At least five copies of Cambodian People’s Party pictures were torn up Monday morning in Battambang province, following a protest over land, witnesses said.
About 100 land-dispute protestors were holding banners depicting the CPP leadership—Prime Minister Hun Sen, Senate President Chea Sim and National Assembly Chairman Heng Samrin—when police stopped them and ripped up the banners, witnesses said.
Long Som, governor of Moung Russey district, where the incident reportedly took place, denied authorities had ripped up the banners, but said instead they had confiscated them.
Villagers are protesting the arrest of six people, on charges related to the clear-cutting of land that Agriculture Ministry officials should belong to its fisheries department.
Villagers say they need the land, and fisheries officials said this week they were considering the needs of the people, but they were not judges and could not release the accused.