Demands a halt to forced evictions and land confiscation

Land grabbed by the 7NG Company
Village 78 Phnom Penh

The issue of forced evictions, displacement, and landlessness among Cambodia’s rural and urban poor is reaching crisis proportions.

12.08.2009
Norwegian People Aid

Evictions and land confiscation continue in Cambodia. This is despite that The World Bank, ADB, UN and Cambodia’s donors have called for for the government to enact a moratorium on forced evictions and land confiscation until it establishes effective conflict resolution mechanisms and relocation procedures meeting international standards

On August 11th, community representatives from 19 different provinces gathered in Phnom Penh to submit community complaint petitions to government offices. Complaints from approximately 30 cases have a total of over 15,000 thumbprints. The complaints cover an area of at least 200,000 hectares of land.

These community complaints will be filed directly by affected communities. They demonstrate a rising awareness among Cambodians about their rights under Cambodian and international law. The complaints also reflect a rising level of frustration with attempts to solve land disputes and evictions at the local level. The complaints come from 19 different provinces but have a similar theme: marginalized communities are being driven into poverty by forced evictions, economic land concessions, mining concessions and unlawful land grabs. Communities’ efforts to seek peaceful solutions are met with intimidation, coercion, court action - and sometimes violence.

On Wednesday 12th. community representatives from across Cambodia will conduct a forum for donors, NGOs and media to explain why they are lodging complaints to the national government.

Press statement from community representatives:

“When we try to protect our legal rights we receive intimidation. We want the government and the donors to know what is happening. We are losing our land, forest and fisheries we depend on. We are getting poorer and poorer and the rich are getting richer.”

“We are told we have rights. It does not feel like that. When we try to protect the rights and our land, we are abused and intimidated by the courts” - Mr. Pol Cheoun, Kors Kralor

“We know it is dangerous to do these complaints all together, but what choice do we have?” - Ms. Doung Kheang, Beoug Took commune, Teuk Chew District, Kampot

We are community representatives including indigenous peoples from 19 provinces and cities in Cambodia. We would like to make a common statement in order to inform the Royal Government of Cambodia, local community, donors and international community about the situation of development in Cambodia, especially through economic land concessions, land grabbing and destruction of natural resources by some rich and powerful who have affected the livelihoods of local people.

We are very happy and welcome government development projects. But those development projects must not badly affect to our lives and livelihoods. We do not accept developments that benefits only to the private companies and some powerful people. Our communities are losing our land and natural resources. These are the things that we depend on for generations.

Donors and the international community grant hundreds of millions dollars every year to help develop Cambodia especially in order to alleviate the poverty of the Cambodian people. They say they provide money to build democracy, reduce poverty, protect natural resources, promote health and well-being and education services etc. However, we, the community people, observe that the poor Cambodians’ are getting poorer and poorer and the rich are getting richer and richer.

Community people are wondering how development aid has been used? In addition, much land has been granted to private companies for concessions. Also some lands are abused and taken directly by some powerful people. This is affecting our livelihoods by taking our farms land the forest that we depend on for our livelihoods.

In Preah Phos Commune, Kors Kralor District, Battambang Province, community farming land was confiscated by a powerful person (who is a military officer) and they are not allowed to cultivate their rice fields. When people try to farm their land, they are accused of abusing personal possession and robbery. Up to date, 37 Kors Kralor people were called for questioning multiple times by the court (including … one person who was deceased at the time of the incidents), one is still in on bail, restricted to the province.

The people in Kors Kralor are living in fear; even in the rainy season, they cannot farm their land. There are food shortages. People take loans and cannot payback. Food shortage lead to sickness and people cannot pay for medical treatment. Some migrate to work outside, so children cannot access school. Some community people become manual workers in the forest. Difficult circumstances lead to serious sickness and people do not have the money for proper treatment.

In Andong Meas District of Ratanakiri Province the issue is Economic Land Concessions. In this case a Korean company was given the lands and forests of indigenous peoples. Legal advice was that the concession was not issued in line with Cambodian Law and indigenous peoples rights.

“It was our land. It always was. Then the government gave it to a company. It is destroying our lives. They didn’t tell us. The first we knew of the concession was when the Sesan River stopped flowing and machines came across to our village. We complained nationally two times already. They are still clearing our land” - Mr. Sol Seuy, indigenous Kachok, Andong Meas, Ratanakiri

In Rovieng District, Preah Vihear, the issue is mining concessions. There was a a large mining concession given to a company. The company has started making roads, clearing and started exploration. Communities were not consulted.

“Our problem is this mining company. They say to mine, to build roads and come to intimidate us” - Mr. Som Chain, Rovieng

These issues are not just happening in Kors Kralor, Andong Meas and Rovieng They are happening throughout the country. Every province and town/city has these problems. This is why we are raising joint complaints to the government. We keep raising the problems and they are ignored. Is this the sort of development the government and donors support?

We want the problems solved. We would like to demand to the government to address this problem.

As a start we demand:

• The Government halt to new concessions
• The Government halt and cancel to operations of all old concessions or development projects that negatively affect the livelihoods of communities.
• An immediate stop to intimidation and court actions against people attempting to protect their land and natural resources, and the release from jail of those imprisoned relating to protecting land and natural resources;
• A meeting between 50 community representatives from complaint area and the Prime Minister facilitated by the UN, with Human Rights organizations and donors participating to raise and solve the issue.

We also request to the donors, Cambodian people and international community to strictly monitor the development aid. Make sure it is contributing to the poverty reduction in Cambodia. Also work so that the government follows its promises.