UN human rights envoy Yash Ghai made an unexpected visit to the Dey Krahorm and Group 78 villages in Phnom Penh—both of whose residents are facing eviction—on Thursday afternoon.
Ghai, the UN secretary-general’s special representative for human rights in Cambodia, went on a one-hour walkabout in the threatened communities, where pressure for the residents to move has been ratcheted up in recent weeks.
Accompanied by a translator, one assistant, and a quickly growing crowd of curious onlookers, he was shown photographs of violent evictions, numerous sites of demolished houses which have been covered with razor wire, a kick-boxing training center and a community hall at Dey Krahorm, before visiting the smaller Group 78 site to speak with representatives there.
As he met informally with community representatives Ghai was show copies of land titles by the residents who are trying to prevent their eviction.
About 450 families who still remain in both communities say they will not move to alternative land in a remote area in Dangkao district until they have been properly compensated for their city-center land.
The villagers say they have valid titles for the land and claim it has a combined value estimated to be around $58 million.
Ghai would not comment on his impressions during his walkabout, explaining that he needed to fully study the land titles he had been given first.
Dey Krahorm representative Chan Vichet said he was happy that Ghai had visited the area, which on Monday night was the scene of a brief violent eruption when youths stoned an excavator belonging to the private 7NG company, which plans to develop the land once the area is cleared of inhabitants.
Locals accused the company of provoking the violence by driving the excavator into their embattled community at night and extending the digger’s arm in the direction of their homes.
“Ghai’s presence…means that our problem is also the UN’s problem,” Chan Vichet said.
Dey Krahorm villagers have claimed an increase in intimidation by the 7NG company targeting representatives of the village. 7NG claims that it was the community representatives who incited Monday night’s incident in which three of its workers were injured and the windows of the excavator damaged.
One Dey Krahorm representative, who spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday, said he had sold his house that day because he was afraid of being arrested following the stoning of the excavator.
“I did not want to continue living in fear,” he said.
Another representative, Ly You Heng, said by telephone that she has been in hiding since the incident.
“My son is negotiating with [7NG] today,” she said. “If I do not sell my house, I will be arrested.”
7NG chairman Srey Sothea said he was pleased that Ghai had visited Dey Krahorm.
“Now he will know the situation of that site,” he said, describing Dey Krahorm as an “anarchic slum, where gangs used drugs and set up brothels.”
“It is a kindness by us that we want to buy houses from them,” Srey Sothea added.
