January 29, 2009
APPEAL FOR SOLIDARITY FOR WOMEN AND THEIR FAMILIES BRUTALLY EVICTED BY ARMED
POLICE AND INHUMANELY DUMPED IN RELOCATION SITES
The fundamental human rights enshrined in the Constitution of Cambodia are
clearly ignored in forced evictions and land grabbing cases, affecting over
20,000 families in 2007 alone. Many victims are brutally violated. These rights
are guaranteed in the Cambodian Land Law and stipulated in the International
Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), and Cambodia is a
signatory to this law and these rights.
Forced evictions and land grabbing are daily occurrences in Cambodia. The
government is directly involved in carrying out such illegal and criminal acts.
A majority of the victims are women and children who are the poorest of the
poor, living in city slums. Farmers are also victims, and their livelihoods are
less than sufficient, making less than a dollar a day to feed and sustain their
families. Among the victims are people living with HIV/AIDS.
The latest forced evictions of Dey Krahom (Red Earth) on the first day of
Chinese New Year (26 January, 2009) marked the end of a four-year struggle of
thousands of families. The struggle occurred on this four-hectare land located
in the heart of the city of Phnom Penh. The Cambodian government illegally
sold this prime land to the 7NG company.
The Dey Krahom recent evictions are similar to other forced evictions. Riot
police armed with guns, shock batons, tear gas and shields cordon off the
eviction sites before dawn. The intent was to bar human rights monitors, U.N.
observers, journalists and Parliamentarians from providing support and
reporting on the incident. Armed police forces are used as a shield, while the
army of hired men demolishes homes and assaults residents. Nothing is left to
stand; all is razed to the ground. Hired trucks are used to cargo residents
and remaining belongings to relocation sites in the outskirts of the city.
Dumpsites lack the basic facilities including water and latrines. Residents
are left to survive or perish on their own.
Case closed.
We appeal to you to:
a.. Send your letter or group letters to condemn the Cambodian government of
such brutal violations of human rights;
b.. Write to your legislators to demand actions from the Cambodian government
to stop all evictions and to conduct independent investigations to identify
officials who order the use of deadly weapons and assault on unarmed civilians;
c.. Write to the UN to call on the Cambodian government to comply with its
responsibility as a signatory to ICESCR and to the Convention on the Right of
the Child (CRC) and to CEDAW;
d.. Mobilize humanitarian support for the victims of forced evictions; and
e.. Inform your local media.
The victims of forced evictions and land grabbing must be allowed to repossess
their land or be fairly compensated for all damages.
The Democratic Movement for Change
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT: Mu Sochua, MP
[email protected]
www.samrainsyparty.org
ka-set info.
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