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| Arrest of Boeung Kak Lake protesters (Photo: Reuters) |
Some 150,000 people are expected to be evicted this year. Each week, families are in the streets to protest, without success. The government focuses on trade with Beijing, which does not demand political reforms or improvements in human rights. Sources tell AsiaNews that politicians speculate on …
Friday, April 08, 2011
By Asia News
Phnom Penh – The boom of Chinese investments in Cambodia promises to transform the national economy and improve the lives of millions of poor. However, behind the slogans, which the government is fond of repeating, there is the tragedy of farming families thrown off their land for paltry compensation to give way to luxury housing estates and more. Sources in Phnom Penh told AsiaNews that “farmland is being seized and transformed across the country” after it was “bought by politicians on the cheap and resold at much higher prices to companies and developers.”
Just around Boeng Kak Lake, in Phnom Penh, more than 2,600 families have been evicted from their homes. Of these, about 1,500 refused the offer of US$ 8,500 in compensation, plus a flat, by the authorities.
The South China Morning Post has reported that families are protesting in the streets every week, only to meet a wall of silence. Some analysts warn that “the government could one day have a rebellion on its hands”.
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