Disputes over the development of Phnom Penh’s new airport, which has seen violent clashes and dozens of arrests, have risen to a conflict between the prime minister’s family and a controversial tycoon.
Before NagaWorld union president Chhim Sithar was arrested for violating bail conditions by traveling abroad, she had already been on two overseas trips, with her lawyer unaware of the restriction.
The development of Phnom Penh’s new international airport in Kandal province continues to face resistance, as petitioners gathered outside government institutions in the capital saying they had lost faith in provincial authorities as machines began to dig around their homes.
Dozens of families in a Kandal village have been marked for eviction to develop Phnom Penh’s new international airport, and have petitioned Prime Minister Hun Sen complaining of the state’s compensation offer that they say is a mere 10th of market prices.
Nine Kandal villagers arrested at a protest on Sunday have been charged with intentional violence, obstructing public officials and incitement under aggravating circumstances.
Villagers said 21 of 30 people arrested at a protest against the new Phnom Penh airport in Kandal were released Tuesday evening, with nine others charged with violence.
A citizen journalist was detained on Monday and later released after filming a police station and preparing to interview family members of 30 Kandal villagers arrested in a land dispute over Phnom Penh’s new international airport.
In a statement issued Sunday, Kandal provincial administration said that around 10:30 a.m. on Sunday airport protesters brandished sticks, threw stones, used rubber slingshots, hurled gasoline, insulted officers and burned tires.
Around 30 people were arrested in one morning amid violence, villagers and local officials said, as unrest around Phnom Penh’s new international airport development project in Kandal province continued to escalate.
A mother and son contesting the development of Phnom Penh’s new international airport in Kandal province were detained on Wednesday for taking photos of their rice field being cleared by the developer, but were released after agreeing to stop protesting.
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