Friday, February 06, 2009

Dey Krohom eviction: 53 families still demand financial compensation

Phnom Penh (Cambodia). 04/02/2009: Dey Krohom evictees staging a demonstration outside 7NG company head office. 7NG received the land they lived in as part of a concession issued by the government. (Photo: John Vink/ Magnum)

04-02-2009
By Ros Dina
Ka-set in English
This article is also available in French and Khmer


53 families from Dey Krohom are still struggling to obtain from the 7NG company financial compensation rather than a shophouse in the Damnak Trah Yeung village, Chom Chao city quarter, situated some twenty kilometres west of Phnom Penh. They met on February 4th outside the company head office, located to the side of the Building and metres away from the land where their homes used to stand before being destroyed on Saturday January 24th.

Among the holdout ones, 15 families whose names appear on the official list of inhabitants established by 7NG. Other families who were also listed have since accepted keys to an apartment in the Chom Chao quarter. Each of the 15 families demand a 20,000 dollar compensation, a claim shown on one of their banners: “We do not want to be rehoused on the outskirts because it is too far away from our workplace and our children's schools . What will we do out there? What will become of us?”, families explained.

As a reminder, the 53 families mentioned a report dated January 12th and produced a copy of it, signed by Phnom Penh governor Kep Chuktema himself and addressed to prime Minister Hun Sen. In the report, the two compensation options are summed up, namely a house in Damnak Trah Yeung or the sum of USD15,000, on top of which come house moving-related costs. They put forward the fact that the authorities and 7NG could not back out.

No representative of the 7NG company came to see them. Before the troop dispersed, a journalist enquired at the 7NG office, where he was told that the premises were an office for selling and renting and in no way the company's head office.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello All,

Red-Ant just wants to confirm you all to reflict and to imagine of our old Saying that now, it is the time of
"Klok lech, Ambeng Andeth" Pumpkin sunk, the matal pieces floated".

The saying is applying to nowadays in Cambodia that, the theif became Ministries and gov't workers, and Prostitutes become Jomteve. The wide and intelligent people have to live outside the country. They can not live inside Cambodia, because of these situartions.

Red-Ant.

Anonymous said...

When you turn down the offer of the century, you only got yourself to blame. So stop crying.

Anonymous said...

at least they're doing something to help themselves. a house on a relocation site isn't an 'offer' neither is $20,000 when ur house is worth $50,000. If it helps you to sleep at night and think that they got the offer of the century, then stay un-informed my friend