Cambodian police and residents clash over eviction and demolition

Borei Keila residents throw stones at riot police during clashes that erupted in the midst of a forced eviction at the Borei Keila complex in Phnom Penh January 3, 2012. Local human rights group Licadho said that police officers and residents were injured in a face-off when hundreds of armed authorities tried to evict families from their homes in a long running dispute with a local real estate firm well-connected with the government. The firm, Phanimex, plans to convert the residential area into a commercial one. Licadho said that at least 12 people had also been detained following the violent clashes. REUTERS/Samrang Pring

Jan 3, 2012
DPA

Phnom Penh – Police clashed with residents of a development site in Phnom Penh on Tuesday during the eviction of hundreds of families, local rights groups said.

At least 11 villagers and one police officer were injured and eight protesters arrested, said a statement released by a group of 11 local organizations.

The groups condemned the eviction and urged a government investigation into the ‘excessive use of force’ by police officers supervising the demolition of the homes of 300 local families.

The families were living on land owned by a development firm, and were awaiting relocation as had been agreed when it bought the land in 2003.

‘This eviction shows once again that Cambodia’s political and economic elite can operate with absolute impunity,’ said Tim Malay, president of the Cambodian Youth Network.

‘Instead of being forced to abide by the terms of the contract, they are allowed not only to destroy people’s homes, but to do it with the assistance of government officials.’

Tensions between residents, authorities, and companies in Phnom Penh over land use have increased in recent years due to an upswing in large-scale development projects.

The country’s tenure system is weak after the Khmer Rouge regime of 1975-79 abolished property rights. Foreign-sponsored programmes to reinstate title deeds have met limited success and accusations of corruption.

Local rights groups estimate that more than 300,000 people across the country of 14 million have been forced off their land since 2004.