Conflit sur la terre : affrontement à Phnom Penh – 28 décembre 2011

Cambodia: Women fight land grab around Phnom Penh’s contested lake

trust.org

28 Dec 2011

Source: Trustlaw // Amy Lieberman

By Amy Lieberman

PHNOM PENH (TrustLaw) – Nget Chhon, 71, was surprised, but not afraid, when anti-riot police punched her in the eye and beat her over the head during a protest against forced land evictions.

“We believed that if the women go to protest instead of the men the police wouldn’t hit us,” Nget said. “But they do. I don’t care about myself anymore – even if I die tomorrow it is OK, because my spirit will still watch and protect all of our houses with the other women.”

Nget was among some two-dozen protestors – nearly all of them women – who staged a demonstration in mid-April to defend their homes in the once heavily populated neighborhood surrounding Boeung Kak lake.

Less than 1,000 families are left in the Boeung Kak area. Those who remain live amid the rubble left behind by the approximate 3,000 families the Cambodian government has evicted over the past several years. In 2007 the government leased the 133-hectare lake to local developer Shukaku Inc., in a USD $79 million, 99-year deal.

For the past year, Boeung Kak residents have responded to the decision with anger and determination, protesting regularly in sometimes-violent demonstrations. But a potential window for reconciliation opened on Dec. 9, 2011 when the Phnom Penh government handed out the first land titles to some 254 families.

Cambodia Prime Minister Hun Sen last August issued a sub-decree that will provide on-site land relocation – but not housing – to the majority of lakeside residents, drawing positive reaction from community members and the World Bank. The international financial institution halted funding for proposed country projects, valued at approximately USD $128 million, at the end of 2010 because of the government’s handling of the ongoing land conflict. Read more…