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The city and private developer 7NG had for weeks said they could evict Phnom Penh's controversial Dey Krahom slum at any time.

They finally pulled the trigger, closing the curtains on one of the biggest urban development stories in the capital over the last decade.

Fleeing bulldozers, some evicted Dey Krahorm residents could be seen lobbing chairs and mattresses over a wall into an adjoining parking lot to salvage their possessions.

Others hurled rocks at police and workers, who returned fire with tear-gas canisters and fire extinguishers, leading to injuries to several residents.

An estimated 800 to 1,400 families lived in Dey Krahorm before old community leaders signed away the land in a contract with 7NG in 2005.

Land rights group had challenged the legality of the original contract.

They had also accused city and 7NG officials of using intimidation tactics to force residents to accept the compensation deals of a relocation home outside the city or cash, both of which they say are far less valuable than the properties they're being force to leave.

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Video courtesy Mark Grimsditch, Bridges Across Borders Southeast Asia