By Ouk Sav Bory
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by KI-Media
Government workers and ordinary people who were forced to move out of their homes located near the Monivong Hospital to a place near Sre Ampil village, Snor commune, Ang Snuol district, Kandal province, are facing with lack of drinking water and need immediate help.
Several small huts covered with plywoods and some wood, and tin roofs are built on a small mound surrounded by a barbed wire fence. The place, located in the middle of nowhere in the village of Sre Ampil, Snor commune, is divided into small plots.
When asked, the inhabitants said that the authority forced them out of their home near Preah Monivong Hospital (in Phnom Penh) at the end of June and early July so that the government can rent the land to a private company. The government reimbursed some families US$500, some others $1,000 and they were provided a 7-by-14-meter plot of land.
They blame the government for removing them out by force and move them without care to the middle of rice fields without water, electricity, bathrooms, health centers, schools, sewer system. They also lost a lot of money and time to go to work from their new far away homes. It cost them 20,000 riels ($5) each day to go to work (in Phnom Penh). If they use their own motorcycle, they need to spend between 1 to 2 liters of gas each day.
Phou Simao, a police officer, said that after the authority removed him out of his home near Monivong Hospital, even though he received the plot of land in Sre Ampil village, he did not receive the land ownership title. In the future, the government may decide to develop the area and could move him from his new home again. He said: “Since I came to live here, there is no authority, no organization that came to visit us to ask whether the land I am allotted is my property, or if it is only a borrowed land. If they rob us of our homes near Monivong Hospital and bring us here, and it turns out to be a borrowed land, what will the government do? …”
You Sith is a woman who worked for the Monivong Hospital, she complained that she is busy to go to work, when she gets back home, she has no water to use: “There is nothing here, there is no job, we are always waiting for the water trucks. They bring us water, but it is never sufficient, those at the end of the line or the beginning of the line always lack water…”
Sorn, a widowed woman who lived by herself, said that when she lived near the Monivong Hospital, she has a room left to rent out which provides her with some income in addition to her sales of merchandizes, she had a decent living then. However, after the authority moved her by force to this new place, she has no work: “After they moved me here, I had a lot of difficulties. Over there (her old home), I can do some sales … Here, there is no work, there is no sewer, no bathroom, I have no money to start a business, and I am too old. They gave me $500, but up to now, I spent it all to build a house and to eat…”
Sar Sokhan, the wife of a police officer, said that when she lived near Monivong Hospital for 19 years, she could save enough to build a concrete house costing almost $20,000. The government reimbursed her only $500 and it moved her by force to live in the middle of rice fields. Her daughter who is in 12th grade, should take the high school exit exam this year, but she decided not to take the exam, and went to work in a factory instead. Her 3 sons who are studying in grade 10 and 11 in Sisowath and Chaktokmouk high schools are very deceived and they now misbehave.
Sokhan said: “At the end, they moved me here by force, all my children are distraught. My daughter said: ‘Mom, I am so deceived, since I was born, I lived in Phnom Penh, you had a house for us to live in, how could you fall down and have to come and live here…’ Therefore, even if my children will become thieves and go rob people, I won’t blame them, it is the government who turned my children to be that way…”
San Phostra, a 10th grade student at Sisowath high school, told us in tears that he lost hope. When school starts, he will enter grade 11, but he is not sure if he can continue his study or not. He has no motorcycle and bicycle to go to school which is located 30 kilometers from his new home.
Phostra added also that his older brother and his younger sister, as well as numerous other students who were forced to move here, did not continue their schooling, they can no longer meet their friends, and are no longer in contact with their schools. They are very deceived by life because in this new place, there is no water to take a shower, there is no electricity, there are a lot of mosquitoes, there is nothing. Furthermore, the parents are constantly fighting each other here, they always curse the children and send them to fetch water for their needs. The children do not know where to find water because they are not use to carry water home, so they end up taking a bath in the rice fields, in ponds which give them rashes.
Those who were forced to move to live here, said that they have a roof on their head but they do not have work, they cannot do business, small and older children cannot continue with their schooling, in their everyday life, they lack water, electricity, rice, school, health center, transportation. One of the main need is drinking water.
