 Phnom Penh (Cambodia). 05/02/2009: Children playing next to development program advertisement during a press conference held by the inhabitants of Group 78, living in fear over the threat of eviction. ©John Vink/ Magnum The representative for these families insisted on showing journalists different administrative documents, approved by the local authorities and allowing them to assert their rights on those pieces of land.
He also brandished a letter signed by National Assembly president Heng Samrin , dated October 8th 2008 and addressed to Phnom Penh governor Kep Chuktema, asking the latter to follow up the complaint issued by inhabitants of Group 78, who claimed title deeds in due form. The municipality never replied to the request and argued that the papers provided were not valid, according to the representative of Group 78 families.
However, the latter does not intend to give up and repeated his request to the National Assembly, the Ministry of Land Management and the Ministry of Justice for them to intervene on that case and urge the municipal authorities to meet the expectations of those families.
“One must not accuse the population of Group 78 of occupying that land in an unlawful or illegal way. We all have papers and we are indeed the owners of these land plots even if we do not have official title deeds yet”, the representative pointed out.
Put off by the tragic fate experienced by their neighbours in Dey Krohom, residents of Group 78 fear today that the authorities might use any excuse to accuse families of acting illegally, and thus resort to force against them. “Here, we are even scared of using some paint... If they see that, they will come and destroy everything. What we demand is a right to housing. We are not looking for disputes. But with what happened in other places, we are so scared of being accused of such or such thing, and then that these accusations might be used as excuses to use violence against us”, he said.
Since 2006, after they received an eviction order from the Chamkarmon area, residents of Group 78 have been trying to obtain help in order to assert their right to live on these plots of land. To date, the Phnom Penh municipality has not addressed their claims.
|
By Rahmi on Khmer Rouge Regime
By Eveline moraes
By Piseth