Representatives
of more than 500 families who fear eviction from Trapaing Chhouk village in Sen
Sok district’s Teuk Thla commune appealed to the Phnom Penh governor yesterday
to issue them land titles.
Sao Sopheap, 50, one of 11 village
representatives who travelled to city hall to lodge the request, said families
were concerned that an unknown company planned to evict them in exchange for
about US$2,500.
“I am very concerned to move, because we all
just recovered from a fire and we still have debt,” she said.
Hundreds of houses burned down at the site,
which is officially public land, in 2008.
Authorities blamed careless use of lamps, but
no one was deemed responsible for the blaze.
Families endured months of living in tents and
have since borrowed money to rebuild their homes, Sao Sopheap said.
Part of the low-lying area the villagers live
in was used as a water reservoir since before they arrived in 1984 until 2007.
The families, who have been lobbying for land
titles for many years, believe authorities want to reclaim the land to pump
water into in case Phnom Penh floods.
Village representative Sok Heng said that Kiet
Chhe, deputy municipal chief of administration, had told them city hall had no
plans to evict them.
“But he said there was a company that wants to
develop this area we live in,” she said.
Kiet Chhe said the authorities “cannot give
them land titles because they live on state land”.
Khouth Sophakchakrya
The Phnom Penh Post
The Phnom Penh Post
Business & Investment Opportunities
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Consulting, Investment and Management, focusing three main economic sectors: International PR; Healthcare & Wellness;and Tourism & Hospitality. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programs. Sign up with twitter to get news updates with @SaigonBusinessC. Thanks.
No comments:
Post a Comment