About 100 anti-eviction activists from the Boeng Kak, Borei Keila and Lor Peang communities held their latest joint protest outside the World Bank office on Thursday over a recent announcement that it is considering the resumption of loan to the government after a three-year freeze.
A proposal posted to the World Bank’s website in August said it is contemplating providing funding for a $25-million project to create 15 social land concessions across Cambodia.
That decision could be made as soon as December, the bank says.
But activists from the Boeng Kak community—whose land dispute prompted the World Bank to put a freeze on all new lending in 2011—said the international lender would be violating its agreement if the plan goes ahead.
“The World Bank is violating its law, because the money that they get—it requires the World Bank to respect the law and human rights and it cannot give money to a country that violates people’s rights and takes people’s land,” Boeng Kak activist Tep Vanny said.
