Humanitarian Crisis Facing Families Evicted from Cambodian Slum

The following was written by a humanitarian organisation in Cambodia. It outlines the eviction of families from a slum (Dey Krahorm) in late January and the ongoing abuse of their rights. I am looking into it further and examining our options to lobby for the rights of these people. Expect to hear more.

In the early hours of Saturday, 24 January 2009- assisted by a large contingent of armed police and military police- hundreds of workers contracted by the 7 NG Group razed the Dey Krahorm community. The demolition gangs completely destroyed the remaining houses and market stalls located in the community, in many cases bulldozing the personal belongings and documents of the residents into the ground, before the families were able to rescue them.

Throughout the day, evictees were trucked to the Damnak Trayeung relocation site in Dangkao district, where they were virtually dumped along the roadside next to a 7 NG Group car park. In contrast to the eviction site, where the authorities and the company managed to mobilize- in a strikingly efficient manner- entire brigades of contract workers, support staff, police force, trucks, bulldozers, excavators, fire engines and all kinds of equipment, there was no support for the evicted families upon their arrival at the relocation site. This included the most basic needs such as potable water and food. The only “service-point” that operated properly in Damnak Trayeung on 24 January was the registration desk for the company-hired truck drivers to register the number of rounds each one had to do in removing the families from Dey Krahom.

On Sunday, 25 January 2009, a group of 3 NGOs consisting of Caritas Cambodia, LICADHO and Samaritan’s Purse conducted rapid survey and needs assessment at the relocation site. The survey showed that 335 families consisting of a total of 1.238 individuals were forcibly evicted by the authorities and the 7 NG Group to Damnak Trayeung on 24 January. This number includes, inter alia, 639 women, 180 children aged 5 or younger, 16 pregnant women, and 5 disabled people. In a subsequent meeting, the NGO Center of Hope reported that 18 families (approximately 30 individuals) living with HIV/Aids in Dey Krahom that have received home based care were also among the evictees. The 335 families forcibly removed to the relocation site in Damnak Trayeung are in their vast majority former market stall owners and renters from Dey Krahom.

On Monday, 26 January, a coalition of national and international NGOs convened at the office of Caritas Cambodia to discuss the provision of immediate humanitarian assistance to the evicted families based on the survey. Srey Chanthou, the Executive Director of the 7 NG Group and Mann Choeurn, Deputy Governor of Phnom Penh attended the meeting. The NGOs decided to draft a budget that was supposed to cover the most urgent humanitarian needs of the families at the site. The budget consisted of 4 core areas encompassing (i) food supplies (ii) water and sanitation (iii) health and (iv) temporary shelter. The 7 NG representative and the deputy governor of Phnom Penh agreed to contribute to the provision of humanitarian aid and requested the NGO coalition to submit a copy of the budget. The NGOs urged the company representative to provide assurances that the 335 families will not be forcibly removed from Danmak Trayeung to ensure the efficiency of envisaged follow-up activities.

On Tuesday, 27 January the 7 NG Group issued a public announcement in a number of Cambodian newspapers, setting a deadline for 85 house owner families and 113 market stall owners formerly residing in Dey Krahom to register with the company by 31 January 2009 the latest. The 85 families that owned houses in Dey Krahom were informed that they would receive a flat at the relocation site, including an amount of cash equivalent to $ US 190, plus some food assistance. The 113 market stall owners evicted from Dey Krahom were told that they would receive a plot of land to set up new market stalls at the relocation site. The announcement also stated that after the expiration of the deadline, the 7 NG Group would not consider any more claims by those families. The announcement further set out that the families should “remove their tents and leave the site immediately”. The public announcement concluded by saying “that the company would not assume any responsibility for the (evicted) renter families”. The document was signed by Srey Chanthou, Executive Director of the 7 NG Group. Multiple attempts by the NGO coalition to contact 7 NG Group’s senior management to discuss the humanitarian aid budget failed in the following days.

