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| Suy Sophan showing off her ill-acquired wealth (Photo: The Phnom Penh Post) |
Khouth Sophakchakrya
The Phnom Penh Post
The owner of development firm Phan Imex Company said yesterday that 64 families from the capital’s Borei Keila community who were demanding compensation for houses demolished on January 3 did not have the documents to prove they had owned a house on the site.
Phan Imex president Suy Sophan told the Post yesterday that her company would not compensate these families for any losses, but would offer them “humanitarian” payments of US$200 to $500.
“Most of the protesters are those who have bought a house after 2003 or rented houses at Borei Keila,” she said.
“Many are children of the residents who have received flats from our projects – the company cannot give these people another flat.”
Ten families, most of whom had rented houses or cottages belonging to residents in Borei Keila after survey registration in 2003, accepted the offer, Suy Sophan said, with the “humanitarian” money intended to help families run businesses or return to their homelands.
However, Pich Lim Khuon, a representative of Borei Keila residents who refused to accept land and houses at relocation sites in Dangkor district and Kandal province, said that villagers had lost their ownership documents when their houses were destroyed.
“It is really unfair for us,” he said, adding that families who accepted the money had done so because they were children and relatives of families who had already received flats.
In 2003, Phan Imex agreed to construct 10 buildings on two hectares of land to house 1,776 families, in exchange for development rights to a remaining 2.6 hectares. The firm has constructed only eight buildings.
Thirty women and children detained last week during a protest led by Borei Keila residents remained in Prey Speu social affairs centre yesterday, while eight villagers arrested during clashes on January 3 were still being held in Prey Sar prison.
Meanwhile, a representative of villagers living at Boeung Kak lake yesterday met with World Bank representatives to discuss their living conditions.
Villager Tep Vanny told the Post that the World Bank had promised to help lakeside residents who were still facing eviction. The World Bank could not be reached for comment.
5 comments:
the problem here is that these people have no proper document to show that they own the land or their home. what were these people thinking, that cambodia is still in the stone age era or something? next time have a land title in your name before your can claim the place belongs to you, ok!
we are only dealing with the law, not the lawlessness, ok! no title or deeds, you lose, ok! get used to it, cambodia is now a rule of law land and society, not some kind of dark age or stone age society, ok! we have the law in cambodia nowadays, know those law, ok!
no land titles, no bargain, ok! hey cambodia is not a primitive society, ok!
Mi preay yuon ,junh jourk chheam Khmer.
It's good for you to say that.What about the government claimed that certain most lands belong to them.Well, they only said after the land become valuable and they should promised in the first place to build ten building.That a Liar!!Believe me ,land belong to all of us and we should compensated right amount.These government can said whatever they want but they don't even had a land title them self.They just claimed them and give to the rick for large sum of money.
no land titles, no can do, ok! cry all you want, you're not going to get anything from the gov't without proper land titles, etc, ok!
you can live anywhere you want, but when it's time for the state to evict you, you better move on, because no land titles, no bargain, ok! don't be stupid forever, ok!
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