Villagers say petition is a ‘trick’
Villagers in Kandal province alleged yesterday that officials had “tricked” them into thumb-printing a petition supporting tycoon Try Pheap’s claim that he is not involved in illegal logging and endorsing his defamation suit against two villagers.
In a scathing report released last Wednesday, the Cambodian Human Rights Task Force accused Pheap of widespread logging and land grabbing.
Two days later, two villagers from Kandal province’s Kandal Stung district who were quoted in the report were summonsed to court over defamation complaints Pheap had filed.
Since then, villagers said yesterday, commune and village chiefs in the same district have been pressuring them to ink petitions in support of the tycoon. …
CHRTF’s report claims that 1,445 families have been evicted from their homes during Pheap’s acquisition of about 68,088 hectares since 2010. It is also alleged that Pheap’s companies log in economic land concessions – its own and those granted to other companies – in every province in the country. …
May Titthara
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/villagers-say-petition-%E2%80%98trick%E2%80%99
