The Mirror, Vol. 13, No. 604
Apologies for the delays in publishing – due to my international travel. I try to catch up as soon as possible.
But I am now starting my return trip to Cambodia. According to schedule, I should be working again from Phonom Penh on Monday – first catching up with the delays, and then working again regularly.
Norbert Klein
“While Khmer citizens as well as some handicapped soldiers do not have rice fields for cultivation, the government, in contrast, provides tens of thousands of hectares of land as concessions to Yuon [Vietnamese] troops and companies to come to clear forest and rice fields of Khmer citizens to grow agro-industrial crops along the Khmer-Yuon border and in some provinces.
“Thousands of hectares of citizen’s land lying along the Yuon border of An Giang Province, bordering Svay Rieng and Prey Veng, are being leased to Yuon companies by Khmer authorities along the Yuon border to grow agro-industry crops. The Phnom Penh Post published an article on 26 February 2009, quoting the Svay Rieng governor, Mr. Cheang Am, that 10,000 hectares of land in Svay Rieng are prepared to be leased to Yuon companies along the border and also, the Prey Veng governor, Mr. Ung Samy, told the Phnom Penh Post that he will discuss with Yuon officials in Yuon [Vietnam] about the leasing of rice fields along the border to Yuon companies to come to do rice cultivation in Khmer territory.
“A high ranking official of the Cambodian People’s Party and a former Prey Veng governor, Mr. Cheam Yeap, reacted that Cambodia must not lease land to neighboring countries, but it can lease it to far-off countries. He added, ‘If it would be leasing to America or Australia, it can be done, but if it is to Vietnam, Thailand, and Laos, it is impossible, because they are neighboring countries and they can take our Khmer land easily as in previous times.’
“A Khmer-American, originally from Svay Rieng, Mr. Prum Soanara, expressed his view that the government should lease land to the same Khmers, because it would be a solution for Khmer citizens who are jobless, while factories are closing, and many big construction projects have halted their activities due to the global economic crisis.
“Mr. Prum Soanara, a renewable energy engineer with a background in the US Navy, said that in our country, some citizens lack land to do rice cultivation, especially citizens in Svay Rieng, Prey Veng, and Takeo. If the government has land for leasing, why not leasing it to Khmer citizens? He referred to an example in Malaysia where their country provides all support to their farmers to benefit from the land. Therefore, the Cambodian government should distribute land to retired and handicapped soldiers to do farming to earn their living.
“Mr. Prum Soanara raised another example from Israel where land along the border is delivered to soldiers to do farming and also to defend their territorial integrity. He went on to say that the government must provide land to Khmer soldiers to do farming along the border and to protect the border since soldiers have guns, but should not leave the land unused.
“Also, Khmer citizens react against the leasing of tens of thousands of land along the eastern border to Yuon companies by the Svay Rieng governor, Mr. Cheang Am, and by the Prey Veng governor, Mr. Ung Samy, who are all high ranking officials of the Cambodian People’s Party. Citizens wonder whether the land is inherited from both provincial governors’ ancestors that they dare to do so. It is because of the hunger for ‘tea-money’ without caring about the loss of Khmer territory along the border, because after the land is leased from Cambodia of Yuon to do farming, Yuon can claim that it is legal land of Yuon in the future.
“A Sam Rainsy Party parliamentarian from Phnom Penh, Mr. Son Chhay, reacted against the leasing of land along the border to Yuon companies and to Siamese [Thai] companies, because these are neighboring countries, and this will make Cambodia to lose territory along the borders in the future, because Yuons who come to live in the land leased, hardly return to their country, because they consider the land to belong to Yuon, and this creates future problems.
“Mr. Son Chhay added that he had once reacted against the leasing of land to nationals from neighboring countries in 2007, when he led a delegation of the National Assembly to Laos. He continued to say that when the government provides concession land along the border to Yuon companies, contracted for 99 years, Yuon will bring their workers to live in Khmer land, and this cannot guarantee the Khmer territorial integrity, and different countries in the world never do what Cambodia does nowadays.
“Mr. Son Chhay voiced concern about the loss of Khmer territory along the border when the Khmer government permits the leasing of rice fields along the Khmer-Yuon border in Svay Rieng and Prey Veng; the government must check these cases again and should not allow to lease the land, and those who have the land rights to lease and use the land along the border should be only Khmers.