On Thursday, 29 January the NGO coalition reconvened. Caritas Cambodia and World Vision pledged funds for the provision of food supplies and water/sanitation equipment respectively with additional contributions in cash and kind by MaryKnoll, the Jesuit Relief Services, Samaritan’s Purse and LICADHO. The WFP was approached by the NGO coalition, but declared not to be in the position to contribute to the humanitarian relief efforts in Damnak Trayeung due to administrative constraints. The NGO coalition drafted a formal letter to Srey Seothea, the president of the 7 NG Group, reiterating the commitments made by his executive director and son in the first meeting on 26 January. Srey Sothea was also asked to provide assurances that the 335 families would not be forcibly evicted once again after the expiration of the deadline on 31 January.

On Saturday, 31 January, the NGO coalition distributed registration cards to the 335 families at the relocation site in preparation of the distribution of humanitarian aid supplies the next day. The families were divided into different categories depending on the number of family members.

On Sunday, 01 February the NGO coalition distributed food supplies, water filters, water storage containers, mosquito nets and other items to the families. Families with up to 3 members received 30 kg of rice, those with 4 and more, 50 kg. (Concerning details, please refer to attached budget). The Brothers of Charity that operate a center in Damnak Trayeung opened their premises for the intervention which helped to maintain a certain level of efficiency regarding distribution procedures.

In the early hours of Saturday, 24 January 2009- assisted by a large contingent of armed police and military police- hundreds of workers contracted by the 7 NG Group razed the Dey Krahom community. The demolition gangs completely destroyed the remaining houses and market stalls located in the community, in many cases bulldozing the personal belongings and documents of the residents into the ground, before the families were able to rescue them.

Throughout the day, evictees were trucked to the Damnak Trayeung relocation site in Dangkao district, where they were virtually dumped along the roadside next to a 7 NG Group car park. In contrast to the eviction site, where the authorities and the company managed to mobilize- in a strikingly efficient manner- entire brigades of contract workers, support staff, police force, trucks, bulldozers, excavators, fire engines and all kinds of equipment, there was no support for the evicted families upon their arrival at the relocation site. This included the most basic needs such as potable water and food. The only “service-point” that operated properly in Damnak Trayeung on 24 January was the registration desk for the company-hired truck drivers to register the number of rounds each one had to do in removing the families from Dey Krahom.

On Sunday, 25 January 2009, a group of 3 NGOs consisting of Caritas Cambodia, LICADHO and Samaritan’s Purse conducted rapid survey and needs assessment at the relocation site. The survey showed that 335 families consisting of a total of 1.238 individuals were forcibly evicted by the authorities and the 7 NG Group to Damnak Trayeung on 24 January. This number includes, inter alia, 639 women, 180 children aged 5 or younger, 16 pregnant women, and 5 disabled people. In a subsequent meeting, the NGO Center of Hope reported that 18 families (approximately 30 individuals) living with HIV/Aids in Dey Krahom that have received home based care were also among the evictees. The 335 families forcibly removed to the relocation site in Damnak Trayeung are in their vast majority former market stall owners and renters from Dey Krahom.

On Monday, 26 January, a coalition of national and international NGOs convened at the office of Caritas Cambodia to discuss the provision of immediate humanitarian assistance to the evicted families based on the survey. Srey Chanthou, the Executive Director of the 7 NG Group and Mann Choeurn, Deputy Governor of Phnom Penh attended the meeting. The NGOs decided to draft a budget that was supposed to cover the most urgent humanitarian needs of the families at the site. The budget consisted of 4 core areas encompassing (i) food supplies (ii) water and sanitation (iii) health and (iv) temporary shelter. The 7 NG representative and the deputy governor of Phnom Penh agreed to contribute to the provision of humanitarian aid and requested the NGO coalition to submit a copy of the budget. The NGOs urged the company representative to provide assurances that the 335 families will not be forcibly removed from Danmak Trayeung to ensure the efficiency of envisaged follow-up activities.

On Tuesday, 27 January the 7 NG Group issued a public announcement in a number of Cambodian newspapers, setting a deadline for 85 house owner families and 113 market stall owners formerly residing in Dey Krahom to register with the company by 31 January 2009 the latest. The 85 families that owned houses in Dey Krahom were informed that they would receive a flat at the relocation site, including an amount of cash equivalent to $ US 190, plus some food assistance. The 113 market stall owners evicted from Dey Krahom were told that they would receive a plot of land to set up new market stalls at the relocation site. The announcement also stated that after the expiration of the deadline, the 7 NG Group would not consider any more claims by those families. The announcement further set out that the families should “remove their tents and leave the site immediately”. The public announcement concluded by saying “that the company would not assume any responsibility for the (evicted) renter families”. The document was signed by Srey Chanthou, Executive Director of the 7 NG Group. Multiple attempts by the NGO coalition to contact 7 NG Group’s senior management to discuss the humanitarian aid budget failed in the following days.

