Demolition of Borei Keila newspapers kioks (Photo: Cambodge Soir Hebdo)10-01-2008
By Nhim Sophal
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Luc Sâr
The conflict involving newspapers kiosk owners ended in Phnom Penh. The newspapers sellers did not come out as a winner. Appeals made to the government, demonstrations, NGOs help … nothing work: they lost everything. And the cops showed their zeal in evicting them.
On the sidewalk of Borei Keila, it is a scene of despair. The 24 newspapers kiosks have just been destroyed by the district authorities. It was 6:00 AM on Thursday that everything started. The cops set up road barriers on the Zchecoslovakia street, and prevented people from approaching during the destruction of the kiosks. Reporters, passers-by, human rights NGO officials, and kiosk owners were held at bay. “Don’t move! Don’t come forward!” the nervous cops shouted. The even threatened to confiscate reporters’ cameras. All around the district, traffic jam added up to the anguish of the sellers who saw their whole life of labor crumbling under their own eyes. Hok Bun Nat, the president of the Association of newspapers kiosks, sobbed before whispering out: “Nobody can do anything to save my kiosk. It was my livelihood, now, everything is destroyed.”
The demolition of the kiosks, done using an excavator, was completed within a few minutes only. Nevertheless, the kiosk owners did all they can, until the last minute, to delay the inevitable. Even today, the sellers spent 4 hours trying to reach prime minister Hun Sen hoping that he would intervene, but it was in vain. They went from one government office to another, and nobody accepted to listen to their pleas. “We want the prime minister to help us,” Hok Bun Nat said. “He could have done something, it was our last recourse.”
On the authority’s side, the tone differs significantly. “Most of the kiosk owners moved out before the cops intervened,” Keo Sakal, the Veal Vong commune chief claimed. According to her, they were warned in advance about the construction there, and they were given enough time to get going and set up on Street No. 211, located west of Borei Keila. “The Phnom Penh municipality has a project to build 2 new roads along which they (sellers) can set up shops,” she said. “This action does not violate their rights.”
The sellers do not agree with this claim. To move to a new location, means that they have to find new customers. Furthermore, if they accept to move, they will have to set up shops next to private properties again, and nothing guarantee that the same mishap will not take place once again. They asked, each, $5,000 in compensation. This demand was not accepted. Ouch Leng, an investigator for the Adhoc human rights group, supported that the authority acted very badly “by allowing them (sellers) to continue to sell, while knowing full well that it would end up with a demolition as seen now. It would have been better to tell them to stop earlier.” Other street sellers in Borei Keila also have somber mood, the police cordon made them lose their customers. They will lose today’s sale, but at least, they are not forced to move out.
On the sidewalk of Borei Keila, it is a scene of despair. The 24 newspapers kiosks have just been destroyed by the district authorities. It was 6:00 AM on Thursday that everything started. The cops set up road barriers on the Zchecoslovakia street, and prevented people from approaching during the destruction of the kiosks. Reporters, passers-by, human rights NGO officials, and kiosk owners were held at bay. “Don’t move! Don’t come forward!” the nervous cops shouted. The even threatened to confiscate reporters’ cameras. All around the district, traffic jam added up to the anguish of the sellers who saw their whole life of labor crumbling under their own eyes. Hok Bun Nat, the president of the Association of newspapers kiosks, sobbed before whispering out: “Nobody can do anything to save my kiosk. It was my livelihood, now, everything is destroyed.”
The demolition of the kiosks, done using an excavator, was completed within a few minutes only. Nevertheless, the kiosk owners did all they can, until the last minute, to delay the inevitable. Even today, the sellers spent 4 hours trying to reach prime minister Hun Sen hoping that he would intervene, but it was in vain. They went from one government office to another, and nobody accepted to listen to their pleas. “We want the prime minister to help us,” Hok Bun Nat said. “He could have done something, it was our last recourse.”
On the authority’s side, the tone differs significantly. “Most of the kiosk owners moved out before the cops intervened,” Keo Sakal, the Veal Vong commune chief claimed. According to her, they were warned in advance about the construction there, and they were given enough time to get going and set up on Street No. 211, located west of Borei Keila. “The Phnom Penh municipality has a project to build 2 new roads along which they (sellers) can set up shops,” she said. “This action does not violate their rights.”
The sellers do not agree with this claim. To move to a new location, means that they have to find new customers. Furthermore, if they accept to move, they will have to set up shops next to private properties again, and nothing guarantee that the same mishap will not take place once again. They asked, each, $5,000 in compensation. This demand was not accepted. Ouch Leng, an investigator for the Adhoc human rights group, supported that the authority acted very badly “by allowing them (sellers) to continue to sell, while knowing full well that it would end up with a demolition as seen now. It would have been better to tell them to stop earlier.” Other street sellers in Borei Keila also have somber mood, the police cordon made them lose their customers. They will lose today’s sale, but at least, they are not forced to move out.
2 comments:
It's time to move. You cannot stay there for ever with your additional built sleeing room, kitchen, switchboard...gabbage...
How can dirt poor Cambodian people catch up with the rest of the fucking world when AH HUN SEN continue to force dirt poor Cambodian people to start their life all over again in life like this!
AH HUN SEN doesn't need to be a coward any longer and he needs to come out and declaring the new Cambodian civil war so that all Cambodian people can take up arms and switch side as soon as possible!
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