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| Boats float on Boeung Tompun lake near a row of stilt houses in Phnom Penh yesterday. (Photo by: Meng Kimlong) |
Tuesday, 12 July 2011
Vong Sokheng
The Phnom Penh Post
AS city officials broke ground at the controversial Boeung Kak lake development project yesterday, Municipal Governor Kep Chuktema said the government had similar plans for Boeung Tompon and other lakes throughout the capital.
The comments raised the prospect that further mass evictions may be in store for city residents, with the Boeung Kak development already set to displace roughly 20,000 people, according to local rights groups.
The Boeung Tompun lake area borders Boeung Choueng Ek lake and covers roughly 2,600 hectares of land, including 520 hectares of surface water, in Meanchey district. It serves as one of the capital’s largest holding sites for sewage water.
Villagers say roughly 700 families live on the lake or near the shoreline.
Despite the local and international condemnation that has dogged the Boeung Kak lake development, where thousands have been forced from their homes without proper compensation, Kep Chuktema said yesterday that the city was preparing to repeat the process at Boeung Tompun and elsewhere.
“In Phnom Penh, there are a number of lakes, particularly the giant lake, Boeung Tompun. We will have to develop Boeung Tompun,” Kep Chuktema said.
He acknowledged problems that have dogged government-ordered evictions in recent years but called such issues an inevitable aspect of “development”.
“We depend on the companies, which the government has determined will be the heads of the train that pulls Cambodia’s economy,” he said.
“Development is followed by problems, but we will resolve the problems in accordance with the procedure of existing laws in the Kingdom,” he added.
During a speech in June of 2009, Kep Chuktema declared that the government had approved a joint-venture project between unnamed local and foreign firms to develop Boeung Tompun as a “satellite city”.
Officials from the Council for the Development of Cambodia declined to comment on the proposal at the time and no details about the project have emerged in the two years since.
Villagers living on the lake said yesterday that hundreds of families living on or around the lake were worried about their potential displacement.
“We haven’t been officially informed about anything yet, but we are concerned by rumours that have spread that about 700 families in the village will be impacted by development projects,” 71-year-old Khim Sary said.
Chhorn Broh, 51, said he and other villagers were concerned that their potential eviction could follow the path of Boeung Kak.
“We are not opposed to the government’s development projects, but the compensation has to be appropriate for us to buy land and build new houses,” he said.
Meanchey district governor Kuch Chamroeun and Boeung Tompun commune chief Sous Sarin denied that any villagers lived on the lake and said none would be displaced if a development project was indeed implemented in the area. The officials said they were unaware of any development plan or the site.
“If there is a development plan that happens at the lake, I don’t think there will be any impact because they aren’t any people living on the lake,” Sous Sarin said.
Sia Phearum, secretariat director of local NGO Housing Rights Task Force, said mass fill-ins of local lakes could affect drainage in the capital. He also called on the government to improve the resettlement process so that the problems at Boeung Kak are not repeated.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY JAMES O’TOOLE AND KOUTH SOPHAK CHAKRYA
5 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,
The govt and companies land grabbers
will destroy poor Khmer people lives.
All of them should have a huge protest against Hun Sen and companies
now,tomorrow they will have a great
suffer.
Who will lead them to protest?
keo rattana is right all along, cambodia must not forget our beloved koh tral island, really! koh tral island will always be khmer island despite viet/youn commy is controlling it, you know!
Mr. Sam Rainsy is the symbol of Khmer Nation!
Mr. Sam Rainsy is the symbol of Khmer people!
Mr. Sam Rainsy is the icon of Khmer Angkor Wat.
Mr. Sam Rainsy is the icon of Khmer hero protect Cambodia border from Vietnam invasion.
Mr. Sam Rainsy is the icon of Khmer patriotism.
Mr. Sam Rainsy is the icon of the 90% poor Cambodian people.
Mr. Sam Rainsy is the icon of Khmer Nation.
Mr. Sam Rainsy is the icon of Human Right at Cambodia.
Mr. Sam Rainsy is the icon of democracy at Cambodia.
Mr. Sam Rainsy is the icon of uncorrupted mind.
Mr Sam Rainsy is the symbol of Khmer Justice!
i'm for development of cambodia, just do it the right way, though. cambodia cannot just stand still forever, ok! changes can be good for everybody in cambodia, be patient, be educated, be smart and wise and clever about it all, ok! but don't be stupid forever, ok!
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