DPA
Phnom Penh - Cambodian officials broke ground Monday on a real estate project that human rights groups said has led to the illegal evictions of thousands of residents.
In a ceremony at Phnom Penh's Boeung Kak lake area, city Governor Kep Chuktema inaugurated construction on the project as dozens of affected residents gathered to protest on the opposite shore.
Most of lake has been filled with sand in preparation for the 133-hectare housing and commercial project being developed by a firm linked to a senator of the ruling Cambodian People's Party.
The World Bank admitted in March that its land-titling programme that ended in 2009 had failed thousands of Boeung Kak's residents who have been forcibly evicted over the past two years.
Few if any of the residents have been able to get title documents from local authorities.
Sia Phearum of the Housing Rights Task Force non-governnmental organization said about 1,000 families remained with those evicted now living at resettlement sites outside Phnom Penh.
He said many of those sites were far from schools, health clinics and job opportunities.
'We found that some people travelled back to Phnom Penh and others sold their flats to other people because it is far from their business,' he said. 'It's hard to live there.'
Those remaining at the lake face a threat of eviction after city officials last week rejected a proposal by residents calling for an on-site housing option. Sia Phearum said the government should work out a compromise with Boeung Kak residents, who he said are being left behind by Cambodia's recent development.
'I think that if the government has a strong will to solve the problem, they can do it,' he said. 'If we develop, we should develop for all.'
Cambodia's land tenure system was destroyed during decades of conflict. In recent years, land prices have risen sharply as the economy strengthened, and tens of thousands of people have been driven off their land by the powerful and well-connected.
3 comments:
Koh Tral Island must not be forgotten
By Ms. Rattana Keo
Why do Koh Tral Island, known in Vietnam as Phu Quoc, a sea and land area covering proximately over 30,000 km2 [Note: the actual land size of Koh Tral itself is 574 square kilometres (222 sq miles)] have been lost to Vietnam by whose treaty? Why don’t Cambodia government be transparent and explain to Cambodia army at front line and the whole nation about this? Why don't they include this into education system? Why?
Cambodian armies are fighting at front line for 4.6 km2 on the Thai border and what's about over 30,000km2 of Cambodia to Vietnam. Nobody dare to talk about it! Why? Cambodian armies you are decide the fate of your nation, Cambodian army as well as Cambodian people must rethink about this again and again. Is it fair?
Koh Tral Island, the sea and land area of over 30,000 square kilometres have been lost to Vietnam by the 1979 to 1985 treaties. The Cambodian army at front line as well as all Cambodian people must rethink again about these issues. Are Cambodian army fighting to protect the Cambodia Nation or protecting a very small group that own big lands, big properties or only protecting a small group but disguising as protecting the Khmer nation?
The Cambodian army at front lines suffer under rain, wind, bullets, bombs, lack of foods, lack of nutrition and their families have no health care assistance, no securities after they died but a very small group eat well, sleep well, sleep in first class hotel with air conditioning system with message from young girls, have first class medical care from oversea medical treatments, they are billionaires, millionaires who sell out the country to be rich and make the Cambodian people suffer everyday.
Who signed the treaty 1979-1985 that resulted in the loss over 30,000 km2 of Cambodia??? Why they are not being transparent and brave enough to inform all Cambodians and Cambodian army at front line about these issues? Why don't they include Koh Tral (Koh Tral size is bigger than the whole Phom Phen and bigger than Singapore [Note: Singapore's present land size is 704 km2 (271.8 sq mi)]) with heap of great natural resources, in the Cambodian education system?
Look at Hun Sen's families, relatives and friends- they are billionaires, millionaires. Where did they get the money from when we all just got out of war with empty hands [in 1979]? Hun Sen always say in his speeches that Cambodia had just risen up from the ashes of war, just got up from Year Zero with empty hands and how come they are billionaires, millionaires but 90% of innocent Cambodian people are so poor and struggling with their livelihood every day?
Smart Khmer girl, President Ms. Rattana Keo,
there's always a small group of people who are against any type of development in cambodia. well, the majority speaks!
Know what you knew the ones you
didn't know;don't try to know all
of it.Think it right,speak it right,
and do it right;it gets thing right.
Hun Sen govt and high and low house
members are land grabbers.
Hun Sen is a dictator and Vietnam
slave.
Today he is glad,tomorrow he will
be dead.Khmer people will kill him.
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