Former and current residents of the Borei Keila community yesterday held a small prayer ceremony asking “the spirits to soften” City Hall’s stand on their case and accelerate a resolution to the dispute.

While some evictees, who were resettled at Phnom Bat, are demanding additional land and more than the $200 they were given in 2012, others say they have yet to receive any money from Phan Imex, the company in charge of developing Borei Keila.

However, security personnel broke up the ceremony, snatching away prayer paraphernalia from the evictees, with one of them, Keiu Lai, saying she hoped authorities would have a change of heart and consider their requests.