A baby evicted from Borei Keila died while several others fall ill due to lack of shelters

Borei Keila residents protest against the jailing of other residents (Photo: Sochivy, RFA)

15 May 2012
By Tin Zakariya
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by KI-Media
Click here to read the original article in Khmer

A baby evicted from Borei Keila died and several others face fever, cold disease and diarrhea due to lack of proper shelters.

A baby evicted from Borei Keila died at Kuntha Bopha hospital in the afternoon of 14 May in Phnom Penh due to fever, diarrhea and lack of proper nutrition.

Mrs. Khuon Toeun, the mother of the baby who died, indicated that her son was 9-month old and he fell ill when she went to protest to demand compensation from the [Phan Imex] company in Phnom Penh city. In order to ask for government intervention, she had to take along her baby who had to face heat and rain.

The Borei Keila baby died after Hun Xen announced that during his leadership at the next legislative mandate, he will not let anybody die from hunger.

Nevertheless, Mrs. Khuon Toeun recounted in tears that her son, when he was alive, did not have a shelter to live in, nor did he have anything to eat other than her milk. Therefore, when she has nothing to eat, she did not have any milk to feed her son either. She said that as her son fell gravely ill, she took him to the Kuntha Bopha hospital for care and he stayed there for one month until he passed away.

She recounted in great sadness that her son was her first child and after his death, she had to give his body the hospital for incineration because she cannot bring him back to Borei Keila as she has no shelter nor does she have any money to give him a burial.

Mrs. Khuon Toeun said that on 15 May 2012, she went to beg for money from the Veal Vong commune chief to provide a funeral for her son, but instead, the [black-hearted] commune chief told her to go beg money from the political party she belongs to. [In general, CPP officials indiscriminately designate protesters as belonging to the opposition].

On 15 May, RFA could not reach Keo Sophal, the black-hearted commune chief, to ask her about this problem.

Moeun Tola, work Director for the Community Legal Education Center (CLEC), said that in this case, the company [Phan Imex] or the government should be responsible for it. Moeun Tola said that the eviction of Borei Keila residents is illegal.

On 11 May, Boeung Kak Lake and Borei Keila communities sent in 2 separate requests to the Phnom Penh city hall to speed up the decision issued by Hun Xen ordering the Phnom Penh city hall to internally resolve land dispute for these two communities, however, up to now, there is no result yet.

Nevertheless, evicted residents have expressed their concerns that several of their children are now facing with diarrhea and fever due to lack of proper shelters. Most of them live in tents and have to endure rain and sunshine on top of lack of proper nutrition due to food shortage.