Tuesday, April 24, 2007

Phnom Penh: Adhoc and CCHR protest against the demolition of 2 homes

One of the two homeowners was physically dragged out of her home. Russei Keo governor claimed that no violence was used to remove the homeowners. (Photo: Koh Santepheap newspaper)

Police and demolition crew waiting to demolish the 2 homes. (Photo: Koh Santepheap newspaper)

One homeowner hanged a banner asking Hun Sen to help intervene (her plea was never heard). The homeowners also held a gaz tank to prevent the cops from approaching them. (Photo: Koh Santepheap newspaper)

Monday, April 23, 2007
By Duong Sokha
Cambodge Soir

Unofficial translation from French by Luc Sâr

Click here to read Cambodge Soir’s original article in French

For Adhoc and the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR), the demolition of 2 houses in Tuol Kork by the municipality in order to make space for a large urban project was not done under satisfactory conditions for the home owners.

Two organizations, Adhoc and CCHR, have denounced the manner which the Phnom Penh municipality used to destroy two homes in Tuol Kork, in Khan Russei Keo, apparently without providing any promise to compensate their owners. The city called in about 100 workers to tear down these dwellings which were located along the path a planned new road to be built by the South Korean company World City which also plans to build a vast city project in the new Boeng Paung Peay zone. The development project involving an investment of almost $2 billion, and which the master plan was adopted in December of 2005, will include the construction of apartments, villas, schools, hotels, high rise towers, sport center, markets, hospital and shopping centers. The construction would be completed by 2018. Adhoc and CCHR accuse the authority of “forcing the owners, who were settled there since 1980, to leave without offering any compensation nor finding a solution through legal means,” and for violating the 2001 land law.

Mey Sothaline, the owner of one of the 2 houses, explained that she was punished because she was not accommodating enough: “The city first called me to propose $32,000. I asked $65,000 because my home is 4-by-14.6-meter. They finally evicted us without letting us know in advance, and I heard that we will not be compensated either.”

The Russei Keo governor said that this family is too greedy. He reminded that the municipality created a commission in charge of estimating the price of houses threatened by the demolition, and that almost all of the 30 families had accepted the city’s offer, with the exception of only one. “This family asks too much money, it is illegal. The others are happy to leave the place for the development of the city, and there was no violence…” he claims.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

We cannot treat this kind of development as a good development becaue it has created more people to suffer than to prosper. We call an act of daylight robberies. The home owners must have a choice of their replacement with compensation of their inconvenient. Police shouldn't act like slave workers or criminal gangs to remove people without suspect of crimes. They are full of dignity citizen. Investors must treat them with full of respect. A natural fair of justice must be applied to both sides.

Anonymous said...

You are just jealous because our
city is going to be much more
prettier than your "slave's town"
in Long Beach; isn't that so?

Anonymous said...

shatt up mee lop lop.
what if she is your daughter or gran daughter? prettier my az..
mee kantorb eign need to get to a whore hotel and wait 4 me.

Anonymous said...

You should look at what we gained and what we lost, 10:08. Phnom Penh building will be falling down some day in the foreseeable future because all the buildings have been built without proper construction measuremetn.

Look at the apartments, flat and road of our dusty capital. The were breaking after being inaugerated just a few day.

To furter anlyse, calculate our development and our loss. People is still poor but we owed billion dollars to international donors and we have lost hectars of forest and any kind o natural resours including tonle sap.

And we gonna lose the oil resource, aren`t we.

Khemara
P.Penh

Anonymous said...

Hello 10:08, Since Hun Sen started to be the sole PM, Phnom Penh has become a shanty town like PHsa Kontop Chek. People are now sicker than before. One day everyone in Phnom Penh will colapse by lack of oxygen due to the shanti town built by a kwack PM. How dare you compare Phom Penh to any small town in USA? You must be an idiot to think so.

Anonymous said...

What planet are you talking about,
2:27? Phnom Penh will be better
then your stupid Long Beach soon.
Also the citizen here is a lot more
successful then your slaves in
the US. Most of us (Khmers) here
paid off and fully own their own
home while most of you slaves
abroad had not paid off for their
home yet, not to mention most of
you still living in the roach
infested government housing. Do
you know that?

Anonymous said...

You know a lot of Long Beach, are you criminal be hire by Hun Sen?

And why many of Ah Hun Sen General and Family sent their children to Long Beach?

Anonymous said...

the worst mistake made by victims is to ask hun shit for help. hu shit is the one behind all this.

Anonymous said...

10:16, does it make a difference if
I am our strongman Hun Sen's spy
or not? Did I lied?

As for the bigshots' children,
They have been brainwashed by your
stupid Hollywood, Plus Kids today
are fools. What else is new?