Boeung KakThe more than 20,000 people who lived around Boeung Kak Lake suddenly found themselves stripped of land rights in February 2007 when the Municipality of Phnom Penh signed a 99-year lease agreement for US$79 million for 133 hectors to developer Shukaku Inc, owned by CPP senator Lao Meng Kim.
The Boeung Kak land dispute has become internationally known due to the viciousness of the attacks against the community and because of the sheer volume of people being displaced – more than 20,000.
As of mid 2011, only 779 families remained, led by a powerful group of women relentlessly defending their communities land and human rights. As for the other families, some were flooded out by the company and displaced without any compensation; some accepted a one room cell in the relocation site 22 km away from Phnom Penh; some accepted meagre compensation well below market price and moved.
Since 2011, LICADHO Canada provides monitoring, documentation, advocacy and protective accompaniment support to Boeung Kak leaders and community.
Boeung Kak full and ongoing story and struggle against forced eviction can be found at Save Boeung Kak.
Boeung Kak