Cambodian Gov Accused of Forced Evictions

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Monday, February 11, 2008

The Cambodian government is actively involved in the unlawful and forcible evictions of thousands of poor people whose land is taken for commercial development, Amnesty International alleged Monday.

Instead of protecting the victims, "the authorities have been instrumental in demolishing villages, setting homes ablaze and making poor people homeless without due process and at the behest of those who wield economic and political power," said Catherine Baber, director of the group's Asia-Pacific Program.

Her allegation was made in a statement marking the London-based human rights group's release of a report titled "Rights Razed—Forced Evictions in Cambodia."

The evictions are in "sharp contrast to the rhetoric of the government's pro-poor policies and in breach of international human rights laws and standards," Amnesty said.

The government's poverty reduction agenda rings hollow unless the government urgently puts an end to all forced evictions, Baber said.

The report examined cases of land and housing rights violations that have affected poor Cambodians in both rural and urban areas in recent years.

At least 150,000 Cambodians across the country now live at risk of being forcibly evicted because of land disputes, land-grabbing and development projects, Amnesty said.

The government has often opted for eviction long before all other alternatives have been explored, Amnesty charged.

The victims, it said, have been ejected from their homes and land with little or no advance notice, no access to adequate alternative housing and no recourse to justice.

Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak, asked by The Associated Press about the allegations, said the Cambodian government respects human rights. He noted that if the government did not respect human rights, it would have expelled Amnesty's representatives from Cambodia already.