Phnom Penh (Cambodia). 05/02/2009: Children playing next to development program advertisement during a press conference held by the inhabitants of Group 78, living in fear over the threat of eviction. (Photo: John Vink/ Magnum)Forced evictions: Group 78 families neighbouring Dey Krohom live in fear
05-02-2009
By Ros Dina
Ka-set in English
This article is also available in French and Khmer
Who’s next? After the violent Dey Krohom eviction which occurred on January 24th, several communities in Phnom Penh fear they might be the next victims of this type of operation. It is notably the case of 88 families living in a plot known as Group 78, located in the Tonle Bassac quarter, less than a hundred yards from the Dey Krohom area. The families held a press conference on Thursday January 5th as they themselves live under the threat of eviction and are concerned that they might suffer the same fate as their neighbours.
The representative for these families insisted on showing journalists different administrative documents, approved by the local authorities and allowing them to assert their rights on those pieces of land.
He also brandished a letter signed by National Assembly president Heng Samrin , dated October 8th 2008 and addressed to Phnom Penh governor Kep Chuktema, asking the latter to follow up the complaint issued by inhabitants of Group 78, who claimed title deeds in due form. The municipality never replied to the request and argued that the papers provided were not valid, according to the representative of Group 78 families.
However, the latter does not intend to give up and repeated his request to the National Assembly, the Ministry of Land Management and the Ministry of Justice for them to intervene on that case and urge the municipal authorities to meet the expectations of those families.
“One must not accuse the population of Group 78 of occupying that land in an unlawful or illegal way. We all have papers and we are indeed the owners of these land plots even if we do not have official title deeds yet”, the representative pointed out.
Put off by the tragic fate experienced by their neighbours in Dey Krohom, residents of Group 78 fear today that the authorities might use any excuse to accuse families of acting illegally, and thus resort to force against them. “Here, we are even scared of using some paint... If they see that, they will come and destroy everything. What we demand is a right to housing. We are not looking for disputes. But with what happened in other places, we are so scared of being accused of such or such thing, and then that these accusations might be used as excuses to use violence against us”, he said.
Since 2006, after they received an eviction order from the Chamkarmon area, residents of Group 78 have been trying to obtain help in order to assert their right to live on these plots of land. To date, the Phnom Penh municipality has not addressed their claims.
The representative for these families insisted on showing journalists different administrative documents, approved by the local authorities and allowing them to assert their rights on those pieces of land.
He also brandished a letter signed by National Assembly president Heng Samrin , dated October 8th 2008 and addressed to Phnom Penh governor Kep Chuktema, asking the latter to follow up the complaint issued by inhabitants of Group 78, who claimed title deeds in due form. The municipality never replied to the request and argued that the papers provided were not valid, according to the representative of Group 78 families.
However, the latter does not intend to give up and repeated his request to the National Assembly, the Ministry of Land Management and the Ministry of Justice for them to intervene on that case and urge the municipal authorities to meet the expectations of those families.
“One must not accuse the population of Group 78 of occupying that land in an unlawful or illegal way. We all have papers and we are indeed the owners of these land plots even if we do not have official title deeds yet”, the representative pointed out.
Put off by the tragic fate experienced by their neighbours in Dey Krohom, residents of Group 78 fear today that the authorities might use any excuse to accuse families of acting illegally, and thus resort to force against them. “Here, we are even scared of using some paint... If they see that, they will come and destroy everything. What we demand is a right to housing. We are not looking for disputes. But with what happened in other places, we are so scared of being accused of such or such thing, and then that these accusations might be used as excuses to use violence against us”, he said.
Since 2006, after they received an eviction order from the Chamkarmon area, residents of Group 78 have been trying to obtain help in order to assert their right to live on these plots of land. To date, the Phnom Penh municipality has not addressed their claims.
6 comments:
Who's next? Anyone without a land title, as usual. The work is not done.
The CPP government under a Hun Sen leadership is returnING to the Khmer Rouge Pol PoT policies.
They are slowly finding wayS to remove people from their house and property.
By mean of force eviction using police sometime Military police.
If that don't work they will simply burn their house down OR KILL YOU and claim it a robbery or a dispute or an accident.
Since corruption is so wide spread and widely ENDORSED by the CPP government and WELL PRACTICE BY THE HUN SEN FAMAILIES AND HIS OFFICIALS FOR 30 YEARS.
Note: even the land document/ownership titile there is no way of telling what is legit and what is not!!. You can buy and sell land title if you have money.
A simple SOLUTION to fix these problem from Cambodia is to REMOVE HUN SEN AND ALL OF HIS FAMILIES MEMBER FROM CAMBODIA. ALONG WILL ALL OF THE TOP 20 cpp OFFICIALS WHO HAVE LARGE SOME OF MONEY from 30 years of Corruption money and purges.
They don't attend Parlarment session but would go have Kook fight instead. They have no concerns for the problem face by the Khmer people or ways to solve it.
Cambodian/Khmer people should BAND together in FORCE and REMOVE them from power then we have HOPE of forming a new Government that PROTECT THE INTERSTS OF KHMER PEOPLE NOT DESTORYING WHAT IS LEFT....
12:46pm,
Are you sure that with a hard title you will not be evicted? Prove it.
Raja
Yes, I am sure, but you will be fairly compensated for your property, if the state needed it for development, just as in any country on this planet. However, I hope you don't expect anyone to pay you 1 million/m2 for anything you got though.
huxen will be next!
damn, will the issue be closed for fuck sake? Im sick of stories distorted by those scums evicted from Dey Krahom. PP needs space for development, so what? those scums deserve to be drifted out of sight!
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