One week after 20 families were evicted from the HIV/AIDS community at Borei Keila, new neighbors have begun arriving at the relocation site in Tuol Sambou village, and more are on their way, community members and officials said Thursday.
Neo Chrep, an HIV/AIDS pa-
tient, said that she and her husband, along with their three children, represent one of three families evicted from their rental homes in the Borei Keila area by Prampi Makara district officials earlier this week.
“I have no clue why my family was secretly evicted here,” Ms Chrep said outside her new home Thursday. “Nobody informed my family in advance. I lived in a rented home in Borei Keila for more than 12 years.”
Prampi Makara District Governor Som Sovann said Thursday that 20 more HIV/AIDS-families living in the area could be sent to Tuol Sambou as soon as next week. None of those families were among those living in Borei Keila’s green sheds, which were cleared out and destroyed earlier this week.
“For the other 20 families living outside the green shed, we will thoroughly look into their documents, because I believe some of them will have sufficient documents to prove their right to on-site housing,” Mr Sovann said.
Eleven families evicted from Borei Keila’s green sheds on Sunday have been promised a 90 percent chance of receiving flats in a social housing project being built at Borei Keila, and are currently living in rental housing around Phnom Penh subsidized by the municipality.
On Thursday, the relocation site at Tuol Sambou was quiet, as many men had left for work in Phnom Penh, with promises to return to visit their families soon.
Heng Srey Touch said that her husband, a motorcycle taxi driver, had decided to try finding customers near the relocation site.
“He dares not drive into Phnom Penh to find clients because we fear he will find no passengers, and then we will not be able to manage the gasoline payments,” she said. He was also having trouble finding clients in Tuol Sambou, she added.
Many villagers also criticized community leader Sao Vanna, who has been granted an apartment at Borei Keila, for laying claim to a coveted unit on the outside of the Tuol Sambou complex, where it is possible to build a lean-to for housing extra family members.
“Sao Vanna has been given a first-floor apartment in on-site housing. Why does he need this house?” asked evictee Chheang Toma.
Mr Vanna said Thursday that he planned to use the unit at Tuol Sambou as an office and meeting hall.
“I just need a proper working office at the site, because I am not abandoning these people. It is vitally important to have an office room there, because it will be comfortable for me and guests whenever I need to bring authorities or any kind-hearted persons there to visit,” he said.
Tuol Sambou’s village chief, Khum Khoeun, said that he was happy to see his community grow, but he was not surprised to hear the residents were having a rough time.
“For the new people to move here, they might face some problems,” he said. “But when they have been here longer, they will find it easier.”
Jason Barber, a consultant with human rights group Licadho, said he visited Tuol Sambou this week, and was worried about how residents will make ends meet.
“If people don’t have jobs, they don’t have income, and they can’t afford to feed themselves and their families properly,” he said.
