Human Rights Watch: Forced Evictions Illegal
By Pin Sisovann and Jason McBride
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
Human Rights Watch has called on the Cambodian government to immediately halt its policy of forced evictions, stating that they violate national and international law.
In a statement received Wednesday, the New York-based rights group said Prime Minister Hun Sen's government should immediately call a moratorium on the mass evictions until it adopts a housing and resettlement policy in line with its national and international human rights obligations.
"The government is allowing a handful of powerful and well-connected individuals to line their own pockets while trampling the human rights of thousands of poor people," Sara Colm, senior Asia researcher for Human Rights Watch, said in the statement.
"The epidemic of forced evictions by the government often involves the unnecessary use of force and has devastating consequences for the livelihoods of the poor," she said.
Deputy Municipal Governor Pa Socheatvong said critics of municipal policy are entitled to their own views.
"Whatever they said, it's their opinion," he said.
Human Rights Watch also stated that two low-income communities, totaling nearly 1,600 families or 6,000 people, face eviction from Phnom Penh's Tonle Bassac commune in the coming days. The first community of 150 families, living in Group 78, has been threatened with eviction this week. The government is expected to evict the second group of 1,400 families, in Village 15, in mid-August, the statement said.
"According to Municipal officials, residents evicted from Group 78 will be trucked to an isolated and barren relocation site on the outskirts of the city. The relocation site lacks basic infrastructure, sanitation facilities or potable water," the statement said.
As the majority of families in Group 78 have lived there since the early 1980s, they have the right to possess the land under the 2001 Land Law, Human Rights Watch said.
Over the last three months, more than 1,500 families have been forcibly evicted from Phnom Penh. Many of the residents had lived in their homes for more than a decade, Human Rights Watch said.
"The recent evictions bear striking similarities. Riot police armed with guns, shock batons, tear gas and shields cordon off the eviction sites before dawn to bar human rights monitors, UN observers and journalists," Human Rights Watch said.
In many cases, police use or threaten unnecessary or excessive force to remove residents and tear down their homes.
"Affected communities are not adequately informed or consulted about the pending evictions, nor are they provided due process or adequate legal assistance. Compensation, if offered, is far below the market value."
The report cites the eviction of more than 168 families living next to the Monivong Hospital on July 2 as an example. During that eviction, a pregnant woman was shocked with an electric baton, Human Rights Watch said.
The report also cited the eviction of 1,000 families from Tonle Bassac's Village 14 in June, during which eight people were arrested.
Human Rights Watch added that the problem is not limited to Phnom Penh. Families in Battambang, Kandal, Kompong Speu, Koh Kong, Kompong Cham, Siem Reap, Kampot, Kompong Thorn and Kompong Chhnang provinces are also facing forced eviction, it states.
Government spokesman and Information Minister Khieu Kanharifh said Human Rights Watch officials don't know Phnom Penh.
He added that the municipality is planning to build schools and hospitals near the relocation sites, and that people should be patient. "It's only a bit late, can't you wait and see?" Khieu Kanharith asked.
The relocations do not violate the Land Law because the residents are living on state land that needs to be developed for public use, he said.
Many of the squatters being relocated live in dangerous and unstable conditions in the city center. At their relocation sites, they will own property and be able to live in better conditions, he added.
"Must we build a palace for everyone?" he asked.
In a statement received Wednesday, the New York-based rights group said Prime Minister Hun Sen's government should immediately call a moratorium on the mass evictions until it adopts a housing and resettlement policy in line with its national and international human rights obligations.
"The government is allowing a handful of powerful and well-connected individuals to line their own pockets while trampling the human rights of thousands of poor people," Sara Colm, senior Asia researcher for Human Rights Watch, said in the statement.
"The epidemic of forced evictions by the government often involves the unnecessary use of force and has devastating consequences for the livelihoods of the poor," she said.
Deputy Municipal Governor Pa Socheatvong said critics of municipal policy are entitled to their own views.
"Whatever they said, it's their opinion," he said.
Human Rights Watch also stated that two low-income communities, totaling nearly 1,600 families or 6,000 people, face eviction from Phnom Penh's Tonle Bassac commune in the coming days. The first community of 150 families, living in Group 78, has been threatened with eviction this week. The government is expected to evict the second group of 1,400 families, in Village 15, in mid-August, the statement said.
"According to Municipal officials, residents evicted from Group 78 will be trucked to an isolated and barren relocation site on the outskirts of the city. The relocation site lacks basic infrastructure, sanitation facilities or potable water," the statement said.
As the majority of families in Group 78 have lived there since the early 1980s, they have the right to possess the land under the 2001 Land Law, Human Rights Watch said.
Over the last three months, more than 1,500 families have been forcibly evicted from Phnom Penh. Many of the residents had lived in their homes for more than a decade, Human Rights Watch said.
