Wednesday, March 09, 2011

World Bank urges Cambodia to stop mass eviction

03/09/2011
Agence France-Presse

PHNOM PENH—The World Bank called on Cambodia Wednesday to halt a mass eviction taking place in the capital amid mounting criticism over forced displacements in the country.

"We are deeply troubled and frustrated about the people who are being forced from their homes," World Bank president Robert Zoellick said in a statement.

A private company headed by a ruling party politician is filling in a lake in central Phnom Penh for commercial development, a controversial project that will eventually displace some 4,000 lakeside families.


Half the residents living on the shores of the Boeung Kak lake have already left, but they received only limited compensation from the company, according to a local housing rights group.

The remaining residents have held frequent protests in recent weeks, urging the company and the government to provide adequate compensation or allow them to stay in their homes.

The Bank is offering the Cambodian government "financing and technical advice to find practical solutions," Zoellick said. "We have repeatedly called on the government to end the evictions."

Cambodia has faced mounting criticism over a spate of forced evictions in recent years.

Last month the UN special rapporteur for human rights in Cambodia, Surya Subedi, said he was "deeply concerned" about land rights violations.

In 2009 alone, at least 26 cases of mass evictions displaced approximately 27,000 people across the country, according to a UN report issued last year.

Land disputes have been a major problem in the country since land ownership was abolished during the 1975-1979 rule of the communist Khmer Rouge. Many legal documents were lost during that time.

The World Bank started a land titling program in Cambodia in 2002 to address these issues, but it failed to include the Boeung Kak lake residents.

The government cancelled the program in 2009, saying it was "too difficult."

An investigation by the World Bank later found that the lake residents were displaced in violation of policies it had agreed with the government for handling resettlement.

The Bank recognized it had been too slow to respond to the evictions, however.

A spokeswoman for the Cambodian Ministry of Land Management refused to comment on the statement but said a government response was expected shortly.

22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Cambodia need to upgrade and modernize the city, world bank can shut up and don't interfered...

Anonymous said...

investigaion does wonder! it's good that they criticized the world bank for condoning indirectly the unfair eviction of lakeside residents, etc!

Anonymous said...

AH 10:50PM

WHY DON'T YOU SHOVE KDOR AH HUN XEN IN YOUR MOUTH SO YOU CAN SHUT THE FUCK UP AH PAKACH

Commen Sense said...

10:50 pm

What good is to upgrade and modernize the city when the residents are homeless.

Use your brain 10:50 pm. or you don't have one.

Anonymous said...

i don't have any problem with development in cambodia. it makes cambodia more competive in the region and in the world, for that matter, really! i want cambodia to develop in all fields, you know! got to love cambodia. god bless my country cambodia.

Anonymous said...

cpp = snake. can't trust it.

Anonymous said...

Someone should beat Hun Sen's dogs
around here,so they could stop barking.
They knew today,but they did not know
in the future what Cambodia would become.They did not know what country
control Cambodia.How many million Vietnamese immigrants in Cambodia?
The million Khmer people love Cambodia,but they do not love
few thousand people who are in power.
They treat Cambodians like dogs,even they called them "DOGS".
This is how Hun Sen treats his
people.
DOWN! DOWN! HUN SEN DOWN!
DOWN! DOWN! HUN SEN DOWN!

Anonymous said...

Why world bank waited so long to object this brutal regime?

Anonymous said...

World Bank sound so innocent...
Are they not the contributor to the cause of human suffering because of their greed?

Are Cambodians fleeced by the corrupt banking system. No, the whole world is fleeced by the corrupt banking system. How? By unjust weigh and measure.

Anonymous said...

Why grow on our own-kind pain? Are we still in the Khmer Rouge's era? Where is the win-win solution Hun Sen has been preaching?

Please answer me.... I can't get it.

Anonymous said...

Mr Robert Zoellick,
your claim is useless. Are you believing Cambodia under Hun Sen do like you wanted? NEVER. WB is only key tools for Hun Sen's economy and also WB gave only cheap money for Hun Sen but more condiction. Till now Hun Sen can hold a lot of money from China and Vietnam what he want. That is the point.

Anonymous said...

Win! Win!! and Win!!! Solution Hun Sen has been preaching everywhere in the country like parrot are win and win over Khmers people tear drops. The benefits are in his hands, his cronies and YUON dogs.

Anonymous said...

World Bank urges Cambodia to stop mass eviction.

Action is better than word. I thought that World Bank is already know this word, let me say it again to World Bank " ACTION IS BETTER THAN WORD" getting it this time??

Anonymous said...

Why world bank president wants to help Hun Sen and gives him advice. This world bank must be a thief too. Ah Sen is a thief of Cambodia nation. He hurts a lot of innocent people in the country by stealing their land and sell to the private company. Still the world bank wants to help him out. I don't understand at all. They should punish him, but instead they adore him.

What kind of development of Cambodia do some of the commentators think when your master destroy Khmer home. You will see one day people have suffer enough and they will revolve against Hun Sen. Just burn down whoever built their houses on your property. Don't spare them as they don't spare you.

Eye for an Eye.

You hurt me; I hurt You.

You kill me; I kill You.

You stole my land; I burn it down.

You rob me; I kill you.

You = Hun Sen

I = Khmer people

Anonymous said...

Urging, asking, complaining to, requesting, begging the dictorial regime doesn't work!Punishing may soften its position.

stealing, killing, oppressing, or evicting people to the pave the way to developing a country is terrible.

Anonymous said...

