Forty-three families from Poipet town and the nearby village of Kbal Spean 1 say they will ignore the September 28 deadline of an eviction notice from the Banteay Meanchey Provincial Court.

Resident Ith Sim said the families have lived on the land for over a decade, adding the final notice came on September 7 without promise of compensation or resettlement.

“We did not break the law, we just asked for compensation [so] that we can find a new place to live because we are poor,” Sim said.

Provincial Governor Korsum Saroeun maintained that the roadside land is publicly owned and that expansion of the congested thoroughfare is necessary.

As for compensation, the governor said, it is “difficult to help [the residents] and we do not have money”.

He added, however, that a working group was established to potentially allot and provide funding for residents as compensation.

The governor also said that the relocation is not an option as there is currently no land that can be offered to the families in question.

Sum Chankea, provincial coordinator for the rights group Adhoc, said authorities have not done enough for the people, and said of the Poipet town governor: “If there is solution, he is incapable.”

Residents plan to petition the provincial governor for intervention today.The Poipet town governor could not be reached.