FACTBOX: Land grabs and forced evictions in Cambodia

Dey Krahorm eviction (Photo: The Phnom Penh Post)

08 Jul 2010
By Thin Lei Win

BANGKOK (TrustLaw) - Tens of thousands of impoverished Cambodians have been forced off their land by foreign investors, powerful companies and individuals in the last decade as the economy grew, pushing up property values. Land-grabbing and forced evictions are worsening landlessness - a major impediment to cutting poverty and boosting development in the country.

Here are some of the most contentious land grabs and forced evictions in Cambodia.

1. Dey Krahorm (Phnom Penh)

Set on a prime two-hectare (five-acre) plot of land facing the Mekong River, this slum had up to 1,400 residents. They say they hold land rights under a 2001 land law. Moreover, the prime minister declared the site a Social Land Concession in 2003, meaning it would be transferred to the poor, but the land still ended up in the hands of a company called 7NG.

Please click here to read more...