ជូនអ្នកស្រី នន់ ធានី អ្នកនាំពាក្យក្រសួងសុរិយោដីៈ

អ្នកស្រីត្រូវគិតសារឡើងវិញនូវសំដីរបស់លោកស្រី ដែលបានឆ្លើយតបចំពោះធនាគារពិភពលោក។ លោកស្រីថា ធនាគារពិភពលោកហាក់ដូចជាបង្ហាញនូវភាពអមិត្តចំពោះកម្ពុជា! នេះជាសំដីសំរាប់មនុស្សល្ងង់ខ្លៅបំផុត និងជាមនុស្សឡប់សតិទេ ទើបនិយាយបែបនេះ។ អ្នកស្រីត្រូវដឹងថា ធនាគារពិភពលោក គេមិនបានបង្ហាញនូវភាពអមិត្ត ឫរំលោកអធិបតេយ្យភាពកម្ពុជាទេ តែគេនិយាយក្នុងនាមជនរងគ្រោះដែលជាអ្នកភូមិបឹងកក់ និងដើម្បីផលប្រយោជន៍អ្នកភូមិបឹងកក់។ ធនាគារពិភពលោក គ្រាន់តែជាស្ថាប័នអន្តរជាតិមួយ ដែលធ្លាប់ជួយដល់រដ្ឋបាល ហ៊ុន សែន កន្លងមក។ អ្នកស្រីត្រូវយល់ថា រដ្ឋបាលហ៊ុន សែន នេះ មិនដែលឭហារមាត់និយាយមួយម៉ាត់ រឿងអ្នកភូមិបឹងកក់ទេ ព្រោះអ្វី? ព្រោះខ្លួនជាចោរ លួចដីពលរដ្ឋខ្លួន ទៅលក់ឲ្យមិត្តចោរមួយទៀត ដែលមានឈ្មោះ ឡៅ ម៉េង ឃីន។ លក់ក្រសួង មន្ទីរមិនអស់ចិត្ត អត់អីលក់ ចាប់ផ្តើមសំលឹងទៅដីដែលរាស្រ្តកំពុងរស់នៅ ដើម្បីលួចលក់ម្តង! រាល់សកម្មភាពប្លន់ដីរាស្រ្តនេះ រដ្ឋបាល ហ៊ុន​ សែន តែងប្រើពាក្យ "អភិវឌ្ឍន៍" ជានិច្ច។ អភិវឌ្ឍន៍ ក្រោមទឹកភ្នែក និងទុក្ខវេទនារបស់រាស្រ្តអញ្ចឹង គេមិនហៅថា អភិវឌ្ឍន៍ទេ គឺគេហៅថា "ប្លន់ដីរាស្រ្ត"។ ប្រទេសណាក៍គេមានការអភិវឌ្ឍន៍ដែរ តែការអភិវឌ្ឍន៍នោះ ត្រូវមានការចូលរួមពីប្រជាពលរដ្ឋ! មិនមែនអាងខ្លួនជាម៉ែឪគេ ធ្វើស្រេចតែក្បាលចិត្តនឹកឃើញ ចង់លក់ឲ្យក្រុមហ៊ុនណា ស្មើណា ក៏លក់នោះទេ ងាប់ប្រជាជនអស់ហើយ បើម៉្លឹងៗ! ថ្ងៃណាមួយ បើផ្ទះអ្នកស្រីជួបរឿងដូចនេះ នោះអ្នកស្រីនឹងដឹងពីរសជាតិយ៉ាងណាហើយ!

Anonymous said...

12:16 AM,

You obviously live in the US and I can bet you and your family came to the US under the refugee and refugee sponsorship programs of the American government.

Shame on you for having said what you said and therefore indirectly condone the Hun Sen government that is trying to evict poor people from Boeung Kak lake without providing them with a fair and proper compensation.

Go back and read your comment again and think deeply what it means.

If the American government had only thought about the kind of developments you keep talking about all the times on this site without giving a good and compassionate consideration to poor people of different nationalities, you and your family would not have got a chance to come to live in America because when you and your family came to America, all of you did not come because you had money or were accepted as business or professional immigrants, but rather as poor refugees which means very clearly that your entry into the United States of America was made possible because of the compassion given to you and your family by the American government and the American people.

Look at you now, Mr. USA. Do you have any little compassion for the poor at Boeung Kak lake? I guess I should know the answer by the way you have written your comments

Come to Phnom Penh and I will show you around Boeung Kak lake so you can see for your own self how eviction will affect the lives of these poor Khmers.

Before you bark to support Mr. Hun Sen and his development plan, you need to think at least twice. Don't just open your mouth and say something like that and then feel proud of yourself being in America.

I live in Cambodia, but I have more compassion than you towards these poor Khmers.

Anonymous said...

Hun Sen is Blind as well as World bank.

Anonymous said...

OUCHH, 8:34AM That' s hurt.

Anonymous said...

10:50PM If your mother lives at Boeung Kak, what Do you think?
I think your brain is backward.
or you have an Ah cheap youn brain, or you are ah youn use khmer name to steal khmer land. Watch yourself in the miror!

Anonymous said...

To 12:16 AM, you are such an idiot!

Anonymous said...

CPP Youn members and Hun Sen even his Vietnamese wife robbed or stole the money from World Bank for themselves for decads and GAVE LESS to innocent and poor Cambodian/Khmer people. Also, CPP Youn members and Hun Sen cheated by adding (counting) numbers of five millions (5,000,000) illegal Vietnamese/Youn folks in Cambodia in order to get more money from the World Bank and ran away with the billions of dollars.