UPDATE (Cambodia): Attempts of forcible eviction in Dey Krohorm continue; another woman injured

Dear friends,

As the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has previously reported that several residents in Dey Krohorm were injured or are facing criminal lawsuits in order to stop attempts by them to prevent their forcible eviction by a company in connivance with the authorities (UA-271-2007 and UAU-002-2008), yet another woman was reported to have been injured in 29 January 2008. The government has produced a policy to evacuate them and it has so far failed to take any action to either assist or provide effective remedies to the residents.

UPDATED INFORMATION: (based on the information received from Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO) and Cambodian Centre for Human Rights)

Hundreds of families in Dey Kroham zone of Phnom Penh have resisted their eviction for several years and demanded compensation commensurate with the market price of their lands. A company named 7NG, to which the government has given a land concession for “development”, has refused to accede to their demand. In connivance with the authorities, 7NG has used various means, short of all out use of force, to evict the residents resisting them.

According to the information newly received, at around 1:30pm on 29 January 2008, the company sent a bulldozer to clear the ground and also around 20 workers dressed in public park security guards to the area. Residents were standing around to protect the houses. The company workers started pelting them with stones to repel them. A woman resident named Men Chenda, 30-year-of age, rushed to help an old woman who stood near the bulldozer under the rain of stones. Men Chenda was then hit by stones on the neck and the back and on the head causing serious open wounds and knocking her to the ground. She subsequently required several stitches for the wounds.

In the afternoon on January 30, the 7NG company again sent a bulldozer to clear the area. This attempt was also met with resistance from the residents and had to be abandoned.

Prior to this incident, on January 3, district authorities of the area notified stallholders of the “garden” market inside the Dey Kroham zone, on which the livelihood of the evictees depends, to dismantle their stalls and clear out of the garden. The authorities claimed their trade affected the environment, hygiene, health and public order, and they were going to rebuild the garden. Their decision at this particular juncture of on-going evictions was hardly a mere coincidence when it is considered that the market has been there for years.

The company attempted another blockade, on January 6, when it sent its workers to place oil drums to be filled with water to block all access roads to the zone and supplies to the market. A mixed group of 30 to 40 armed police officers were posted at the edge of the zone to protect the workers. The evictees again resisted the blockade by pushing the oil drums out of the way and preventing the workers from filling them with water. A confrontation between the two sides over the blockade ensued on January 7, in which a truck belonging to the local authorities parked at the blockade was set on fire.

The blockade and economic strangulation failed again. However, there was no victory and peace for the evictees. The police then sought a court warrant to arrest six of them, for allegedly setting the fire to the truck, while eye witnesses at the scene said it was the company workers who had deliberately done it to have an excuse to arrest evictees. In this eviction case, over a dozen evictees already faced criminal lawsuits prior to the latest incident (for details, see UA-271-2007).

REMINDER OF THE CASE:

On 29 August 2007, a group of 100 people comprising of police, military police with pistols in uniform from Cham Kamon police district and some personnel with sticks, hammers and axes allegedly hired by 7NG company went to the Dey Krahorm community to demolish houses, huts and tents in the area without bearing a court order. At about 400 families of the community protested and kept resisting against their attempts to enter the community for demolition.

Without warning a clash occurred between the families and the group and the group started beating the families who prevented the group from entering. Due to this conflict, four women were injured. They are Long Sokhom, Ros Pov, Kim Leng and Long Nirdey. One of them is already sick with HIV and due to this assault, her condition is getting worse. It is also reported that Long Srey Leak was handcuffed during this conflict (for details, please see UA-271-2007).

On 16 December 2007, the company sent around 30 workers to wall up the entire Dey Krahorm zone by building a closure of corrugated iron sheets around their dwellings to isolate the entire community. They also blocked all access roads to the zone.

The residents protested and prevented the construction, and a confrontation ensued. In this incident company workers assaulted a woman resident named A Si Yas, causing injuries to her head, and a worker struck the foot of another woman resident named Muy Teng with a hammer, almost breaking her foot. There has been no police investigation into to the injuries of the two women (for details, please see UAU-002-2008).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Dey Krahorm is one of the prime areas in the capital Phnom Penh. According a real estate agent, the market price of a square metre of land is USD 3,000 upwards. Yet 7NG company has offered USD 6,000-7,000 for a 4 meter x 4 meter or 4 meter x 5 meter house, depending on the quality of the house, but this offer is not made to all residents as some are offered nothing.

SUGGESTED ACTION:
Please send your letters to the authorities listed below to urge them to investigate the injuries caused to Men Chenda, put an end to the protracted war of attrition to evict Dey Krahorm residents and get 7NG company to pay them the market price of their homes and lands.

The AHRC will writes letters to the UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing and Special Representative of the Secretary General on human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises calling for an intervention in this matter.

To support this case, please click here: SEND APPEAL LETTER