Protesters End Roadblock Empty-Handed
Srey ambel district, Koh Kong province – A roadblock by locals in a long-running land dispute with CPP Senator Ly Yong Phat petered out after several hours in the dying rain on Saturday without the protesters winning any concessions from either the senator’s firm or local authorities. About 200 villagers took part in the human blockade of National Road 48 at about 10 a.m. to demand their land back. The families accuse the senator’s local sugar plantation of illegally grabbing their property under a 2006 government-issued land concession. The protest was bolstered by the participation of a few hundred activists from across the country who were in Koh Kong province for a memorial on Friday held for recently slain forestry activist Chut Wutty. A handful of women from Phnom Penh’s Boeng Kak community, who are in their own land dispute with another CPP senator’s firm, also showed up to add their support to those protesting against Ly Yong Phat. …
