Railroad residents: Poor and vulnerable communities say they are regularly subject to forced relocation in Cambodia and say they are insufficiently compensated. (Photo: The Phnom Penh Post)
Impoverished Cambodians who are being moved due to the redevelopment of the country's rail system, say their houses will be burnt or bulldozed if they refuse to accept the few hundred dollars offered in compensation.
An Australian company, Toll Holdings, will run Cambodia's new rail system, which is currently being refurbished with funding from the Asian Development Bank and AusAid.
Reporter: Zoe Daniel, Southeast Asia
Speakers: David Pred, founder, Bridges Across Borders Cambodia; Peter Bloch, Asian Development Bank; Sok Cheun, resident, Battambang; Chhuk Leung, resident, Battambang
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ZOE DANIEL, REPORTER: At this Phnom Penh community more than 160 families are affected by the redevelopment of this disused railway line.
Some will lose part of the buildings they live and work in, others will be moved about 20km out of the city.
DAVID PRED, BRIDGES ACROSS BORDERS: Well we're in the Toon Sun Ke Eh (phonetic) community, where there are about 60 households that are fully affected.
ZOE DANIEL: NGO Bridges Across Borders Cambodia, through founder David Pred, is advocating on behalf of the residents.
DAVID PRED: So, you're going to have to destroy the entire house that you paid $9,000 for?
ZOE DANIEL: Marked buildings, within 3.5 metres of the line. will be partially or fully demolished. But those who don't want to accept the compensation offered say they've been threatened by the local authorities, who are responsible for the relocations.
RESIDENT, TRANSLATION: No, I don't accept the compensation, but they asked me to accept it by giving a thumb print. If I don't, they will bulldoze my house, they will hire the drug user to burn my house.
DAVID PRED: Did everybody get the same message from the Government?
RESIDENTS: (All raise hands in assent.)
ZOE DANIEL: Cambodia's now a fast developing country, with an annual economic growth rate of about 6 per cent. But the concern is that the poorest people are suffering for it.
This lake, in Phnom Penh, has recently been filled in by a Chinese company. Those who accepted compensation were paid US$8,500. Others refused to move.
DAVID PRED: Families refused to accept the compensation that was being offered to them, so they just started directing the sand pumping machine at the houses and literally drowning them in mud.
ZOE DANIEL: Those forced evictions occurred even though that project was overseen by the World Bank.
The railway project is funded with about $22 million from AusAID and $84 million from the Asian Development Bank, which specialises in funding infrastructure improvements, undeniably much needed here.
PETER BLOCH, ASIAN DEVELOPMENT BANK: Potentially it could be a huge benefit for the country. Primarily because it would allow the introduction of competition with road transport.
ZOE DANIEL: But while both organisations are aware of the problems with relocating people to make way for the trains, they say there are standards and processes to protect residents.
PETER BLOCH: Well ... resettlement is always a horribly difficult thing to do in this part of the world. We have as ADB, what's known as a safeguards policy, which sets certain minimum standards that must be upheld when resettling people.
ZOE DANIEL: News of intimidation and threats was rejected.
PETER BLOCH: Certainly not under our project.
ZOE DANIEL: But residents are frustrated and together with NGOs, they're preparing a complaint to the highest level of the Asian Development Bank.
DAVID PRED: The whole project, frankly, smacks of corporate welfare. When you have Australian tax dollars and Cambodian debt to the Asian Development Bank bankrolling a project, whose primary beneficiaries thus far have been major Australian and Cambodian corporations.
This is Battambang, four hours north-west of Phnom Penh. 53 families were resettled to this site, a few kilometres out of town, a year ago. At first there was no power or water here.
This man's two children drowned when they left the settlement to get water from a deep pond nearby.
SOK CHEUN, RESIDENT (TRANSLATION): If we had enough food, enough water, my children would not have died.
ZOE DANIEL: Living conditions here are still far from ideal. Residents sometimes eat rats to survive.
However, after the tragedy, AusAID and the Asian Development Bank say they increased their monitoring of the Government resettlement program.
Water is now being developed, but it's from the local river. It's not drinkable.
PETER BLOCH: Well, so far as I know, the issues have been resolved. The Government has agreed to truck in potable water.
ZOE DANIEL: We were at the site this morning and water was delivered and it was water that was pumped from the local river.
PETER BLOCH: It shouldn't be.
ZOE DANIEL: Power has been connected at the residents' cost. But only 19 families remain. The rest have left to find work.
CHHUK LEUNG, RESIDENT (TRANSLATION): They've gone to find jobs outside.
DAVID PRED: Well this is a sign of a totally failed resettlement process. Obviously, if people are not happy to stay here, where they've been moved, then that shows that they weren't resettled adequately.
ZOE DANIEL: As I understand it, ADB's criteria is that people, after they're moved, must be in at least the same or better circumstances.
PETER BLOCH: At least the same, yes.
ZOE DANIEL: Do you think they are, and will be in this case?
PETER BLOCH: I have no way of judging that. We will know that eventually.
ZOE DANIEL: AusAID refused to be interviewed on camera for this story, but said relocation of people is the responsibility of the Cambodian Government.
Toll Holdings has 150 staff in Cambodia, refurbishing locomotives. The company refused our request for an interview, saying it has a 30-year concession to operate the train system here, but it's not responsible for either fixing the tracks or moving the people.
The railway's expected to be fully operational by the end of next year.
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