Down in Prey Nob there's a half finished palace that you can see from the road that was government land the last governor stole. Think that was the straw that broke the camels back. A similar situation to this one happened with the state land opposite my house. I asked the missus why their seemed to be bits of ornate wall and gateway kicking about the place, along with ruined floors. Some people had just set up shop on it and then parcelled it out into smaller plots. The end of the chain is left holding the bag, but that's pretty much how it works everywhere round here. Eventually they were just chased off.

Clashes policeman probed
Long Kimmarita | Publication date 04 February 2019 | 09:20 ICT

Preah Sihanouk provincial military policeman has been suspended and placed under investigation, while a search is underway to find the weapon used to shoot a man. – seriously injuring him – during clashes in Prey Nop district on January 24.

A committee was established last week to look into the incident following the leaking of video clips on social media that sparked criticism and demands to bring those responsible for the violence to justice.

Commander of the National Military Police Sao Sokha told The Post on Sunday that the investigation was not yet complete, but the committee had suspended one military policeman, who he declined to name.

“The suspension follows images of a person being handcuffed and then kicked to the ground, and we have identified the individual [responsible]. We have suspended him while we continue to review the case because it goes beyond the use of physical violence – someone has been injured with a bullet,” he said.

Sokha said the committee had seized six weapons, which authorities used during the clashes, for examination in order to ascertain which had fired the shot.

He said the investigation had so far only looked at the Military Police. Whether officials from different units would be investigated depended on a decision from the courts.

“We are investigating the [incident], so we gathered all the weapons. The authorities who implemented the Supreme Court order are from three different units – Military Police, military forces, and provincial police. Therefore, as commander of the Military Police, I need to check with my subordinates and with other units, as a complaint has been filed to the court,” he said.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ ... man-probed

Cambodian beach town in China's grip
Locals are being swept aside as Sihanoukville swells with Chinese and their investments
February 22, 2019
It's like a hurricane hit Chheav Sovannarith's humble home. Of the four walls that supported the roof, only one in the back is still standing. Large piles of rubble make it look as though Chheav and his neighbours live on a garbage dump.

But it wasn't a hurricane that struck the people of Koki, a village close to the Cambodian beach town of Sihanoukville. It was a large band of policemen, soldiers and military police. They came armed with sticks, guns, assault rifles and demolition equipment when the villagers of Koki protested against a forced eviction.

"We tried to block them, to stop them from destroying our houses," Chheav said in the shadow of a makeshift tent next to his demolished home. "But that didn’t work. They came with a lot of equipment and destroyed everything."

The violent crackdown on protesters took place on Jan. 24 after a court decided that a large part of Koki is owned by a politically connected tycoon. A 28-year-old man was seriously injured after a bullet hit his shoulder. A teenager, who was accused of throwing petrol bombs at the police, was beaten up, eyewitnesses said.

Human rights organisation Licadho said in a statement that it was clearly a case of excessive force being used. Sveng Vanly, a local Licadho coordinator, told ucanews.com that up to 300 members of the security forces moved against 200 to 300 villagers.

The villagers claim that they don't know who now owns the land, but they suspect the eviction is related to large-scale Chinese investment in the area. They worry that the land they lived on and farmed for years will soon be in the hands of Chinese businessmen.

Over the past two to three years, Sihanoukville has received more Chinese investments than any other place in Cambodia. It has transformed Sihanoukville from a relatively quiet beach town that mainly attracted Cambodian and Western tourists into a Chinese-run city with dozens of casinos and large hotels mainly catering for Chinese tourists. It’s estimated that 25-30 percent of the population of Sihanoukville is now Chinese.

Even though the casinos and hotels bring jobs for Cambodians, the price that the local people pay for the investment is high. Land and real estate prices, as well as rents in and around the city, have doubled or tripled. Pollution is becoming a major problem, with garbage piling up in the streets and thick layers of dust blowing around. Major roads are in a desperate need of repair, while basic utilities clearly aren't ready for the influx of tens of thousands extra people.

In Sihanoukville, the Chinese already make the rules, said Sophal Ear, a Cambodia expert and associate professor of diplomacy and world affairs at the Occidental College in Los Angeles.

