Thoranéy: the land issue in Cambodia

Even if the theme of Land grabbing in Cambodia is incredibly well documented by other companions - above all by Magnum's photographer, John Vink with his amazing iPad app "Quest for land", by the Australian photographer Nicolas Axelrod and by the Irish filmaker Chris Kelly with his "The Cause of Progress".

But I thought was impossible to comprehend the modern Cambodian society, without understand this tragic aspect and so I've started to recollect material.

BOEUNG KAK LAKE

In 2011, more than 4000 families (about 30.000 people) has been evicted by their homes on the shores of the Boeung Kak Lake - in the northern part of the capital, Phnom Penh - in order to built a new residential and commercial project.

Not another options remain for the families involved to accept inadequate economic compensations or a piece of land 20km away from the city.

Amnesty International has called the eviction of Boeung Kak residents the largest forced eviction since the Khmer Rouge emptied Phnom Penh in 1975.

15/02/2011 - Phnom Penh. A girl stares at the remaining water of the Beoung Kak Lake. The lakeside was home to an estimated 4,250 families and a source of income for farmers who cultivate water vegetables on the lake.

16/02/2011 - Boeung Kak, Phnom Penh. Children play around the pumps used to fill the Boeung Kak lake with sand.

16/02/2011 - Boeung Kak, Phnom Penh. Ruins of houses left by families who accept the company's compensation offer.

19/02/2011 - Boeung Kak, Phnom Penh. A man dismantles his house after accepting the company's economic compensation.

18/07/2012 - Boeung Kak, Phnom Penh one year after the evictions, the area is still a wasteland of sand.

BOREI KEILA

Extract from Licadho's press release January 3, 2012

“In early 2003, a "land-sharing" arrangement was proposed for Borei Keila, which allowed the well-connected construction company, Phanimex, to develop part of the area for commercial purposes while providing housing to the residents on the remaining land. Phanimex was obligated to build 10 apartment buildings on two hectares of land for the villagers in return for obtaining ownership of an additional 2.6 hectares for commercial development.”

“In April 2010, Phanimex unilaterally reneged on the agreement, however – with the approval of the government – and only constructed eight buildings. That left 300 Borei Keila families excluded from the original agreement – and still living in housing on the site. These were the homes that Phanimex representatives destroyed today.”

23/11/2012 - Phnom Penh. The (now) vacant plot of land where the community of Borei Keila was living.

23/11/2012 - Phnom Penh. One of the few families who decided to remain living in Borei Kelai. So far been offerered no compensation by Phan Imex and they have no other place to go. She's 45 years old, works as masseuse and lives with her only daughter (14).

24/11/2012 - Udong. Relocation site for the people who were living in Borei Kelai's community. Located 35 km far from Phnom Penh, there are no basic services and virtually no job opportunities.

24/11/2012 - Udong. Over 300 families were forcefully relocated in this "camp" after being evicted from Borei Keila in Phnom Penh. Almost a year later, residents continue to live under ‘refugee-camp’ conditions.

03/01/2012 - Phnom Penh. First anniversay of violent eviction that saw some 300 families forced from their homes in Borei Keila on the 3rd of Jan 2012. Residents from Borei Keila and people from other communities gathered to pray amoung the newly finished buildings that had been promised to them as part of an on-site upgrading plan.

23/11/2012 - Phnom Penh. Inside of one the buildings Phan Imex built for the evicted residents. Phanimex claimed that they went bankrupt and did not in fact build the number of new houses they promised, meaning many Borei Keila residents did not receive a unit.

THE PROTESTS

Together with the evictions and the violence, Cambodia experiments, for the first time after the war, the birth of a movement of protest - manly composed by women - that during the last 2 years has been pacifically fighting for their land and their (abused) rights.

Here's an interesting article from the Guardian regarding the Cambodian activists.

07/11/2012 - Phnom Penh. Close to 1000 sympathizers protested in front of the Appeals Court of Phnom Penh supporting two arrested female land activists, Tim Sakmony and Yorm Bopha. The crowds efforts were in vain as the court denied the women bail.

10/12/12 - Phnom Penh (Cambodia). Over a hundred evicted community members from the Boeung Kak Lake area together with other activists tried to reach the Council of Ministers building to deliver a petition on International Human Rights Day but were blocked by riot police.

27/06/2012 - Phnom Penh. Venerable Loun Sovath is combining the teachings of Buddha with a newly adopted role as a Human Rights Defender, he creates videos, cine-poems that highlight human rights abuses in Cambodia.

19/11/2012 - Phnom Penh. Riot police carrying new Chinese made electrified shields blocked a peaceful protest by members of Phnom Penh's evicted communities as they attempted to demonstrate in front of the US Embassy demanding fair treatment ahead of upcoming ASEAN meetings.

26/12/12 - Phnom Penh. Police block the protest of 200 land activists nearby the Municipal Court of Phnom Penh, waiting for the result of the trials against T. Sakmony and Y. Bopha. Both detentions were considered fabricated and a violation of human Rights.

19/11/2012 - Phnom Penh. For the second time during the day, one hundred land activists gathered in the sand of the Boeung Kak Lake to send an SOS message to U.S. President Obama who landed in the late afternoon in the near airport of Phnom Penh to assist the ASEAN meetings.