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| A woman sits under her temporary shelter in Borei Keila yesterday. About 100 police officers and authorities yesterday pulled down a few such shelters erected by former residents. (Photo by Hong Menea) |
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| People evicted from the Borei Keila community sit under temporary shelters yesterday after local authorities pulled down several such shelters and ordered inhabitants to leave. (Photo by Hong Menea) |
Wednesday, 11 April 2012
Khouth Sophakchakrya
The Phnom Penh Post
A group of police officers, security guards and Prampi
Makara district authorities were unsuccessful yesterday in their
attempts to demolish the remaining makeshift living quarters that are
being inhabited by families in the Borei Keila community.
Chum Ngann, representative for the evictees living at the site where
their houses were bulldozed in January, said a group of about 100 police
officers and authorities armed with shields, electric batons and axes
descended upon the site yesterday morning.
She added that residents struggled with the forces, who managed to destroy a few of their makeshift shelters before retreating.
“We haven’t had shelter since January 3. Our plastic
tents under the roof and stairs are filled with the bad smell of the
waste from our last shelters,” the representative said yesterday.
Deputy governor of the Prampi Makara district, who was at the scene
yesterday, expressed his concern for maintaining public order in the
area.
“This kind of set up is tent anarchy, and will affect the environment in the Borei Keila development area,” he said.
Tim Sakmony, a resident who helped to repel the authorities
yesterday, said the evictees would not be is such a dire situation if
the Phan Imex company followed through with their promise to construct
10 buildings in which they could be housed.
Phan Imex only constructed eight of the 10 promised housing structures.
“Who could be happy and wants to live in a terrible situation? We
have no choice, so we struggle to live and are waiting to receive a fair
solution from the authorities who made us this way,” Tim Sakmony said.
Secretariat director for the Housing Rights Task Force Sia Phirum
said the authorities are aware of the struggles that the evictees face,
but have merely chosen to ignore them.
“Until the residents start to live in houses and have proper
businesses, they will live in tents and under stairs. When will the
authorities stop this eviction plan and provide additional
compensation?” he asked.
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