Cambodian land activists arrested for allegedly inciting farmers to hate the rich

By SOPHENG CHEANG and GRANT PECK
Associated Press

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Cambodia’s Interior Ministry says three land rights activists who were arrested on charges of plotting against the government planned to provoke a peasant revolution by teaching farmers about class divisions between rich and poor. The activists were arrested last week after hosting a workshop in the country’s northeast about land rights and other issues affecting farmers. Land grabs by wealthy and influential people have been a major problem for many years in Cambodia. They face up to 12 years in prison on the charges. An Interior Ministry spokesperson says the workshop discussed political issues such as the division between rich and poor and how to incite farmers to hate the rich.