http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHLiWcTZFJE
Can progress and justice co-exist in Cambodia, a country where development leaves a trail of destruction?
29 Jun 2012
101 East
Al Jazeera
For years, Cambodia's Boeung Kak Lake has been the centre of a
David-and-Goliath battle between its residents and the government.
Thousands of residents have been forcibly evicted; their homes destroyed
for nominal compensation in the name of developing prime real estate in
the capital, Phnom Penh.
Locals have cried foul since authorities awarded a 99-year lease to Shukaku Inc - owned by Senator Lao Meng Khin - in 2007 to develop the area, which is home to some 4,000
families. Over the years, villagers who resisted eviction were harassed
by security forces and even thugs, often resulting in violent clashes.
Those who accepted relocation found themselves in remote areas lacking
basic amenities.
The remaining residents
witnessed bulldozers turn their neighbourhood into a construction site,
as the once scenic lake was filled to make space for a high-end
residential and commercial area.
In August 2011, the World Bank
halted funding for Cambodia in reaction to the conflict. Under pressure,
Prime Minister Hun Sen ordered 12.44 hectares of Boeung Kak to be
allocated to the remaining families, who were to receive land titles. By
then, fewer than 800 families were left.
But there is a sting in the tail
- 94 families among them are ineligible for the titles due to the
unclear borders of the segmented area. To muddy the waters, Senator
Lao's name appears more than 20 times in a list of title applicants.
The community says corrupt
officials are trying to make money from land allocated to them. It
remains united to fight for those who have been excluded from the list.
101 East reporter Chan Tau Chou
covered the issue in 2008 when the lake housed a bustling community. He
returns to see the remaining people of Boeung Kak face their stiffest
challenge yet - to keep their homes as authorities crack down even more
violently on protests.
In a country where the trail of
development leaves behind a trail of destruction, Boeung Kak turns out
to be just the tip of the iceberg. Can development and justice co-exist
in Cambodia?
2 comments:
i go for development. after all this the capital.
I disagree!!! There is way to do this with respectfully and benefits all parties involves.
#1,the company should buy them out by using fair market price of real estate value.
#2, talk to all residents that lived on the estate to explain how and why the estate must be developed to benefits all Khmers.
#3,Cpp gov't has no place in this conflicts/issues,it just between company and residents,to avoid bloodshed or violently clashes.
#4,call all residents that reside in that area to the meeting to result in peaceful manner,not forces and destroyed their belonging like Cpp animal had done in the past.
The conclusion is: work thing out with all parties involves buy out all these estates with fair market value,once they agree give these residents time to move out or find place to live.What Cpp animals had done was like barbarian acted with no regard of human suffering,the result was catastrophic,Cpp had shown it true colore to the world beyond anyone comprehensible....Did Cpp learn anything from this????? I guess not huh!!!!!
..kmenhwatt
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