Tens of Thousands of Families Threatened with Eviction in Phnom Penh

Forty one impoverished urban communities around Phnom Penh's Boeung Kok lake face mass-displacement as Municipal authorities and a local private developer sign a 99 year lease over the land where they reside. This contract appears to be the next in a series of recent illegal, forced evictions that have removed the capitol's poor communities that are residing on increasingly valuable land. Threatening to evict over 25,000 people, this project may constitute the largest forced resettlement of Cambodians since the Khmer Rouge evacuated Phnom Penh in 1975. As one of the organizations working to improve living conditions and provide educational opportunities in the Boeung Kok area, Bridges Across Borders urges the Cambodian authorities to reject forced evictions as a policy option and ensure that development projects such as this tangibly benefit the poor and not just displace them.

On February 6, 2007, a USD $79 million contract was signed between the Phnom Penh municipal authorities and a local private company for a 99-year lease of over 130 hectares of land on and around Boeng Kak lake, one of Phnom Penh 's largest natural lakes. Given the poor track records of both the Municipality and the developer, Lau Meng Khin, with regards to eviction practices and respecting the rights of people affected by development projects; it is feared that at least 4250 families will be forcibly evicted from their homes surrounding the lake.

Boeung Kak Lake has historically been one of the most important of seven natural lakes around Phnom Penh , dating back to the early 1900s. It has not only been a place of recreation and enjoyment for Phnom Penh 's residents, but it serves as a natural reservoir for excess rainwater during the 6 month long monsoon season. Development proposals to fill around 90% of the lake with concrete could spell disaster for the entire city, which has already witnessed worsening flood conditions during the rainy season; a result of rapid urbanization and the filling of other city lakes.

An award winning architectural design for this re-development site included a 'green belt', a range of housing options for families of varying economic capacities, and importantly, the preservation of almost the entire lake itself. However, these plans have since become obsolete in a bid to make the highest profit returns in a short period of time. "This contract poses serious concerns not only for the affected residents around Boeung Kok, but for all of Phnom Penh's residents who will be affected if this lake is filled," said BAB Cambodia Country Director David Pred. "It underscores the urgent need to conduct a transparent and participatory public consultation process and thorough Environmental Impact Assessment prior to signing away public property to private developers."

Bridges runs a community center ( Rudi Boa Center ) in one of the lakeside villages and is offering informal education and training to residents who are now facing this impending crisis.

Bridges is also working to support community networks in Phnom Penh that are struggling to protect their land and livelihoods from devastation caused by so-called 'development' projects. Bridges is one of four core members of the Housing Rights Task Force, a coalition of over 20 international and local organizations that has been established to protect housing rights in Cambodia and to address emergency situations such as illegal forced evictions. The Task Force is currently mobilizing concerned NGOs and community networks to confront this Boeung Kok development contract, which is in gross violation of Cambodian law.

HRTF Press Statement on Boeung Kok Case (2/22/07)

More Violence in Phnom Penh Land Cases

© LICADHO

Cambodian and international human rights organizations are united in condemning two separate violent incidents, which have resulted in blood shed over land in Phnom Penh on February 21st and 22nd at the Reak Reay and Russey Keo communities.  Bridges Across Borders joined the Housing Rights Task Force (HRTF), NGO Forum on Cambodia, LICADHO, Community Legal Education Centre (CLEC), and Sahmakum Teang Tnaut (STT) to deplore these violent acts and call on the Royal Government of Cambodia to impose an immediate moratorium on evictions until effective legal protections are made available for persons affected by evictions.

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For more about the Boeung Kok Lake Development, see:

Cambodia Development Watch, NGO Forum June 2007 in English and in Khmer

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