Shukaku, Inc., ceased filling Boeung Kak lake Friday, as protesters demanded more talks over moving compensation.By Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
05 September 2008
A Phnom Penh development company ceased filling Boeung Kak lake on Friday, following a protest of hundreds of lakeside residents in front of its office.
Protesters requested that Shukaku, Inc., stop filling the lake and resume direct discussion with residents over compensation costs for leaving the area.
More than 300 protesters staid in front of the Shukaku office, on the east side of the lake, for two hours Friday morning, before the company shut off a fill pump that had been throwing mud and water from the bottom of the Tonle Sap into the lake since last week.
The pump was still shut down Friday afternoon.
The protesters had two demands Friday: that the pump be shut off and that they have direct talks with authorities and Shukaku.
Sok Sambath, governor of Phnom Penh's Daun Penh district, and Chan Na, a Shukaku representative, told representatives of the protesters in a meeting Friday they would agree to temporarily stop filling the lake, until a resolution can be found with residents.
"We will forward your proposal to the government for discussion," Sok Sambath said.
Boeung Kak lake has been slated for development under a 99-year, $79 million lease between the city and Shukaku, but residents have proven reluctant to take a city buyout of $8,000 per home.
The development would include residential and commercial properties, as well as a hospital and university and other businesses.
"We agreed to accept the results of the first step, but we have not reached our request yet," said Be Pharum, a representative of the protesters said following the meeting. "We must wait for the final resolution."
Other residents warned they would continue to protest if their demands for a larger compensation package fail.
Protesters requested that Shukaku, Inc., stop filling the lake and resume direct discussion with residents over compensation costs for leaving the area.
More than 300 protesters staid in front of the Shukaku office, on the east side of the lake, for two hours Friday morning, before the company shut off a fill pump that had been throwing mud and water from the bottom of the Tonle Sap into the lake since last week.
The pump was still shut down Friday afternoon.
The protesters had two demands Friday: that the pump be shut off and that they have direct talks with authorities and Shukaku.
Sok Sambath, governor of Phnom Penh's Daun Penh district, and Chan Na, a Shukaku representative, told representatives of the protesters in a meeting Friday they would agree to temporarily stop filling the lake, until a resolution can be found with residents.
"We will forward your proposal to the government for discussion," Sok Sambath said.
Boeung Kak lake has been slated for development under a 99-year, $79 million lease between the city and Shukaku, but residents have proven reluctant to take a city buyout of $8,000 per home.
The development would include residential and commercial properties, as well as a hospital and university and other businesses.
"We agreed to accept the results of the first step, but we have not reached our request yet," said Be Pharum, a representative of the protesters said following the meeting. "We must wait for the final resolution."
Other residents warned they would continue to protest if their demands for a larger compensation package fail.
18 comments:
Dear mr HUNSEN, i thinks you are afraid of thailand, that is why you don't do anything and allowing them to do whatever they wanted..come and stay in cambodia lands..I thinks you're solft.!!and don't tell people you are not..!!
any kind of relocation must be properly compensated by the gov't so people can move else where to live and make livelihood. even in the USA, when gov't need to relocate people to make way for expressways or schools or what have you, gov't there properly compensated the people to move. this is justice and in accordance to law so everyone can be happy to relocate. god bless.
Why the dramatic story already repeated again and again?
SamLot Suppression in 1960s lead to revolution.
Now, lives of more than 20,000 angry people happen again.
Even though they accept $8,500 compensation. Then, after they spend their money , they will become homeless, jobless, and even poorer.
Then, we can't get rid of them. They will be part of our lives.
6 million poor will never be far away from us.
Who want to be next government? to deal with millions of social ills?
Why Cambodians become materialistic?
Yesterday, KFC security guards took my old motorcyle out of the shade even though there were many books under the rain.
They prefered to put new motorycle without any books under the shade? That's how Kith Meng teach his staff to do that?
So unfair!
The history will repeat itself at anytime under whosoever's governing!!! There will be super-power blocs: (US+Europes) Vs (China+Russia) and their allies. Yet Cambodia will be employed geniunely as a battleground to challenge their influence and mighty. Praise Thailand for that-never be colonized by any countries. PITY ON CAMBODIA COZ IT DOESN'T GO ANYWHERE BUT PRONE TO BECOMING WEAKER AND WEAKER, SMALLER AND SMALLER!!!!!
Empire
What can you expect from the government? I ignorantly can say that the govt. takes advantages from its own people all time. Laws passed coz of great pressure, I never see govt. willing to iniate any good-will laws rather hold on tight to their party, associates clans'interests. no wonder since no much intelligence and professionalizm used much in the govt.'s house. What they so-called call politics??? Cambodians you better look at the structures and the nature of the government whether the policies really benefit people first and in the long run, BUT WHAT I CAN UNDERSTAND IS ALL THE BENEFITS GO TO THE ALLIES OF THE GOVT. FIRST. Here is the hypothesis: 100% of state revenue, which a small sum goes into the case of the party, another sum in the pocket of individuals with closed connection to the top and just the left sum goes into the state case. What a pity that is why about six millions in Cambodia live under poverty line!!!!!!
all the people living around that lake area was given a choice....compensation which is $8,500 or housing...brand new...in a different place of course. those who chose the house, they are also given $500 to help them with the move. All these people are well awared that living around that area is not permanent... that it is government land that's why no one there were issued "Land title" for that reason. But yet, they remain..hoping that one day, the govt. wld change there mind. I do feel sorry for them....but i think what they are given is fair enough given that they have no right to this land to begin with. Look at the land area around the Mekong River...about 5 minutes drive from the palace... it was once a beautiful park. Then people started coming to settle there. Since they weren't able to built anything permanent...they put out tents. One by one till now, it's a community of people living there. They are all aware that they have no rights living there, but yet they stayed anyway. Now, if u were to have them move out or given them compensations....they wld go and protest and expect to get their fair share...which is "the market value" of their land. Since when are they given that land? They don't even have a title nevertheless, the right to live there the first place?
