Eviction fears grow at lake [Boeung Tumpun]

Add captionHomes in Meanchey district’s Thnout Chhrum village are surrounded by sand that is being pumped into Boeung Tumpun lake yesterday. Photograph: Pha Lina/Phnom Penh Post

Monday, 17 September 2012
Post Staff
The Phnom Penh Post

Under a proposed 2011 development, dubbed AZ Town, roads, including the 60-metre Hun Sen Boulevard, would cross the lake or pass near it.

Villagers living in raised houses on the capital’s Boeung Tumpun lake fear their eviction is on the horizon as sand pumping increases at the site, they said yesterday.

“I do not know why they are pumping sand into the lake,” said Kong Sopheak, 31, a resident of Thnout Chrum II village in Meanchey district. “But I have just overheard that they plan to build a supermarket and department store and construct roads.”

In recent months, heavy machinery has been at work at the Boeung Tumpun site. Sand pumping has increased, and workmen, including one yesterday who said he was from Vietnam, have been regulars at the lake.

“I’m very concerned about eviction,” Keang Sok, a resident of nearby Chak Angre Leu commune’s Prek Takong village, said.

Boeung Tumpun residents face the same fate as Boeung Kak residents: Landlessness

លំនៅ​ដ្ឋាន​របស់​ប្រ​ជាពលរដ្ឋ​នៅ​បឹង​ទំពុន​​ប្រឈម​​និង​ការ​បូម​ខ្សាច់​លុប។ រូបថត ផា​ លីណា

សកម្ម​ភាព​បូម​ខ្សាច់​​លុបបឹង​ទំពុន​ កំពុង​​បង្កើន​ឡើង​ជា​រៀងរាល់​ថ្ងៃ។ រូបថត ផា លីណា

អនាគត​បឹង​ដាំត្រកួន​ដែល​ផ្គត់​ផ្គង់​​ទី​ផ្សារ​នៅ​រាជធានី ​​នឹង​រលប់​បាត់​ក្នុង​ពេល​មិន​យូរ​ទៀត​ទេ​។ រូបថត ផា​ លីណា

អ្នក​ភូមិ​បឹង​កក់​នាំគ្នា​​ប្រារព្ធ រំឭកខួប​បណ្តេញ​ចេញ​ និង​​ការ​បំផ្លាញ​ផ្ទះ​ពួកគាត់​មួយ​ឆ្នាំ​។ រូបថត វីរៈ ម៉ៃ​

 អ្នក​បឹង​ទំពុន​ប្រឈម​នឹង​ការ​អត់​ដី​នៅ​ដូច​អ្នក​បឹងកក់

Monday, 17 September 2012
ភ្នំពេញ បុស្តិ៍

ភ្នំពេញៈ ក្រុម​អ្នក​ភូមិ​រស់​នៅ​លើ​ផ្ទះ​ដែល​ស្ថិត ក្នុង​តំបន់​បឹងទំពុន ​នៅ​រាជធានី​ភ្នំពេញ កំពុង​តែ​ព្រួយបារម្ភ​នឹង​ការ​បណ្តេញ​ចេញ​ដែល​អាច​នឹង​ចាប់ ផ្តើម​ក្នុង​ពេល​ឆាប់ៗ ខណៈ​ដែល​សកម្មភាព​បូម​ខ្សាច់​បំពេញ​បឹង​ភាគ​ខាង​ត្បូង​រាជធានី​មាន​សភាព​កាន់តែ​ខ្លាំងក្លា​ឡើង​នោះ។

លោក គង់ សុភ័ក្រ្ត អាយុ ៣១ ឆ្នាំ​ជា​អ្នក​ភូមិ​ត្នោត​ជ្រំ២ ខណ្ឌ​មានជ័យ បាន​និយាយ​ថា ៖ «ខ្ញុំ​មិន​ដឹង​ទេ​ ថា​តើ​ហេតុអី​បាន​ពួក​គេ​បូម​ខ្សាច់​លុប​បឹង។ ​ប៉ុន្តែ​ ខ្ញុំ​គ្រាន់​តែ​ឮ​ថា ពួក​គេ​គ្រោង​សាងសង់​ផ្សារ​ទំនើប និង​សង់​ផ្លូវ»។

នា​ប៉ុន្មាន​ខែ​ថ្មីៗ​នេះ ​គ្រឿង​ចក្រ​ធុនធ្ងន់​បាន​ដំណើរ​ការ​នៅ​តំបន់​បឹង​ភាគ​ខាង​ត្បូង​រាជធានី ​នេះ​។ ការ​បូម​ខ្សាច់​បាន​បង្កើន​សកម្មភាព​កាន់​តែ​ខ្លាំង​ឡើងៗ ហើយ​កម្មករ ក្នុង​នោះ​ មាន​ម្នាក់​ដែល​ប្រាប់​កាល​ពី​ម្សិលមិញ​ថា គាត់​មក​ពី​វៀតណាម បាន​ធ្វើ​ការ​ជា​ប្រចាំ​នៅ​ទីនោះ។

Questions mount over sand at lake [-Boeung Tumpun faces the same fate as Boeung Kak?]

