The ‘Foire du Midi’ or ‘Zuidfoor’, an annual fair located in the center of the city of Brussels has been going on since 1885, a few days before the celebrations of the Belgian Independence Day, allowing all those who cannot afford to go on a holiday to enjoy some entertainment. Besides bigger and scarier attractions, not much has changed over the last decades. Brotherhood of the Bald Belgians, members of the ‘Orde van de Brusselse Moestasje’ (Order of the Brussels Mustache), ‘Buumdroegers’ (Tree Carriers), ‘Poeppendroegers’ (Puppet Carriers), ‘Gardevils’ (Guards), take part in a ceremony presided by the mayor of the city.
The festivities took place at the same time as a 5000-strong pro-Palestinian demonstration…
Part of an ongoing project called ‘This is not Belgium’. See HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE or HERE.
So a Chinese investors pulls out of the Boeung Kak lake development, letting the air out of a bloated balloon…
It is an old story by now, but with this split the last chapter of the Boeung Kak lake has not been written yet: 3000 families were evicted from Boeung Kak lake by a development company, a lake which collected excess of rainwaters was filled with sand, land rights activists were intimidated, beaten, imprisoned, committed suicide, pleas from desperate families were ignored, promises were broken, alliances were bought, more than hundred demonstrations were held at the Municipality, at the Asian Development Bank, at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court, at the Appeals Court, at the foreign embassies…
The only positive thing which emerged from this arrogant, dirty, marshy development endeavour is the rise of a group of loud-mouthed and fearless women which relentlessly stand up for their rights, finding ways to attract the attention not only of the media when pushing their agenda, but of the general public as well. The Boeung Kak lake ladies stand as an example for many in Cambodia. They are the noisy and disturbing tip of the iceberg.
These days the iceberg is under threat of a brutal meltdown, these voices are in danger of being shut up.
Having followed their struggle since the very beginning was/is a privilege. Their story, together with many other stories on land issues since the year 2000 can be found in the app ‘Quest for Land’, with photographs by yours truly and long, in-depth reports by Robert Carmichael. The app can be purchased on iTunes at THIS LINK.
The 5 opposition CNRP lawmakers who were arrested for incitement to violence following yesterday’s outbursts of violence (see HERE) during a demonstration requesting freedom of speech are being tried at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court. About 500 CNRP supporters gathered at the blockade set up by the riot police to prevent access to the court, soon joined by CNRP lawmakers.
The implacable logic of the ruling CPP on issues regarding justice which amounts to ‘What we are doing is always legal and what the opposition is doing is illegal when we decide it is’ is spread out in the open again.
For the armed forces to use lethal weapons, shoot demonstrators or even kill them, instead of applying well known crowd control techniques, for municipal guards to consistently provoke violence because of an uncontrolled behaviour does not, for the ruling party, justify any prosecution or arrest. When one protest, out of dozens of protests in the previous months, turns violent at the hand of CNRP supporters, the judicial machine quickly sets in and targets not the perpetrators, but those who supposedly incited the violence. Why can’t it target those who ordered the excessive violence used by the armed forces?
Because the prevailing logic within the ruling party is one of old-fashioned politics based on developing antagonism, of machismo muscle flexing, on supposedly clever ‘divide to reign’ strategies.
It certainly is not a logic which sets out to benefit ALL Cambodians.
Additional edit at 1:00PM: the simple notion of impartiality is totally absent within a fraction of the population. Even the Red Cross/Crescent, supposedly representing the essence of impartiality worldwide, seems to be contaminated by partisan politics in Cambodia: the municipal guards beaten up by protesters yesterday received 25$ from the Cambodian Red Cross. Has the Cambodian Red Cross ever visited those, innocent or not, shot by the military or beaten up by the same municipal guards in the previous months?
PS: I will leave for Belgium tonight and will not cover what certainly will be interesting Cambodian events in the coming month. Sorry…
Posted Wednesday Jul 16, 2014, in
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The notoriously violent Municipal Security Guards for the first time took a serious beating today at a rallye called by the opposition CNRP requesting that ‘Freedom Park’, fenced off by barbed wire and a 24h presence of riot police since a violent crackdown of striking workers in the aftermath of the 2013 elections, be returned to the public as an open space where freedom of expression could again prevail.
Several Municipal Security Guards were seriously injured and brought to the hospital.
Three CNRP lawmakers were detained upon leaving the area where the demonstration took place and are held at the Phnom Penh central police station.
Posted Tuesday Jul 15, 2014, in
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Boeung Kak lake community members, some carrying model houses, held a demonstration in front of the Phnom Penh Municipality, seeking a final resolution for their 7-year-long struggle after a private company obtained a 133 hectares area and proceeded evicting 3000 of the 4000 families living there.
This is a follow-up post on the ‘Quest for Land‘ story which is available as an iApp on iTunes and which reports on land issues in Cambodia since the year 2000 with texts by Robert Carmichael and over 700 photographs.
Where is the fervour which was swelling the streets of Phnom Penh during the previous ceremonies around the passing away of King Norodom Shanouk? Where has it gone? Besides invited groups and boy-scouts which were provided with plastic flowers and small photographs of the late King, concentrated along Sihanouk and Sothearos Boulevards, the carefully choreographed procession walked along empty streets…
A somehow subdued ceremony was held in front of the Royal Palace in the afternoon of the 1st of 3 days of ceremonies for the transfer of late King Norodom Sihanouk’s ashes to a stupa inside the Royal Palace compound.
Was it the presence of a delegation of opposition CNRP lawmakers, led by its Vice President Kem Sokha, which triggered a change of announced plans and kept both the Apsara dancers, all readied with candles, as well as the Queen Mother and her son King Sihamoni inside, behind the gates of the palace?
Besides a few tourists, delighted by the show of colourfull saffran-clad monks in front of the fairy-tale lights of the palace’s walls, there was no public to be seen: a far cry from the throngs of devotees who filled the streets during the previous ceremonies in 2013.
Some of the ahe ashes of late King Norodom Sihanouk, deceased in Beijing on October 15th 2012, will be transferred from the Royal Palace to a stupa within the compound.
About 1,000 buddhist monks received alms in front of the palace , before entering through the side door and starting a 3-day long ceremony.
The opposition CNRP paid respect to the late King at his memorial monument at the same time. Missed that… Didn’t know… Should have known…
Reminder: my e-book about King Norodom Sihanouk, with texts by Abby Seiff and Pierre Gillette, is available on iTunes at THIS LINK for the modest sum of 3.99$US.
