Demolition of evicted residents' homes in the Preah Monivong hospital (Photo RFA)Friday-Saturday-Sunday, July 7-8-9, 2006
Bitter departure of the last residents
By Ros Dina
Cambodge Soir
Translated from French by KI-Media
“Land thieves,” “Farewell to Monivong house”: the two graffiti scrawled on the walls of a house destined for demolition in the district of Preah Monivong hospital, summarized the mix of wrath and sadness felt Thursday by the last residents chased from lands given as concession to the Royal Group.
The last few families who did not move, were forced to affix their thumbprints on an official document in exchange for $500 and a 7 by 14 meters land plot in the Snor village (Kandal province). New threats by the authorities forced the last few resisters to vacate the place. “A [resident] police woman was hit and injured on the head when the authorities dragged her out of her house. Everybody was very scared. It was horrible,” Mrs. Leakhena, a resident, said. Leakhena is now renting a house downtown. Like most of her former neighbors, the daily commute between her job at the ministry of Post and Telecommunications, and the new land plot, would be too costly.
Thursday, a bulldozer was demolishing the last few homes which have been gutted of their roofs and frames. About twenty homes were still standing.
A day earlier, while the ultimatum by the authority on the residents was reaching its deadline, the Phnom Penh municipality court officially accepted the lawsuit pressed by the residents since June 29. Som Chandina, one of the residents’ lawyer, had sharply criticized the court for its slowness.
The last few families who did not move, were forced to affix their thumbprints on an official document in exchange for $500 and a 7 by 14 meters land plot in the Snor village (Kandal province). New threats by the authorities forced the last few resisters to vacate the place. “A [resident] police woman was hit and injured on the head when the authorities dragged her out of her house. Everybody was very scared. It was horrible,” Mrs. Leakhena, a resident, said. Leakhena is now renting a house downtown. Like most of her former neighbors, the daily commute between her job at the ministry of Post and Telecommunications, and the new land plot, would be too costly.
Thursday, a bulldozer was demolishing the last few homes which have been gutted of their roofs and frames. About twenty homes were still standing.
A day earlier, while the ultimatum by the authority on the residents was reaching its deadline, the Phnom Penh municipality court officially accepted the lawsuit pressed by the residents since June 29. Som Chandina, one of the residents’ lawyer, had sharply criticized the court for its slowness.
5 comments:
Who is this Royal Group? Are they Private?
yes, it is a private company.
If it is a private company, does it pay the govt. to have this land; if so, how much?
Was the land belong legally to the state or the people who lived there have titles to the land? If the the land belong to the people, is it not a case of the govtmt. abusing its imminant domaine?
Thanks
What the hell? Cambodian people are becoming more like Palistinian people. All these big powerful CPP officials are like Jewish soldiers who came with bulldozers and destroying the house of poor helpless people.
Now tell me again how did the terrorist got start again? Oh yes! The terrorist got started from poor people! Is it a coincidence that 90% of Cambodia population is poor? Hey! If anybody invite the terrorists to Cambodia is AH HUN SEN himself! What AH HUN SEN is doing right now is to promote terrorism in Cambodia through his corruption and through bulldozer the house of innocence poor Cambodian people!
remember , when they are talking about the public's lands, that mean ..their lands..
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