Stench Engulfs Dey Krahorm Village Standoff Gets Wet and Stinky

There were chaotic scenes at Phnom Penh’s Dey Krahorm village on Friday as residents and construction workers for the 7NG company confronted each other for the sixth day, throwing plastic bags and bottles containing foul-smelling sewage, fish sauce and urine.

Over 100 residents from Dey Kra­horm in Chamkar Mon district’s Tonle Bassac commune, which is earmarked for eviction, hurled bags of foul liquids at some 40 7NG workers as they attempted to enter the embattled village to construct a fence. Fed up with be­ing targets of the soggy attack, around 12 of the workers responded by filling plastic bottles with their own urine and throwing them at the villagers.

People on both sides wore cloth facemasks to keep out the pungent odors that engulfed the battle site near the Ministry of National Assembly-Senate Rela­tions and Inspection building.

The confrontation had been brewing since Sunday when residents first attempted to block the construction of a fence at the southwestern side of their village where a number of families are refusing to leave.

“Our villagers use this sewage wa­ter to warn [7NG construction workers] to stop raiding our homes and stop grabbing our land and paying little compensation,” said one of the residents and liquid protestors Un Sophea, 36.

Villager Ty Sovan said that the 284 families remaining in the community are demanding at least $30,000 each as compensation for leaving their homes. 7NG has of­fered Dey Krahorm residents a choice of a once-off cash payment, reportedly in the range of $2,000 to $6,000, or a small house in Phnom Penh’s Dangkao district.

Srey Sothea, director of 7NG, said by telephone that the villagers’ compensation demands are too high and that his workers would continue to construct the fence regardless of what is thrown at them.

“I just want my workers to construct a zinc fence at sections I have already [purchased],” he said.

Commenting on the putrid liquid fight, Tonle Bassac commune chief Than Narith said that authorities have instructed the remaining Dey Krahorm villagers against using violence if they protest.