City Hall deadline set for Village 3 families

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/

via CAAI

Thursday, 17 March 2011 15:03Khouth Sophakchakrya

Residents of Daun Penh district’s Village 3 in Srah Chak commune near Boeung Kak lake said yesterday that municipal authorities have given them until March 20 to dismantle their homes as the city moves ahead with its expansion of National Road 6.

Ao Si Heang, 57, a villager whose home stands in the way of the road expansion, said yesterday that officials had announced the deadline after they had negotiated compensation packages of US$8,500 for other families in the commune.

A total of 19 families will be affected by the deadline, she said.

“The authorities warned that they would take legal action if we did not dismantle our homes by ourselves before the deadline,” she said.

“I will not dismantle my home because I cannot accept the $8,500 compensation.”

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I will not dismantle my home because I cannot accept $8,500 compensation.

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Thong Yun, 65, another resident of Village 3, said she had received only half of the compensation package offered by City Hall.

He said that authorities had offered her family a total of $10,000 if they removed their house by the March 20 deadline.

However Keut Che, deputy chief of City Hall, said the requirement to dismantle homes by March 20 applied only to families who have accepted a compensation package.

“Seven of 19 affected families have received 50 percent of the total compensation from City Hall to dismantle their homes from the project area,” he said.

He said that some families had independently asked City Hall to compensate them outside of the official compensation policy.

“It is true that some families were offered US$10,000 compensation, but some others demand more than that, and we cannot offer that,” he said.

Keut Che said that residents should rethink their demands because they are living on state land and the state needs the land to improve National Road 6.

He added that the project aimed to ease traffic congestion in the capital, which he said was in the public’s interest.