"Is Sihanoukville still Sihanoukville if everyone who used to live there is removed and a bunch of Chinese are put in their place? Of course not! The government, in a normal place, would care about what people think and react accordingly. Not in Cambodia, where the golden rule applies: whoever has the gold, makes the rules. China has the gold, China makes the rules."
https://www.ucanews.com/news/cambodian- ... grip/84559

Powerful condemnation of the PTB in Cambodia. Selling their land and trading their cultural souls for gold and part of the soul of the Khmer people along with it. CCP used Cambodia during the time of the Khmer Rouge and continues to exploit Cambodia in 2019. Things change, yet the song remains the same.

Big'n wrote: ↑Sun Feb 24, 2019 10:11 pm Powerful condemnation of the PTB in Cambodia. Selling their land and trading their cultural souls for gold and part of the soul of the Khmer people along with it. CCP used Cambodia during the time of the Khmer Rouge and continues to exploit Cambodia in 2019. Things change, yet the song remains the same.

I think it's in the Khmer DNA. The problem of trading land started way back when the Khmer Empire covered a large area. The future generations of Khmer might look back to 2019 and wonder how it was possible for China to occupy parts, if not the whole of the country that was once called Cambodia.

Duncan wrote: ↑Mon Feb 25, 2019 7:16 am

Big'n wrote: ↑Sun Feb 24, 2019 10:11 pm Powerful condemnation of the PTB in Cambodia. Selling their land and trading their cultural souls for gold and part of the soul of the Khmer people along with it. CCP used Cambodia during the time of the Khmer Rouge and continues to exploit Cambodia in 2019. Things change, yet the song remains the same.

I think it's in the Khmer DNA. The problem of trading land started way back when the Khmer Empire covered a large area. The future generations of Khmer might look back to 2019 and wonder how it was possible for China to occupy parts, if not the whole of the country that was once called Cambodia.

If history is written by chinese, the future generations will believe that it belonged to China since forever.

clutchcargo wrote: ↑Mon Feb 25, 2019 10:26 am Isn't it a case of pointing the finger at the government rather than the people for enabling the invasion? And the west have their hands dirty too with their sanctions etc re human rights, free elections etc that has arguably forced HE to align himself more closely to where his friends are ie the PRC.

Many khmers I talk to welcome the money coming in and the infrastructure improvements it brings however they dislike the loss of sovereignty and the impact it has on their culture.

You are partly right there. Maybe pointing a finger are the kings that were in power generations ago is where it all started.

CEOCambodiaNews wrote: ↑Sat Feb 23, 2019 10:05 pm Cambodian beach town in China's grip
Locals are being swept aside as Sihanoukville swells with Chinese and their investments

"Is Sihanoukville still Sihanoukville if everyone who used to live there is removed and a bunch of Chinese are put in their place? Of course not! The government, in a normal place, would care about what people think and react accordingly. Not in Cambodia, where the golden rule applies: whoever has the gold, makes the rules. China has the gold, China makes the rules."
https://www.ucanews.com/news/cambodian- ... grip/84559

Thats a bit rich coming from an american catholic journal. Of course America is well known for cancelling arms deals to totalitarian arab states, implementing free healthcare for the all... I could go on. American don't give a monkeys about anything but money, and neither does the Catholic church

Kayve wrote: ↑Mon Feb 25, 2019 10:33 am

Duncan wrote: ↑Mon Feb 25, 2019 7:16 am

Big'n wrote: ↑Sun Feb 24, 2019 10:11 pm Powerful condemnation of the PTB in Cambodia. Selling their land and trading their cultural souls for gold and part of the soul of the Khmer people along with it. CCP used Cambodia during the time of the Khmer Rouge and continues to exploit Cambodia in 2019. Things change, yet the song remains the same.

I think it's in the Khmer DNA. The problem of trading land started way back when the Khmer Empire covered a large area. The future generations of Khmer might look back to 2019 and wonder how it was possible for China to occupy parts, if not the whole of the country that was once called Cambodia.

If history is written by chinese, the future generations will believe that it belonged to China since forever.

"Why, Kampuchea has been a part of China since ancient times!" Everyone knows that!