Village chief loses job for joining land rights protest

 


Buth Reaksmey Kongkea 

Penh Bronh, 45, chief of Sna Sangkream village, was allegedly fired from his position on Wednesday for participating in protest along with his villagers who demanded their land rights in Run Ta Ek development area. 

Bronh, who was elected as village chief in 2019, claimed yesterday that he did not see any other reason for his job loss other than joining the protest attended by more than 200 families in the village.

He added that he had worked hard and devoted his time to help the poor people ever since he became village chief. 

He said that APSARA National Authority, in 2005, confiscated 165 hectares of land of the villagers (in which his family had 1.5 hectares) and promised to offer them compensation ranging from $500 to $700 for per hectare, but they did not keep the promise.  

“Instead, Siem Reap Provincial Authorities started clearing those confiscated lands in order to distribute them to the families who volunteered to move out from the Angkor Archaeological Park,” he alleged. 

He added that 210 families held the protest to claim their lands back from the authorities. 

Pronh said that he supported the villagers by taking part in the protest and had even asked provincial authorities to solve the issue. 

“I was very shocked after the chief of Balaing commune councillors announced in a meeting on Wednesday that I was terminated as village chief,” Pronh told Khmer Times. 

“I did not know what mistake I did other than working to serve the interests of villagers,” he said, adding that his name was removed from the government registry. 

Kong Ho, 45, a villager told Khmer Times yesterday that he knew Pronh since 1994. 

“He is a good village chief always concerned about the well-being of the people. I also think that he was fired from the job because he had helped the villagers to claim for their land grabbed from APSARA National Authority,” he added. 

Confirming the news, Balaing commune Chief Laem Nath said yesterday that Pronh was expelled from the job for serious mistakes, including “taking bribes” promising them to settle land disputes.  

Besides, he had insulted provincial and district leaders as well as the monks and his superiors. 

Prasat Bakong district chief So Plating and Balaing commune councillors chief Po Noeum could not be reached for comment yesterday. 

 

 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Cambodia Attends the 13th World Swimming Championship in Italy

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA The six Cambodian delegates will leave for the 13th World Swimming Championship, scheduled over nine days from the July 25 to August 2, 2009 in Rome, Italy. The delegates will depart on July 21. Their number will include two national male swimmers and a couple of female junior swimmers. They will be supported by one coach and one member of the sport’s governing body. The World Swimming Championship is organized by the International Amateur Swimming Federation (IASF), which was founded in the 1950s, according to Hem Thon, National Coach and Secretary General of the Khmer Amateur Swimming Federation (KASF). He also said that 115 countries besides Cambodia would send swimmers to Italy to take part in the competition. “This is the third year that Cambodia has sent a swimming team to the World Swimming Championships. We are looking forward to competing with the best swimmers in the world and hopefully winning a couple of medals for our country. It is also be a great...
Read more

Chan Tra: Life of a Cambodian Traditional Tattoo Artist

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA Among tattooists in Cambodia, Chan Tra, 46, is the only tattoo artist to retain the ability to ink a wide range of subjects in different styles. His modern counterparts are limited in their repertoire in comparison. His subjects include the human form, birds and abstract patterns. Chan Tra is now an expert in drawing Ankor Wat on the skin of foreign clients, thus turning them into walking, talking promotional materials for Cambodia’s tourist sector. Chan Tra was born in 1963 in Sihanouk province and has two sons and one daughter. He is an orphaned and a Survivor of the Khmer Rouge regime. He lost his entire family during the years of terror between 1975 and 1979. “I have loved drawing and painting ever since I was a child and practised my art every day before the arrival of the Pol Pot regime. Consequently, I like the art of tattooing and it makes a solid source of income to keep my wife and kids happy,” he told The Southeast Asia Weekly during a personal i...
Read more

TV5 Selects Freshie Girls and Boys 2009

BY BUTH REAKSMEY KONGKEA Ten Cambodian teenagers, five girls and five boys, were selected as “Cambodian Freshie Girls and Boys” for 2009. The “Freshie Girls and Boys” competition took place on March 30 at the TV5’s station in Phnom Penh and was organized by the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces’ Television Channel 5 (TV5). Bun Kert, Director of the “Freshie Girls and Boys Organizational Committee” of the TV5, said more than 1,000 Cambodian youth applied for the competition, but through many different phases of the competition, only 20 girls and boys who reached the final round on March 30. He said the main objective of the competition is to promote and encourage Cambodian young people to show their personal abilities and skills and knowledge in order to become a future leader, good speaker or TV hosts in Cambodia. “This is the eighth “Freshie Girls and Boys” competition organized by TV5 in Phnom Penh. The main purpose of the competition is to select the freshie girls and boys for Cambodia i...
Read more