The villagers said that up to 2 weeks ago, each day, two trucks would bring in two truck load of water to distribute to the 168 families. Now, it’s only every 3 or 4 days that the water trucks come, and after distributing to 10 homes, there is no water left. Some people are busy going with work in Phnom Penh city, they do not have time to wait for the water trucks so they don’t have water to use. This creates a lot of fighting.
They also said that currently, there is no group leader at all, there is a police office in Tuol Leap, some police officers are sent to patrol the area in the daytime, but at nighttime, there is nobody to protect them. Some of the villagers had to keep their young children with relatives (in Phnom Penh) so that they can finish their school year.
They said that they face more difficulties than those who were removed from Sambok Chap village. At least those in Sambok Chap already knew what it is to lose a house, but for them and their children, they are not use to this situation at all, they never face the danger of being evicted to make place for the city development.
Chuon Chamrong, An Adhoc human rights NGO representative of Phnom Penh, said that based on her investigation, the moving are affecting significantly all aspects of life: “We should rethink again on the development plan. A development which pushes people towards more poverty must be stopped. The development should think about the people also…”
Un Seng, Sre Ampil village chief, said that the higher authority did not hand over the administration of the displaced people to him. He visited the area to survey the living of the people. He observed that they lack drinking water as well as cleaning water.
He said that people who used to live in that area before, had to buy water to use everyday because in Sre Ampil, wells do not produce water.
Khieu San, the Kandal province MP, said that he contacted the Kandal province governor to help solve this problem based on the governor’s ability.
Up to now, there is nobody from the Ministry of Interior who are sent to help solve the work problems of the displaced police officers, nor the land ownership title for the 168 displaced families.
Several small huts covered with plywoods and some wood, and tin roofs are built on a small mound surrounded by a barbed wire fence. The place, located in the middle of nowhere in the village of Sre Ampil, Snor commune, is divided into small plots.
When asked, the inhabitants said that the authority forced them out of their home near Preah Monivong Hospital (in Phnom Penh) at the end of June and early July so that the government can rent the land to a private company. The government reimbursed some families US$500, some others $1,000 and they were provided a 7-by-14-meter plot of land.
They blame the government for removing them out by force and move them without care to the middle of rice fields without water, electricity, bathrooms, health centers, schools, sewer system. They also lost a lot of money and time to go to work from their new far away homes. It cost them 20,000 riels ($5) each day to go to work (in Phnom Penh). If they use their own motorcycle, they need to spend between 1 to 2 liters of gas each day.
Phou Simao, a police officer, said that after the authority removed him out of his home near Monivong Hospital, even though he received the plot of land in Sre Ampil village, he did not receive the land ownership title. In the future, the government may decide to develop the area and could move him from his new home again. He said: “Since I came to live here, there is no authority, no organization that came to visit us to ask whether the land I am allotted is my property, or if it is only a borrowed land. If they rob us of our homes near Monivong Hospital and bring us here, and it turns out to be a borrowed land, what will the government do? …”
You Sith is a woman who worked for the Monivong Hospital, she complained that she is busy to go to work, when she gets back home, she has no water to use: “There is nothing here, there is no job, we are always waiting for the water trucks. They bring us water, but it is never sufficient, those at the end of the line or the beginning of the line always lack water…”
Sorn, a widowed woman who lived by herself, said that when she lived near the Monivong Hospital, she has a room left to rent out which provides her with some income in addition to her sales of merchandizes, she had a decent living then. However, after the authority moved her by force to this new place, she has no work: “After they moved me here, I had a lot of difficulties. Over there (her old home), I can do some sales … Here, there is no work, there is no sewer, no bathroom, I have no money to start a business, and I am too old. They gave me $500, but up to now, I spent it all to build a house and to eat…”
Sar Sokhan, the wife of a police officer, said that when she lived near Monivong Hospital for 19 years, she could save enough to build a concrete house costing almost $20,000. The government reimbursed her only $500 and it moved her by force to live in the middle of rice fields. Her daughter who is in 12th grade, should take the high school exit exam this year, but she decided not to take the exam, and went to work in a factory instead. Her 3 sons who are studying in grade 10 and 11 in Sisowath and Chaktokmouk high schools are very deceived and they now misbehave.
