I, the Accuser, find the government guilty as charged.

I, the Accuser, find the government guilty as charged.
Posted by Hang, Chumnith on July 17, 2008 at 10:38am


The headlines read “In Cambodia, progress for some means eviction for others (International Herald Tribune)Yes, progress has a price. And, mind you, who pays for this “progress” today? Yep, you’ve got it right: the poor and the miserable. Just read the following quotes and tell me whether or not the vast majority of Khmers are protected by the constitution:“Mao Sein, 34, is a widow and a scavenger, and as these things go, she could be doing worse. When the government raided a squatter colony in Phnom Penh two years ago to clear it for a new development, it allowed 700 families to resettle to this open field 20 kilometers, or 12 miles, outside the capital.”“With the economy on the rise, land is being seized for logging, agriculture, mining, tourism and fisheries, and in Phnom Penh, soaring land prices have touched off what one official called a frenzy of land grabs by the rich and powerful.”“In a recent report, Amnesty International estimated that 150,000 people around the country were now at risk of forcible eviction as a result of land disputes, land seizures and new development projects.”“"One thing that is important to note is that the government is not only failing to protect the population but we are also seeing that it is complicit in many of the forced evictions," said Edman of Amnesty International.”Chapter 3, Article 32 states:“Every Khmer citizen shall have the right to life, personal freedom and security.”The right to life and personal freedom is nice and dandy, but how about security? According Merriam-Webster dictionary, one of the definitions of security is “freedom from fear or anxiety.” I dare to bet that those that live on or below the poverty line don’t have security. I bet they have plenty of fear and anxiety. The fear of the unknown, the fear that constantly reminds them that wherever they are today is only temporary. Sooner or later they and their family will be forced to move again, and again. The anxiety that the parents of the impoverished kids have daily 24/7 about whether their kids will grow up to be like them or not.In this regard, I, the accuser, find the government guilty.Chapter 3, Article 38 states:“The law shall protect the life, honor and dignity of the citizens.”What honor or dignity is there when you ain’t got a piece of land to call your own? What dignity and honor is there when you have to live off garbage dumps and your kids are sent to beg for tourist dollars?In this regard, I, the accuser, find the government guilty.Chapter 3, Article 44 states:“The right to confiscate possessions from any person shall be exercised only in the public interest as provided for under law and shall required fair and just compensation in advance.”Public interest is loosely defined as always. Who is to say what constitutes “public interest?” And the fair and just compensation part? Who in hell can tell me how much is fair, when your monthly earning is less than the cost of a visit to a brothel?In this regard, I, the accuser, find the government guilty.