About 40 families of the Samaki Rong Roeurng community living next to Boeung Trabek canal in Pram village, Phsar Doeum Thkov commune, Khan Chamkar Mon asked the authorities to consider onsite development or provide appropriate compensation in light of the Boeung Trabek sewage canal project. 

The project, which is part of the flood mitigation plan, was being developed by the Public Works and Transport Ministry and led by the Phnom Penh City Hall.

Residents, who were met at the site, said the local authorities seemed to be restricting them from gathering to advocate for better compensation from the Phnom Penh administration.

Meas Phally, who has lived there since the 1980s, said they were aware of the government’s development plan “for a long time”. However, they did not have any information regarding compensation. In April, Phnom Penh City Hall and the land management department measured their house.

Following that, they were given a “paper” showing the measurement of their house, and asked to place their thumbprint indicating agreement to it. Later, a meeting was called where they were informed about the decision and asked to place their thumbprint again if they accepted the compensation and agreed to move. “However, they [the authorities] did not ask if we would accept the price offered for the house,” she added.

“We are not against the government’s development plans but we want development​​​​​​ [where we live]. If this is not possible, we request an appropriate compensation from the government to buy land and relocate our homes,” Phally said.

A compensation of $2,000 to $3,000 would not be adequate to buy a piece of land and build on it, she added.

Prom Oun, 61, said she was not stubborn or against the development. In fact, she was happy to see progress and was willing to leave but pleaded for fair compensation so she can use the money to find a new place to live.

She said the amount cited for her house was not reasonable. They were not even asked if they would accept the amount. They only measured the house and “asked us to thumbprint it [the document] if we agree to take the money”.

While the authorities did not force them, it felt like ‘silent coercion’. “If you want a house, you should ask the price from the owner first,” said Oun, who has lived there since 1988.

In comparison to Boeung Kak, which had similar land issues, people were given $8,000 and two million riel. But everything with rising costs now, “why are we being offered only $1,000 to $3,000 for a small house, or the highest, $6,000, for larger ones?”

They wanted to protest but emphasized that they were not against the development. “We want to protest and request the city hall to understand our problems. However, we are unable to even go to the city hall,” she said.

“They blocked us from entering the city hall. When my husband returned from Prek Leap, he saw four to 10 police officers waiting for us,” Oun said. “They threatened us. If we don’t accept the offer and when the development starts, they won’t be responsible [for us].”

She was reminded of former Prime Minister Hun Sen’s statement where anyone who lived in an area for more than five years, owned the property as per the Land Law.

“As a Cambodian citizen, I hoped the authorities would give attention to us like citizens who live on the river,” she said.

Another villager, Douy Sakhon, 58, said everyone deserves equal rights to live in the city. While she appreciated and supported development, it should not make poor communities’ lives more difficult, and “leave them in tears”. She told CamboJA News that she has lived there for 24 years.

“In order to live well like others, the authorities should come up with a positive or win-win strategy. We know that we live near the canal and the government wants to develop but this canal is big and there is still some space [here] for people to stay. We also want to live in the city and live as well as others,” said Sakhon, who has been in Boeung Trabek for 24 years. 

On Monday morning, she and other villagers planned to submit the petition to Phnom Penh City Hall. At the time, some civilians came to them to ask who the community leader was and who planned the city hall visit. They eventually decided not to go to the city hall.

“The police came to our village at 6 a.m to stop us when they knew that we planned to go to the City hall. We decided not to go to be safe,” Sakhorn told CamboJA News.

Kong Phyny, Pram deputy village chief, said the authorities implementing the Boeung Trabek sewage project have already identified and measured the house with some families, with some having already given their answer. 

“There are still people who do not agree,” Phyny said. “Those who agreed with the ministry have a month to dismantle. In short, they have one month from the time they receive compensation.”

CamboJA News sought for more information on the amount of compensation and solution, but Phyny hung up, saying that he was “busy with urgent work”.

Hem Sophat, Phsar Doeum Thkov commune chief, told CamboJA News that he did not have any details of the project, the affected communities, impacts and compensation, referring CamboJA News to the city hall instead.

“The national team is the implementer. I am just [waiting to implement]. This is a national project, you can ask Phnom Penh City Hall about the impact,” said Sophat.

When asked to comment on the progress of the project, when the houses would be demolished and land exchanges for the people, he repeated, “I do not know because it is the national project. I don’t know when it will start. I just follow and participate in the project”.

He asserted that the ministry is the assessor to the commune authorities and  the commune authorities only participate in the implementation of the order from the national level.

Sam Piseth, director of the Phnom Penh Department of Public Works and Transport, declined to comment when CamboJA News contacted by mobile phone. He asked the reporter to contact the city hall.

On July 11, 2024, Phnom Penh governor Khuong Sreng led professional officers and relevant local authorities to inspect the canal, pumping station, Boeung Tumpun canal, drainage and the progress of the construction site. He also looked into the rehabilitation of 13 main canals in the flood relief project in Phnom Penh.

Khuong Sreng said there are 50 flood mitigation projects in Phnom Penh. Twenty-three projects will be implemented, with 13 underway now. The 13 projects involve expansion of pumping stations, such as the Lou pram and Kob Srov stations, and construction of garbage collection in Boeung Trabek.

The construction of the 13 projects has achieved 6.5% up to now and can release water from Boeung Trabek, Boeung Keng Kang, Mondial, Boeung Tumpun, and areas surrounding the Phnom Penh airport and Phsar Doeum Kor.

Met Meas Pheakdey, Phnom Penh City Hall spokesperson, could not be reached for comment.

Khun Tola, advocacy and outreach program manager at Sahmakum Teang Tnaut (STT) told CamboJA News that they did not have the data for those affected by the sewage canal project, which is part of the flood mitigation program developed by the Phnom Penh City Hall. 

Tola urged Phnom Penh City Hall to ensure reasonable compensation to the families who have lived in that area since 1980. He said the authorities should not only offer low compensation but they should also develop the area for them.

Tola said the authority was providing compensation of $1,000 and $4,000 based on the size of the house, which was low and “not enough to build a new house”. The authorities should devise a win-win strategy, similar to the one employed in the Steung Meanchey area.

“We want the authority and government to consider the community’s request as they want on site development in that place. We have seen a good example in Steung Meanchey where people experienced development in that place. The government should come up with a way for people to survive,” said Tola.

He did not want to see the government forcing people to leave their house in the name of development because evictions could affect the government’s reputation as it violates the right to shelter and human rights.

He urged the government to take the middle path in resolving issues for urban poor communities to live like other city folks so that they too can easily access public services like transportation, hospitals and schools, as well as jobs. 

“We saw that the government did its best previously. So, we don’t want to see evictions like [what happened] 10 years ago in Borei Keila and Boeung Kak, which really impacted human rights in Cambodia,” said Tola.

He also urged the local authorities to be transparent and stay in the “middle path” to protect people and not to threaten or intimidate people, as they need the authorities’ support. “The right to assemble is guaranteed by law. Local authorities should not stop people from meeting the Phnom Penh city hall officials to discuss that issue,” Tola said.