REPRESENTATIVES of 24 families living in Group 8 of Boeung Kak lake’s Village 1 have filed a complaint to Phnom Penh Governor Kep Chuktema after about 10 homes were submerged by sand pumping over the weekend.

Village representative Chan Puthiksak said residents filed the complaint on Saturday because Shukaku Inc, the  company developing the lakeside, had failed to compensate them for the loss of their land.

“The 24 families have never argued with or opposed the efforts of the developer; we agreed to accept the compensation of US$8,500 for moving,” he said. “But the developer as well as local authorities have not paid us the compensation.”

Tek Lun, a resident of Group 8, said representatives of Shukaku Inc had advised the 24 families to seek compensation from Toll Royal Railways, a company that is regenerating a defunct railway line running through Group 8.

He added, however, that representatives of TRR had also refused to compensate villagers, pointing out that they were not responsible for the sand pumping affecting their homes.

Loa Vann, a representative of Shukaku Inc, said yesterday that he was not authorised to make a decision about compensation.He has said previously that Group 8 land was “already cut out from” the company’s development project and that TRR or the Ministry of Public Works and Transportation were responsible for compensating residents.

But Neup Ly, a community empowerment officer at the Housing Rights Task Force, noted that Shukaku Inc was responsible for the sand pumping, and said there was “no reason” for residents to seek compensation from TRR.