, the calculation is worrisome. Thailand is the United States second-largest supplier of foreign seafood. Of America’s total seafood imports, one out of every six pounds comes from the Southeast Asian nation. The accounts of ex-slaves, Thai fishing syndicates, officials, exporters and anti-trafficking case workers, gathered by GlobalPost in a three-month investigation, illuminate an opaque offshore supply chain enmeshed in slavery.
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