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Friday 30 January 2009

UN criticises Cambodian government for violent eviction

Cambodian police move residents away as demolition workers (in green) continue their work in the village of Dey Krahom in central Phnom Penh. [Supplied, Licadho]
PHOTO

Cambodian police move residents away as demolition workers (in green) continue their work in the village of Dey Krahom in central Phnom Penh. [Supplied, Licadho]

Last Updated: Thu, 29 Jan 2009

The United Nations has condemned the violent eviction of about 150 families from a slum in the capital Phnom Penh, describing it as an abuse of the country's land law.

Tear gas, rubber bullets and batons were used to chase residents from an area known as Dey Krahom, or Red Earth, on Sunday, after they refused to sell their land to a construction company planning to build a business centre on the site.

The remaining houses were flattened by bulldozers and the former residents were forcibly relocated to an undeveloped patch of land outside the city.

In a statement, the Cambodian office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights described the incident as the latest in a long series of violent evictions.

The Cambodian government is facing mounting criticism for forced evictions throughout the country, which have increased as land prices have risen over the past few years.

Last year more than 20,000 people were reportedly driven from their homes.

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