Cambodia Land Activist Tep Vanny Jailed Again

Just two years after she was released from jail--- Tep Vanny is again in police custody.

Her crime this time is creating public disorder.

Long Di Monch is the Phnom Pehn capital spokesman.

“They have violated Cambodian traffic laws. They blocked a public road and there was violence against public servants.”

Tep Vanny along with 100 others dragged a bed into the middle of a busy road in Phnom Pehn.

They called on the city hall to help with the flooding of their neighborhood.

They call on the city hall to help with the flooding of their neighborhood.

They say their homes flood when it rains because of the filling in of the Boeng Kak lake.

It was filled in to make way for a huge development project backed by a lawmaker from Prime Minister Hun Sen’s party.

As the police break up the protest, Tep Vanny yells out over the loud speaker.

 “You are cruel men. You must respect human rights. We live in sorrow and suffer oppression from the authorities every day. Give us justice and decent homes! You don’t support us and you don’t give us decent camps. I want to called on the international community to help our.”

Tep Vanny is a leader of the Boeung Kak 13 – a group of women who refused to be evicted from their homes to make way for the development project.

4,000 other peoples' homes were destroyed though and thousands of other lost their livelihood.

Today around two hundred people have gathered outside the Cambodian parliament demanding Tep Vanny and the others be freed.

Bov Sophea, another of the Boeung Kak activists says they will not stop until the chargers are dropped.

“We will make a nation wide campaign; we will talk to all the foreign embassies and pressure the authorities to release them.  We are hopefully that the people’s representatives will get justice for our activists. We also call on the world to review whether Cambodia is a real democracy or a communist dictatorship.”

Tep Vanny was arrested and sentence to two and half years in jail in 2012.

After an international outrage Tep Vanny’s sentence was reduced.

For her courage ….She has won numerous awards international awards…. And along with the other Boeung Kak women has become the face of resists against rapid land grabbing taking place across the country. 

In an interview with Asia Calling earlier this year she said she had no plans to stop her activism despite violence threats.

“I decided to die. I don’t care about my life because if I die today my children can live tomorrow. If I do nothing it’s the same as if I kill myself and kill my children. That’s why I have to join with my community to find justice from the government.”

Tep Vanny’s husband Ou Sok Chea was a military officer at the Cambodia Defence Ministry.

He was suspended because of his wives activism.

“I call on the government to free my wife and the others from jail.  Her struggle is for humanity, especially, for my community.  The international community must help them.”

The Boeung Kak community sings a song for freedom during a religious ceremony to pray for the release of their friends from jail.