Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - 22 more Boeung Kak families receive land titles

22 more Boeung Kak families receive land titles

Boeung Kak residents hold their new land titles this morning.
Boeung Kak residents hold their new land titles this morning. Pha Lina

22 more Boeung Kak families receive land titles

Twenty-two families who were still protesting their evictions from the Boeung Kak lake area accepted offers from the city today, leaving 10 holdouts remaining more than a decade after the lake was first sold and filled in.

The families, from Village 1, each accepted a 4-by-16-metre plot of land in Village 22, located on the other side of the former lake.

Boeung Kak community leader Chan Puthisak, who was among the 22 who received land titles yesterday, said the win belonged to the villagers.

“We have been negotiating since 2007,” Puthisak said. “If we had not struggled, we would not have gotten it. This is the result of a lot of struggle and a lot of sacrifice. This is the achievement of our hard work.”

The news, announced by officials at Phnom Penh City Hall today, means that the city is close to settling one of the country’s most protracted and high-profile land disputes.

Thousands of families were forcibly evicted from the lake area in the years following its sale in 2007. The evictions spurred years of protests by evictees, drawing the ire of local officials and sparking multiple court cases.

Now, 10 years on, much of the former lake remains a sandy expanse, though high-rises, condos and commercial buildings have begun to take shape.

Read more: Boeung Kak: A disastrous decade

Sand is pumped into Boeung Kak lake on August 16, 2011. Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP
Sand is pumped into Boeung Kak lake on August 16, 2011. Tang Chhin Sothy/AFP

At a press conference, Phnom Penh Deputy Governor Mean Chanyada said villagers should “get along” with local authorities.

“When brothers and sisters have problems, they should discuss with local authorities rather than making this issue bigger and seeking help from other people who do not solve the problem for you,” Chanyada said, without specifying to whom he was referring. “Brothers and sisters must know how to keep the peace. This is the key point.”

But Soeung Saran, executive director of land rights NGO Sahmakum Teang Tnaut, said the Boeung Kak protesters hadn’t set out to make trouble.

“What they want is a transparent and accountable resolution for them,” Saran said, pointing to the recently demolished White Building as an example of a speedy and peaceful eviction process.

The Boeung Kak resolution “should not have taken such a long time”, he added.

As villagers milled around City Hall with blue-inked thumbs marking the new landowners, 62-year-old Boeung Kak resident Bou Soychhay said that he was relieved to finally feel the land title in his hand.

“We are receiving a plot almost the same size as our previous land,” Soychhay said. “We were scared and worried when we did not have the land title, but now that we have the papers, we are very happy.”

Updated: 7:10am, Thursday 28 December 2017

MOST VIEWED

  • Ream base allegations must end, urges official

    A senior government official urges an end to the allegations and suspicions surrounding the development of Cambodia’s Ream Naval Base, now that Prime Minister Hun Manet has addressed the issue on the floor of the 78th UN General Assembly (UNGA 78). Jean-Francois Tain, a geopolitical

  • Cambodia set to celebrate Koh Ker UNESCO listing

    To celebrate the inscription of the Koh Ker archaeological site on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, the Ministry of Cults and Religion has appealed to pagodas and places of worship to celebrate the achievement by ringing bells, shaking rattles and banging gongs on September 20. Venerable

  • CP denied registration documents by ministry

    The Ministry of Interior will not reissue registration documents to the Candlelight Party (CP). Following a September 21 meeting between ministry secretary of state Bun Honn and CP representatives, the ministry cited the fact that there is no relevant law which would authorise it to do

  • PM to open new Siem Reap int’l airport December 1

    Prime Minister Hun Manet and Chinese leaders would jointly participate in the official opening of the new Chinese-invested Siem Reap-Angkor International Airport on December 1. The airport symbolises a new page in the history of Cambodian aviation, which will be able to welcome long-distance flights to

  • Minimum wage set at $204, after Sep 28 vote

    The minimum wage for factory workers in the garment, footwear and travel goods industries for 2024 has been decided at $204 per month, with the government contributing $2. Following several negotiation sessions, the tripartite talks reached an agreement during a September 28 vote, with 46 of 51 votes supporting the $202 figure.

  • Cambodian diaspora laud Manet’s UN Assembly visit

    Members of the Cambodian diaspora are rallying in support of Prime Minister Hun Manet’s forthcoming visit to the 78th UN General Assembly (UNGA 78) in the US’ New York City this week. Their move is an apparent response to a recent call by self-exiled former