Children play on a pipe that is pumping sand into Boeung Tumpun lake in Phnom Penh yesterday. The lake has been slated for development. Photograph: Vireak Mai/Phnom Penh Post

Friday, 14 September 2012
Cheang Sokha and Shane Worrell
The Phnom Penh Post

Sand being carted in by the truckload and the presence of other heavy machinery at Boeung Tumpun lake this week has raised questions about how much development is set to take place at the site.

Houses close to the lake have sand piling up metres from their doors and part of the lake appears to be in the process of being filled in.

The Boeung Tumpun area, in Meanchey district, borders Boeung Choueng Ek lake and covers about 2,600 hectares of land. More than 700 families are believed to live at the site.

The area has been earmarked for development, but Phnom Penh Municipal Authority is believed to still own the lake itself.

Phnom Penh governor Kep Chuktema said in July last year that the government had similar plans for Boeung Tumpun as it had for Boeung Kak lake.

Boeung Tumpun in Phnom Penh - Photos and Video by Theary Seng

Boeung Tumpun-tur​ned sewage system for capital, growing fish and vegetables for the capital -- the heart (center) of Phnom Penh. The smell is so thick and tangible, that it will take a long shower to wash away the poisonous odor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mvt0KYwuCiw

What you see in the video:

Man fishing in poisonous wastes of Boeung Tumpum (All Photos: Theary Seng)

Poisonous wastes of Boeung Tumpum of Phnom Penh--the stink of the sewage enough to make a person faint

Black sewage wastes of Boeung Tumpum where thousands of families live, Phnom Penh

Filling up Boeung Tumpun, the other "Boeung Kak" also in Phnom Penh, and without creating sewage system for the capital--t​his Thursday

Filling up Boeung (lake) Tumpun

Vegetables and fishing in the black sewage lake (or, what is left) of Boeung Tumpun, immediatel​y across the street from other photos where land being filled in the once natural lake-turne​d massive sewage system for the capital

The water is as black and almost as thick as crude oil--the vegetables and fish are feeding the capital

A new church is consecrated in Phnom Penh: the first after the destruction of the Khmer Rouge

01/07/2008
AsiaNews.it (Italy)

It has been defined “defined a sign of hope”. Present, card. Raffaele Martino and more than a thousand Catholics from across the country as well as priests and missionaries.

Phnom Penh (AsiaNews) – Today the feast of the Epiphany, card. Renato Raffaele Martino consecrated the church of “Infant Jesus” in Boeung Tum Pun, Phnom Penh. It is the first church to be consecrated in the capital in the aftermath of the Khmer Rouge regime, its extermination and deportation of millions of people. Priests who took charge of its building, among them Fr. Mario Ghezzi from PIME, have described it as a “sign of hope” and rebirth.

Present at yesterdays ceremony apart from card. Martino – former nuncio in Cambodia and now president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace – the current nuncio to Thailand and Cambodia, msgr. Salvatore Pennacchio; msgr. Emile Destombes, bishop of Phnom Penh; and apostolic prefect of Battambang and Kompong-Cham; bishop emeritus msgr. Yves Ramousse, who was bishop of Phnom Penh before the arrival of Pol Pot.

Circa one thousand faithful from diverse areas across the nation took part in the ceremony, thirty priests, diocesan and religious who work in the Cambodian church. One of the priests present commented: “It was a moment of great enthusiasm and joy, above all for the French missionaries from Mep ( Missions etrangères de Paris), who have been present in this church for some time now and who have witnessed the devastation and persecution of the communist period. There was a youthful climate and an atmosphere of hope, in a community that has chosen to serve charity”.

In fact, the parish area promotes charitable initiatives supported by Cambodian nuns, including a hotel for young female students from across the country; a "sick shelter" for the poor and sick who come from afar to receive hospital treatment; a home for sick children and HIV/AIDS sufferers, all run by Maryknoll missionary sisters.

Many foreigners who work on the ground with NGO’s were also present. The new parish priest is fr. Mario Ghezzi, from PIME, who was chiefly responsible for bringing Msgr. Destombes dream of the Church to fruition.