CAMBODIA : LAKE EVICTION (Work In Progress)

CAMBODIA’S ECONOMY HAS EXPANDED BY 10 PERCENT OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, MAKING IT THE SECOND FASTEST GROWING ECONOMY IN THE REGION AFTER CHINA. DEVELOPERS AND THE GOVERNMENT ARE EVICTING POOR COMMUNITIES THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY.

DEVELOPERS HAVE GRADUALLY FILLED PHNOM PENH’S BEOUNG KAK LAKE WITH SAND. THE LAKE ECOSYSTEM, A SOURCE OF FOOD AND LIVELIHOOD FOR THE CITY, HAS BEEN DESTROYED. OVER 4000 PEOPLE ARE BEING FORCED FROM THEIR HOMES.

THE RELOCATION SITE THEY HAVE BEEN OFFERED IS ON CHEAP LAND 25 KMS OUTSIDE THE CITY – FAR FROM SCHOOLS, SOURCES OF WORK AND MEDICAL CARE. THEY HAVE NOT BEEN OFFERED OWNERSHIP PAPERS FOR THIS LAND AND COULD BE MOVED AGAIN AT ANY TIME. VERY FEW HAVE ACCEPTED THIS OFFER. MANY ARE READY TO FIGHT. IT WILL BE CAMBODIA’S LARGEST EVICTION SINCE THE KHMER ROUGE EMPTIED PHNOM PENH IN 1975.