One comment from the previous blog said about he mindset of those in power. They are having no sympahathy to their people, because they were from those level when back in that time, their live ere not guaranteed, no one would give them a chance to survive, they have to made it or even fought for it. Now they feel that those people owed them what they have lost. And this is the time they have to pay back and the time for them to enjoy the money first.
Don't worry, I think the situation will change when they pass away. may be too long to wait for, but no other alternative if we don't think of revolution. When the revolution success, they are all gone too, not applicable. Still wait, they are getting older now.
12:40pm....u can wait as long as u want. FYI, i aint old....i'm not from a privilege family. I work as hard as anyone else or more than others. But i don't go and tried to snatch other people's land. I know my rights. We all have to strive to make ends meet!!!! A friend of mind worked really hard...saved up some money to buy some land. Since he cldn't afford anything in Phnom Penh or any big cities, he went to buy land on the outskirts of the city. Since he was busy working...he doesn't have time to go and take a look at it often. and cldn't afford even afford to hire people to watch over his land, some people came to settle in his land. Now he cldn't even push them out. He has to go to court and try to get his land back. Not just one family living there, but over 5. So what do u think of this? Is that fair???? I bet u wld be as pissed as they are. Don't tell me that you're nice enough to give away your land when u earn it with your hard earn money! U can wish death upon others when it's u that will get the wish.
Regarding to the initial settlement of those poors, they understood that they might not get the land titles, but when the government ignored their actions of settling there, then it turned out to become another message that there was a posibility to obtain the land titles one day after they have settle down for a reasonable long time, the hope had been stronger when the local government took the bribe from them when they first begun to set their tents.
This mistake was not at one side, I would ranther say that was both have contributed to the faulth.
However, when come to the relocation, a proper compensation should be consedered, because they are human being. compensation should be assessed individually, because every one is in different situation; some have greater difficulty of moving out, because their livelyhoods are much depent on their current house, while other are not so difficult, or even some is not having any problem at all of moving out there, because they are just greedy to get more money.
A thourough study should be taken place to ensure that the win win solution can be achieved.
No land title, no land, period. That's how the world works.
This is an emotional issue if you are being dispossessed from the land you have lived on for years even though you don't "own" it. The first land law had a provision for obtaining title by adverse possession i.e. just living on the land for..like 4 years. Unfortunately, many either didn’t know how to apply, knew but didn't do it, or did it but incorrectly. When the second land law passed in 2004-I think- it extended the right to file for clear title for a short period. I think that the only way to try and give justice to those who still occupy land without legal title, is for the RG to issue a Prakas allowing the extension of the adverse possession for another couple of years. In that way the people can go down to the Cadastral office and perfect their title. One thing I would say is at least the RG is giving them money to move rather then just kicking them off lend that simply squatted on years ago.
My native home in PPenh was grabbed by some squatter (Hun Sen official who has guns)after the Viet exited , my family were wiped out by KR, but my sister and I survived. I believe there are thousands of Cambodian families with the story like mine, who after all these years could'nt even approach to get a glimpse of our old homes for fear of adverse consequence from the current occupants. Does anyone has any idea of how to abring justice to this shameful crime of khmer on khmer? It appears that perpetrators are not just the wolves at the top but it pervades throughout the foodchain.
This travesty on the part of everyone who call themselve khmer and this wretched lawless land is here to say!
uuuu vote for him....uuuu live with it...chey yo...yuon...uuuu...just want a share from yuon just as hun also...keep selling...ok...uuuuu going to....hell together.....where is good khmer love srok.....
In the English law, if someone settles on another's property for 6 years, if there is no formal complaint from the landload, the ownership can shift to the new occupant.
But I don't what is the law in Cambodia. But when a regim changed, there would be little hope to get back the original ownership, as it happended in many countries too.
Hahaha, LOL, hahaha, the UK allows people to keep their land if they settle on it 6 years, hahaha, LOL, hahaha, what a psycho.
5.27 AM you talk bullshit
The idiot at 5:28 AM is one vindictive dude, inherent of khmer mentality.
This contributor (3:31 AM)was an officer in the Khmer Republic Army fighting the vietcong and the KR from 1970 to 1974. I survive the killing field not because KR spared me, but because I happened to be in military training in the US Army School at the time, my sister survived because she was married and lived in Europe. I have done my job as the son of kampuchea, I have nothing to do with the invitation of the viet to invade this land, nothing to do with the current political circus and oppression in this wretched land, and yet I still feel the heat of hatred and intolerence on the part of my countrymen. As far as I am concern you all can have it your way! Go on squabbling and blow each other away until no one is left to call himself khmer. Because of your massive ignorance, and ego, wanting all-or-nothing type mindset, you and your descendents will be doomed.
5:28 AM you are one pathetic animal, you ought to just roll over and die because you are useless.
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