On Thursday, 29 January the NGO coalition reconvened. Caritas Cambodia and World Vision pledged funds for the provision of food supplies and water/sanitation equipment respectively with additional contributions in cash and kind by MaryKnoll, the Jesuit Relief Services, Samaritan’s Purse and LICADHO. The WFP was approached by the NGO coalition, but declared not to be in the position to contribute to the humanitarian relief efforts in Damnak Trayeung due to administrative constraints. The NGO coalition drafted a formal letter to Srey Seothea, the president of the 7 NG Group, reiterating the commitments made by his executive director and son in the first meeting on 26 January. Srey Sothea was also asked to provide assurances that the 335 families would not be forcibly evicted once again after the expiration of the deadline on 31 January.

On Saturday, 31 January, the NGO coalition distributed registration cards to the 335 families at the relocation site in preparation of the distribution of humanitarian aid supplies the next day. The families were divided into different categories depending on the number of family members.

On Sunday, 01 February the NGO coalition distributed food supplies, water filters, water storage containers, mosquito nets and other items to the families. Families with up to 3 members received 30 kg of rice, those with 4 and more, 50 kg. (Concerning details, please refer to attached budget). The Brothers of Charity that operate a center in Damnak Trayeung opened their premises for the intervention which helped to maintain a certain level of efficiency regarding distribution procedures.

Recommendations:

The municipality, theoretically custodian of the public interests of the community under their administration, colluded with a private business group on 24 January 2009 in violently evicting a large number of families from the central Dey Krahom area to a remote relocation site in Dangkao district . The 7 NG Group and the authorities therefore bear joint responsibility for the humanitarian crisis that unfolded in the wake of that illegal action. The company has already publicly announced that they would not assume any responsibility for the renters which they had evicted on 24 January. In legal and humanitarian terms this statement is inadmissible. Both the municipality and the 7 NG Group need to be pressured to contribute towards finding practical solutions to the humanitarian crisis and the legal claims of the evicted families in terms of adequate compensation for the destruction of their property.

The 7 NG Group needs to provide assurances that they will not remove the market stall owners and renter families from Damnak Trayeung until their situation has been properly assessed, and acceptable long-term solutions have been discussed with the evicted community

The 7 NG Group needs to assess the damages suffered by the evictees and discuss with the community appropriate compensation for the loss and destruction of their provide property in the course of the violent eviction. The destruction of private property constitutes in fact a criminal infraction punishable under the Criminal Code of Cambodia.

The contribution of the 7NG Group towards improving the general humanitarian situation at the site needs to be discussed. According to the most basic humanitarian relief standards applied in situations of natural disasters, the 335 families would require at least 50 toilets. At the moment there are no facilities whatsoever. The water/sanitation situation at the site can only be described as abysmal.

The eviction of the families occurred during the regular school-term. The municipality needs to assess the number of primary and secondary school students that were displaced on 24 January and guarantee their immediate reintegration in the school cycle. In particular the high-school students that the NGO monitors interviewed on 25 January at the site were extremely distraught about the fact that they were practically forced to drop out of school as a result of the eviction, unless they were able to pay the transport costs to commute to central PP every day. The primary school adjacent to the site (located within Wat Trapeang Sala) seems to be too small to accommodate the new arrivals. During the Sambok Chab eviction in June 2006, the Sour Srun Company- with assistance from the municipality which dispatched once more a large police force to protect private business interests- evicted 277 students from Sotheoros primary school alone, also during the school term. Requests to UNICEF to follow up on these blatant cases of disregard for the government’s very own “education for all” (EFA) programme remained unanswered. Many of the displaced children from Sambok Chab have never managed to find their way back in the public school system.

[Written by LICADHO, a Cambodian human rights organization]