Sokhan said: “At the end, they moved me here by force, all my children are distraught. My daughter said: ‘Mom, I am so deceived, since I was born, I lived in Phnom Penh, you had a house for us to live in, how could you fall down and have to come and live here…’ Therefore, even if my children will become thieves and go rob people, I won’t blame them, it is the government who turned my children to be that way…”
San Phostra, a 10th grade student at Sisowath high school, told us in tears that he lost hope. When school starts, he will enter grade 11, but he is not sure if he can continue his study or not. He has no motorcycle and bicycle to go to school which is located 30 kilometers from his new home.
Phostra added also that his older brother and his younger sister, as well as numerous other students who were forced to move here, did not continue their schooling, they can no longer meet their friends, and are no longer in contact with their schools. They are very deceived by life because in this new place, there is no water to take a shower, there is no electricity, there are a lot of mosquitoes, there is nothing. Furthermore, the parents are constantly fighting each other here, they always curse the children and send them to fetch water for their needs. The children do not know where to find water because they are not use to carry water home, so they end up taking a bath in the rice fields, in ponds which give them rashes.
Those who were forced to move to live here, said that they have a roof on their head but they do not have work, they cannot do business, small and older children cannot continue with their schooling, in their everyday life, they lack water, electricity, rice, school, health center, transportation. One of the main need is drinking water.
The villagers said that up to 2 weeks ago, each day, two trucks would bring in two truck load of water to distribute to the 168 families. Now, it’s only every 3 or 4 days that the water trucks come, and after distributing to 10 homes, there is no water left. Some people are busy going with work in Phnom Penh city, they do not have time to wait for the water trucks so they don’t have water to use. This creates a lot of fighting.
They also said that currently, there is no group leader at all, there is a police office in Tuol Leap, some police officers are sent to patrol the area in the daytime, but at nighttime, there is nobody to protect them. Some of the villagers had to keep their young children with relatives (in Phnom Penh) so that they can finish their school year.
They said that they face more difficulties than those who were removed from Sambok Chap village. At least those in Sambok Chap already knew what it is to lose a house, but for them and their children, they are not use to this situation at all, they never face the danger of being evicted to make place for the city development.
Chuon Chamrong, An Adhoc human rights NGO representative of Phnom Penh, said that based on her investigation, the moving are affecting significantly all aspects of life: “We should rethink again on the development plan. A development which pushes people towards more poverty must be stopped. The development should think about the people also…”
Un Seng, Sre Ampil village chief, said that the higher authority did not hand over the administration of the displaced people to him. He visited the area to survey the living of the people. He observed that they lack drinking water as well as cleaning water.
He said that people who used to live in that area before, had to buy water to use everyday because in Sre Ampil, wells do not produce water.
Khieu San, the Kandal province MP, said that he contacted the Kandal province governor to help solve this problem based on the governor’s ability.
Up to now, there is nobody from the Ministry of Interior who are sent to help solve the work problems of the displaced police officers, nor the land ownership title for the 168 displaced families.
2 comments:
TO TAKE AWAY PEOPLES HOMES, THEIR LAND AND THEIR SAFETY IS TO INVITE A KNOCK ON CORRUPTION'S DOOR. DOWN WITH THE SYSTEM!
AH HUN SEN promoted developement to promote more poverty? I like to ask AH CHEAM YAP Vietcong trained economist and how is that possible?
The Cambodian people spend 20years just to build a small shack cost about $20,000 to $30,000 with running toilet with the plumbing system of running water for cooking and bathing!Now AH HUN SEN paid these Cambodian people $500 to $1000 to bulldozer their house and make them move to new place with nothing! No water! No toilet system! NO market! No job! No School! What the fuck is this! Is this how the Vietcong trained AH CHEAM YAP the economist to plan out like this for Cambodian people?
Folk not all developements are good for the people and this is a clear example of it!
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