Thursday, June 23, 2011

Housing Demonstrators Broken Up Before Premier’s House

Borei Keila
The residents had gathered to represent more than 380 families who are worried they will not have new homes built under a 2003 development deal on 14 hectares of land.

Wednesday, 22 June 2011
Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh
“Some protesters had torn clothes and fell to the ground.”
Police on Wednesday dispersed some 50 protesters from in front of the prime minister’s Kandal province residence who had gathered to demonstrate over concerns they could lose their homes to a Phnom Penh development project.

One woman was injured after several dozen police and military police pushed the group out of the street, witnesses said.

The residents had gathered to represent more than 380 families who are worried they will not have new homes built under a 2003 development deal on 14 hectares of land. The original plan called for a development company to develop 4.6 hectares of land in the area, including 2 hectares of apartments for those already living there.

Hor Chinda, a 31-year-old demonstrator who said she was beaten on the legs and chest, said she was calling on Hun Sen to help residents receive housing.


Phaung Sopheap, a 37-year-old resident of Prampi Makara district’s Borei Keila community, said she too was beaten by police. “Some protesters had torn clothes and fell to the ground,” she said.

Phaung Sopheap said that she and other residents have not been given apartments as promised.

However, Him Chak, a representative of the Borei Keila development commission, which is overseeing the project, said eight houses have been built already, enough to provide apartments to people with legal documentation to their homes. Currently, he said, 1,044 families are living in six new buildings, with two more buildings under construction for 349 families.

Prampi Makara Governor Som Sovan said the state will only provide housing for those with legal documentation.

Cheng Sophors, monitor for the rights group Licadho, said the police had ignored the rights of the protesters and their freedom of expression.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hun Sen is more concerned about the Vietnamese soldiers’ remains repatriation than the poor living Khmer.
It is time for his assassination to free Cambodia of this traitor.

Anonymous said...

With a full battalion of bodyguards, even a fly cannot get close to him.

Anonymous said...

6:38 AM

Don’t forget that the bodyguards themselves are assassins.
Just look back at the history, the coup makers or assassins are those who are close to the leaders.

Anonymous said...

Vietnamese secret police officers,
soldier troops and Cambodian troops
and police guards are everywhere in
Cambodia.They are so many mouths,
ears,and eyes nearby Khmer people.
The wind of change will come to
Burma and Cambodia.
Hun Sen is greedy,dull,and dumb.
He is blind,black heart,and crazy.

Anonymous said...

Every time I see and hear Hun Sun making speech, I wonder how in the world the Khmer have allowed this brute and ignorant man to be their leader.
Without the Viet he is long gone. Everyone in the country knows why he is still in power. And how can Cambodia celebrate Independence Day every year, isn’t it a joke?