Sahmakum Teang Tnaut Organization (STT) published a report on Samrong Tbong Community, titled Trace of Development on the Boeung Tamok Lake 26 People Charged Over Protecting Their Lands and Houses on December 16, 2024.
The report reveals information gathered from the community, who were directly affected by the development of Boeung Tamok Lake, to serve as a guide to relevant authorities and the public on good development practices relating to vulnerable groups and urban poor communities.
The Samrong Tbong community has faced a series of legal challenges from 2021 to 2024 with seven lawsuits filed against them. Five cases are being heard in Phnom Penh municipal court, one is currently under appeal at the Supreme Court, and another has been dismissed.
Most of the cases involve residents being charged with assaulting public officers during the demolition of their homes. According to the legal status and alleged land occupation by the Samrong Tbong community (which is not part of the lake area), the residents should not be viewed as illegally occupying the land.
STT’s Right to the City program manager Seang Muoylay told CamboJA News that the report is part of a larger effort to compile and present information to stakeholders and authorities about the problems faced by residents from development, evictions from the Samrong Tbong community, and the removal of Boeung Tamok.
“We believe that the information gathered in the report and our findings will be useful for future development, as well as for communities with similar cases,” Muoylay said.
Whenever reports indicate negative issues, authorities usually refuse to acknowledge them, he said, adding that it was normal. Hence, the reason why STT’s main objective for the report is to provide information to improve development. The authorities should be open to queries and complaints in order to solve problems effectively, which will benefit the society.
Through the report, Muoylay said the Boeung Tamok case is a large-scale removal of a lake that has caused suffering to people, some who have been sued because they exercised their rights to protect their land and house.
“We think this is a problem for the Samrong Tbong community, but has also happened to other communities in Phnom Penh and other provinces,” he said. The government or authorities should keep the people informed when public land is granted to private developers and be transparent to local residents, stakeholders and civil society organizations.
“So, I think this is unfair, as it affects people’s rights and interests. In the past, the authorities did not seem to have publicized it widely. I think in order to build trust and solve the problem, all land cuts or conversions should be publicized,” he said.

From November 2023 to March 2024, the non-governmental organization surveyed 884 households or 3,798 people from 11 urban poor communities, who said they faced threats of eviction as their land had been designated as state or public land.
As of August 2024, the Boeung Tamok area has undergone 80 instances of land cutting or reclassification, totaling 2,427.3 hectares, which is equivalent to 74.92% of the lake’s total surface area.
“This significant alteration may represent the largest instance of land reclassification in Cambodia, surpassing other cases involving protected state public lands in the country,” the report said.
Despite receiving compensation through a policy-based resolution, the report said the residents were perceived as illegally occupying the area, even though their land might have been privately-owned. The solution, composed of a plot of land and $10,000 resulted in some residents losing their rights and claims to the land.
So far, 26 community members have been sued in seven cases, the highest number of cases related to land in Cambodia.
Samrong Tbong community resident Sea Davy, one of the 26 villagers who were charged, said her case is in the Phnom Penh Municipal Court. Speaking to CamboJA News, she listed her experience in succession.
The wounds and painful experiences from advocating housing rights are first, that she was accused with other citizens was second, having lost time and not having time to work and look after her family was third, and finally, having suffered psychological pressure from being sued.
“It is unfair that we are being sued. We did not do anything wrong because we were exercising our rights as citizens, landowners and homeowners, and we are now the victims of lawsuits,” she said. “The court should consider who accepted the solution and not let villagers feel any more pain and psychological pressure related to the lawsuit.”
The report mentioned that out of 32 household interviews, 13 claimed that their family’s income had dropped by 20% to 75%.
Although the villagers accepted compensation from the Prek Pnov district authorities in accordance with government policies and received land and houses, it is not the same as before when villagers could do business and earn a living, Davy said. In particular, the 26 villagers are still in court, so she asked the court to consider dropping the charges against the villagers.
“Previously, the villagers depended on the lake and sold vegetables and fish from there and traded on the street. But when we moved to the new location, we were inside and could not sell on the street like before, so it was not easy for the elderly to sell anything at home and young people had to work in the factory,” Davy said.
She has now moved to a new location, which the government prepared about two kilometers from her old house. When she drives past her old place, she reminisces about the good times there from nearly 20 years. Davy said she decided to accept the compensation because she had no choice and no ability to continue her struggle because she was afraid of being imprisoned, losing her home, and not being able to fight the authorities.
“It affects our livelihoods and there’s not enough time to look after my elderly mother. And if we are imprisoned because of the land issue, who will take care of my mother and support her? This is a difficult decision for me. Even if I don’t want to accept it [compensation], I have to accept it because I have no choice,” Davy said.

Prek Pnov district governor Thim Sam An stated that all families had received compensation and relocated to new areas prepared by the government. He added that the authorities are now constructing concrete roads to improve the area.
When asked about the condition of the houses, he said their new houses are better than their old ones.
“In the past, I heard that these new houses were prone to flooding, so we repaired each one. Now, we have handed them over to the residents to maintain on their own,” he said.
Sam An also urged homeowners to take care of their houses.
“We provided them with houses and compensation, so they should maintain their homes and keep them clean. That is what we call being good citizens,” he said.
Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction Ministry spokesperson Seng Lot could not be reached for comment.