More than 100 villagers from rural Cambodia were detained briefly by the authorities in Phnom Penh after handing out leaflets detailing how government land concessions are affecting their lives.
柬埔寨农村地区的100多位村民在散发有关政府出让土地对他们生活造成的影响的传单后，被金边当局短暂拘押。
Early Thursday, about 120 villagers gathered to pray at a Buddhist shrine on the riverfront in Phnom Penh.
星期四早上，大约120名村民聚集在首都金边河边的一个佛教寺庙里祈祷。
Many were dressed in outfits designed to evoke a Cambodian version of the hit film "Avatar," which depicts the struggle of an alien race battling to save their forest from commercial exploitation. Protesters had green painted faces, green shirts and wore a green leaf as a hat.
许多村民装扮成热门电影《阿凡达》中的形像。这部电影讲述的是潘多拉星球的纳美人为保护他们的森林免被商业开发而与地球人对抗的故事。柬埔寨的这些抗议者们用绿色涂料涂在脸上，身着绿色衣服，头戴树叶做成的帽子。
Raising awareness of deforestation
They said they had come to the capital to let the public know of the troubles they face in rural areas where huge tracts of forest have been leased to domestic and foreign businesses.
他们说，他们来到首都是要让公众了解他们在农村地区面临的困境，那里的大片森林已经租给了国内和外国的企业。
Villager Kao Chart, who traveled from the northeastern province Kratie, said the forests are being cleared and people like him are losing their livelihoods. He said 20 people came from his area, and are praying to the Buddha for help. He also said taking care of the environment is a priority.
来自东北部桔井省的村民考·查特说，森林正在消失，像他这样的人正失去生计。他说，有20个人来自他那个地区，他们向佛祷告祈求帮助。他说，保护生态环境是首要任务。
A community group said similar gatherings took place in 145 other locations across Cambodia. The claim could not be confirmed, but a nationwide effort would mark an unusual degree of cooperation on a social issue in Cambodia, where activism tends to be local and small-scale.
一个社区团体说，在柬埔寨的其它145个地方都进行了类似的集会。这个团体的说法无法证实，但是全国范围的行动标志着就人们在一个社会问题上不同寻常的合作。柬埔寨的类似行动往往是地方性和小规模的。
Land issues, however, are a significant problem affecting many communities.
然而，土地问题是影响许多社区的一个重大问题。
Pervasive issue
Earlier this week, the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, a local non-profit organization, released a report showing that ownership of at least five percent of land, nationwide, had been disputed in the past four years.
当地的非政府组织柬埔寨人权中心本周早些时候发布的一份报告显示，在过去四年，该国至少5%的土地所有权存在争议。
CCHR estimates that 47,000 families are either at risk of land conflict or had been affected by it.
柬埔寨人权中心估计，4万7000户家庭不是面临土地纠纷的风险，就是受到土地纠纷的影响。
One threatened area in the news recently was Prey Lang, the largest lowland evergreen forest in the region. Large tracts of this unprotected forest recently have been leased to rubber plantations.
最近的新闻报导中提到的一个受威胁的地区是白朗，这是东南亚最大的低地常绿森林。这片未受保护的森林的大片区域最近被租借给厂商种植橡胶。
Villager Kao Chart, who relies on Prey Lang for a living, said he is optimistic that coming to Phnom Penh would raise awareness of the problems. He said he hopes the demonstration will attract more support, and that the government must control deforestation.
仰赖白朗森林生存的村民考·查特说，他乐观地相信，他们来到金边会使更多的公众了解这个问题。他说，他希望这次示威抗议能够吸引到更多的支持。他说，政府必须控制森林砍伐。
After the prayer session concluded, the villagers dispersed around the capital and started handing out leaflets that highlight the importance of preserving the forest.
祈祷结束后，这些村民走上金边街头，开始散发传单，传单强调了保护这片森林的重要性。
Government detentions
But within an hour or so, the authorities had detained more than 100 members of the group. All were released shortly after promising they would not hand out leaflets again without permission.
但是在大约一个小时之内，当局关押了他们中的100多人。之后不久他们全被释放，因为他们保证不会在未获允许的情况下散发传单。
Despite repeated calls, a ministry of interior spokesman was not available to comment on the detentions or the government’s reasons for preventing the leaflets from being distributed.
尽管记者反复拨打电话，但柬埔寨内政部发言人未能就政府关押这些村民或政府为何阻止他们散发传单作出评论。
Three prominent rights groups spoke out against the detentions and the ban on distributing fliers. They said authorities had claimed the act of distribution could disrupt social order.
Ou Virak, who heads the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, said the real reason for the detentions was that such the protests threaten the ability of the elite to exploit Cambodia’s natural resources. |