"The recent evictions bear striking similarities. Riot police armed with guns, shock batons, tear gas and shields cordon off the eviction sites before dawn to bar human rights monitors, UN observers and journalists," Human Rights Watch said.
In many cases, police use or threaten unnecessary or excessive force to remove residents and tear down their homes.
"Affected communities are not adequately informed or consulted about the pending evictions, nor are they provided due process or adequate legal assistance. Compensation, if offered, is far below the market value."
The report cites the eviction of more than 168 families living next to the Monivong Hospital on July 2 as an example. During that eviction, a pregnant woman was shocked with an electric baton, Human Rights Watch said.
The report also cited the eviction of 1,000 families from Tonle Bassac's Village 14 in June, during which eight people were arrested.
Human Rights Watch added that the problem is not limited to Phnom Penh. Families in Battambang, Kandal, Kompong Speu, Koh Kong, Kompong Cham, Siem Reap, Kampot, Kompong Thorn and Kompong Chhnang provinces are also facing forced eviction, it states.
Government spokesman and Information Minister Khieu Kanharifh said Human Rights Watch officials don't know Phnom Penh.
He added that the municipality is planning to build schools and hospitals near the relocation sites, and that people should be patient. "It's only a bit late, can't you wait and see?" Khieu Kanharith asked.
The relocations do not violate the Land Law because the residents are living on state land that needs to be developed for public use, he said.
Many of the squatters being relocated live in dangerous and unstable conditions in the city center. At their relocation sites, they will own property and be able to live in better conditions, he added.
"Must we build a palace for everyone?" he asked.
6 comments:
"Khieu Kanharifh said Human Rights Watch officials don't know Phnom Penh."
To those people who know Phnom Penh and they know hell! I been to Phonm Penh and it is dirty,dusty and choatic as hell!
Maybe they don't know Phnom Penh, but they know Khie Kangnarith's real face, exactly.!!!!!
Ah Khieu, no you don't build a palace for everyone. No donor country will hand you the money. But, no you M.F. head, your buddy in your corrupted office needs to be responsible for every action you do to these poor people. Look at your neighbors, they progress -- we don't. Do you know why (ah Khieu? They took care of their citizens, not abusing everyone like you do in Cambodia.
Khmers are worse people on this planets. We barely have moral philosophy. Perhaps, we just need ONE Fat Boy right in the heart of Phnom Penh to clean out the fat heads corrupted gov't.
Ah Khieu, you need to turn in Bin Laden. Mr. Bush is coming for you.
You said Phnom Penh is like a hell and you ever been there it mean right now you live in oversea. i hope the one say like this is a not cambodian people may vietnames or thai. if u r cambodia it not good to say like this this is your home country, you have to love your home country. you think oversea is your paradice? you make a mistake for this, oversea is thaansoou(workhard) not thaansour(pardice). in oversea you can go to restaurant every week, you can go for a work everyday??? in oversea like america can you become a boss??? i have this experint already now where like your home country. last of all i want to tell the one who say phnom penh is like a hell you are wrong. you hat khiev khnarith you have to say about him. you know phnom penh is symbol for cambodian people if u still say like this it mean they live in hell. try to think again befor you say
I like to let everyone know that PHNOM PENH city of Mr Ma just get a new award winner as a SEXY city in the world. If you want a cheap SEX go to Phnom Penh.A thousand of the Cambodian young girls(I mean Khmer not a Vietnamese girls)does this kind of business.Poeple are so poor and without a jobs and no the other choice.This is under the leadership MOHA AUSCHA of Hun Sen.
If you want XY(EAT)go to Phnom Penh.All kind of good foods are there you names Hong kong,Chinese,French,Italy,Vietnamese,Hamburger,Pizza,Vine ,Wisky etc..
So Phnom Penh is a new paradise of Kanharith and a sexy city of the world.Every evening they go XY(eat) drink and go Sex.Bravo
To 7:38PM
When I said capitol city of Phom Penh is hell and I mean it! I don't pretense to say what is not true! The whole world know that Phom Penh is hell! In case you didn't know that there is a place called STUNG MEANCHEY and it is hell on Earth and why AH HUN SEN allowed such place to exist in Phnom Pehn? Do you know?
Cambodia can be better than this a thousand times!Why be an average why not be above average or beyond! Cambodian people must not and will not accept the mentality of AH BLIND MAN HUN SEN because Cambodia is being evolved into average Country where the Cambodian leaders like AH HUN SEN don't give a fuck about anything!
Cambodia are light year behind the outside world in everything! So when the advance countries of the outside world come into Cambodia and they will ask Cambodia people to jump and Cambodian people better say how high because the outside world don't give a fuck about any Cambodian and it is all for profit in the name of economic! It is already happening right now in Cambodia and why don't you open your eyes?
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