“Mr. Son Chhay demands that the government cancels different contracts for leasing land along the border to foreign companies.
“The president of the Cambodian Watchdog Council [?] and president of the Cambodian Independent Teachers’ Association, Mr. Rong Chhun, reacted that the government must not lease land to foreigners, and the leasing of land to neighboring countries is not good for Cambodia. He added that to persuade Khmer citizens to lease their fields to foreigners is to cut down paddy rice exports from Cambodia, this is not reasonable and if the Khmer government encourages Khmer citizens to produce lots of paddy rice, normally, the government has to find markets for citizens in this time of a global economic crisis.
“Mr. Rong Chhun went on to say that when leasing land to foreigners to do farming in Khmer territory while leaving its citizens unemployed, can the benefits from it support the everyday livelihood of citizens? He continued that Cambodia will earn no benefit from leasing land to neighboring countries, and the government must not lease land to Yuon and Siam, because one day, they will let their citizens come to live in Cambodia, and this will make Cambodia to lose territory, if the government does not take measures to avoid the loss of land in the future.” Cheat Khmer, Vol.1, #40, 18.3.2009
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Wednesday, 18 March 2009
Cheat Khmer, Vol.1, #40, 18.3.2009
- An Official of the Cambodian People’s Party, Mr. Cheam Yeap, Is Also Irritated with the Svay Rieng and Prey Veng Governors for Leasing Land to Vietnam
- The Khmer Rouge Tribunal, Which Is Running Out of Funds, Announces Recruiting [30] Staff Members
Deum Ampil, Vol.3, #142, 18.3.2009
- Between 2015 and 2020 the Trade between Cambodia and Vietnam Will Increase to US$5 Billion [according to a meeting between Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Vietnamese Minister of Industry, Mr. Vũ Huy Hoàng]
- The Head of the Government Does Not Believe There Will Be Good Reports about Human Rights in Cambodia [because he assumes that people concerned for human rights will get paid their salaries only if they produce reports describing bad situations]
Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.8, #1900, 18.3.2009
- The Opposition Party Asks to Check the Possibility of Creating New Investment Laws for Special Economic Zones near the Borders
- Five Khmer Law Students Go to Participate in a Mock Trial with About 500 Groups of Students from 80 Countries around the World [in Washington]
- Sudan Expels Thirteen Foreign Aid Agencies from Darfur [after the International Criminal Court had issued an arrest warrant for President Bashir, with accusations of crimes against humanity and of genocide in Darfur]
Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.16, #3714, 18.3.2009
- The Construction of Hanoi Boulevard Leads to the Destruction of Citizens’ Houses in Sen Sok District [Phnom Penh]
- Mr. Yim Sovann Welcomes a Report [of the Cambodian Institute for Development Studies] Which Assessed that in 2009 Cambodia Will Loose US$676 Million [in four sectors: agriculture, tourism, construction, and garment production]
- Civil Society Dismisses Hun Sen’s Wish to See Human Rights Reports Supporting the Government [he criticized on 17 March 2009 local human rights organizations and human rights representatives of the United Nations in Cambodia, alleging that they work only for salaries, and their work is only to criticize the government and to ignore positive points achieved by the government]
Koh Santepheap, Vol.42, #6605, 18.3.2009
- The Family of a Fatal Victim Accuses a Doctor, because She Did Not Have Riel 100,000, a Pregnant Woman Was Left Lying in Labor Pain until She Died [Pailin]
Rasmei Angkor, Vol.16, #1422, 18.3.2009
- Investment by South Korea Declined by 25% in 2008 and Will Continue to Fall in 2009 [according an official of the Korean Embassy in Cambodia]
Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.17, #4848, 18.3.2009
- Samdech Dekchor: “Bird Flu Is Still an International Plague and Must Be Carefully Observed”
- A Car Hit Two Motorbikes at the Same Time Resulting in Three Deaths and Five Injured People [the car driver escaped – Kompong Cham]
Sereypheap Thmey, Vol.16, #1675, 18.3.2009
- A Parliamentarian from the Opposition Party [Mr. Son Chhay] Asks the Government to Sue the CamboSix [soccer betting] Company [for corruption and for not paying taxes]
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