Dear friends,
The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) strongly condemns the brutal eviction and destruction of homes and property of over 1000 families by the authorities in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. The eviction began on May 3 and has continued today, May 4. Humanitarian groups have been denied access to the evicted persons, who have been left to sleep in the open, and have even had their cooking utensils smashed. Most of the victims were already surviving from day to day, and this action puts lives at risk. The eviction is set to continue and numbers of victims increase in coming days. We call for your urgent action to stop this atrocity.
On 3 May 2006 the Cambodian government began to evict over 1000 families from a village on a bank of the Bassac River near the compound of the Russian Embassy in Phnom Penh. Workers hired from outside started to demolish houses in the area, beginning with rented houses. A strong police force with riot shields and electric batons was called to protect the demolition work and subdue resistance from the residents.
This eviction made many poor tenants immediately homeless. These homeless people had to sleep in the open during the night. Local officials pressurized them to leave and denied humanitarian agencies access to distribute tents. They even smashed cooking pots and pans.
The demolition of houses continued on May 4 and is set to go on in coming days, so the number of homeless people will increase as there are many tenants in the area to be cleared.
Most of the evictees are poor people who have been living from hand to mouth. Many are unskilled workers and petty street traders.
This village is being cleared to hand the land over to Sour Srun Enterprises Co. Ltd., reportedly for the construction of a shopping mall. This company offered land and houses with social amenities for the villagers. The owners of rented houses were the first to accept the relocation offer as they were not living in the village anyway. However, residents found that the relocation site was actually 25km away and had no amenities as promised. Therefore they refused to move.
SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please write to the Prime Minister of Cambodia calling for an immediate halt to the eviction of the Bassac River residents and demand that a negotiated settlement that respects their human rights be found.
As Cambodia is dependant on foreign assistance, please also send a copy of your letter to the foreign office in your own government and urge it to use its mission in Phnom Penh to pressure the government of Cambodia to stop this senseless and inhumane eviction.
To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER
SAMPLE LETTER
Sample letter to the Prime Minister:
Dear Prime Minister Hun Sen
CAMBODIA: Stop forced eviction of residents on Bassac River, Phnom Penh
I am shocked to hear that your government has forcibly evicted some 1000 families from their homes and urge you to put a stop to this outrage at once.
I am informed that on 3 May 2006 government authorities began to evict the families from a village on a bank of the Bassac River near the compound of the Russian Embassy in Phnom Penh. Workers hired from outside started to demolish houses in the area, beginning with rented houses. A strong police force with riot shields and electric batons was called to protect the demolition work and subdue resistance from the residents.
This eviction made many poor tenants immediately homeless. The people had to sleep in the open during the night. Local officials pressurized them to leave and denied humanitarian agencies access to distribute tents. They even smashed cooking pots and pans.
I am told that the demolition of houses continued on May 4 and is set to go on in coming days, so the number of homeless people will increase as there are many tenants in the area to be cleared. Most of the evictees are poor people who have been living from hand to mouth. Many are unskilled workers and petty street traders. Their lives and livelihoods have been put at risk by this needless assault.
I understand that the village is being cleared to hand the land over to Sour Srun Enterprises Co. Ltd., reportedly for the construction of a shopping mall. This company offered land and houses with social amenities for the villagers. The owners of rented houses were the first to accept the relocation offer as they were not living in the village anyway. However, residents found that the relocation site was actually 25km away and had no amenities as promised. Therefore they refused to move.
I urge your government to suspend this eviction and demolition of these houses. Your government must first and foremost ensure that all residents are given new premises with appropriate social amenities, including a school, health centre, electricity, running water and access roads. This should be done in consultation with the residents and outside experts to ensure that--unlike in previous relocation projects--the people do not abandon the resettlement area and again drift back into Phnom Penh.
Your government should also ensure that owners of rented houses have not exploited the plight of poor tenants to claim most of the benefits of compensation and resettlement for themselves, while leaving their tenants homeless. These owners should be the last to receive recompense in the relocation process, as their fundamental right to housing and other basic rights have not been affected.
I trust you will give due consideration to the above and take immediate and necessary action. I trust that you will understand that as this incident is gaining attention internationally it is negatively affecting the reputation of your government and may cause donor countries to reconsider their support for work in Cambodia.
Yours sincerely
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PLEASE SEND YOUR LETTER TO:
Mr. Samdech Hun Sen
Prime Minister
Office of the Council of Ministers
Phnom Penh
CAMBODIA
Fax: + 855 23 426 054
PLEASE SEND COPIES TO:
1. H.R.H. Prince Norodom Ranariddh
President of the National Assembly
11 Moha Vithei Preah Monivong (93)
(P.O.Box 1444)
Sankat Srah Chak, Khan Daun Penh
Phnom Penh
CAMBODIA
Fax. +855 23 218 547
E-mail: s.k.k.cabinet@camnet.com.kh
2. Mr. Ang Vong Vathna
Minster of Justice
No 240, Sothearos Blvd.
Phnom Penh
CAMBODIA
Fax: + 855 23 364119
Email: moj@cambodia.gov.kh
3. Mr. Hor Namhong
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
No 161, Preah Sisowath Quay
Phnom Penh
CAMBODIA
Fax: + 855 23 216144/ 216939
Email: mfaicasean@bigpond.com.kh
4. Mr. Douglas Gardner
UNDP Resident Representative in Cambodia
53, Pasteur Street
Boeung Keng Kang
P.O. Box 877
Phnom Penh
CAMBODIA
Fax: + 855 23 216 257
E-mail: douglas.gardner@undp.org
5. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights - Cambodia
N° 10, Street 302
Sangkat Boeng Keng Kang I
Khan Chamcar Mon
Phnom Penh
CAMBODIA
Tel: +855 23 987 671 / 987 672, 993 590 / 993 591 or +855 23 216 342
Fax: +855 23 212 579, 213 587
Email: cohchr@online.com.kh
6. Prof. Yash Ghai
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for human rights in Cambodia
Attn: Ms. Afarin Shahidzadeh
Room 3-080
OHCHR-UNOG
8-14 Avenue de la Paix
1211 Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Tel: +41 22 91 79214
Fax: +41 22 91 79018 (ATTENTION: SPECIAL REPRESENTATIVE CAMBODIA)
Email: urgent-action@ohchr.org
7. Mr. Miloon Kothari
Special Rapporteur on adequate housing
Attn: Ms. Cecilia Moller
Room 4-066/010
UNOG-OHCHR
CH-1211, Geneva 10
SWITZERLAND
Tel: +41 22 917 9265
Fax: +41 22 917 9010 (ATTENTION: SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ADEQUATE HOUSING)
Email: urgent-action@ohchr.org
Thank you.
Urgent Appeals Programme
Asian Human Rights Commission (ahrchk@ahrchk.org)
