47 families are facing forced eviction fron the Borei Keila social land concession in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, 32 of the families are affected by HIV/AIDS. The families have been living in the “green shed”, temporary accommodation whilst they’ve waited for over 2 years for new apartments to be allocated to them. Local authorities propose to resettle these families to the Tuol Sambo relocation site, 20km outside of Phnom Penh sometime this month to create space for a new Ministry of Tourism building. At Tu0l Sambo there is no clean water, sanitation or medical facilities.

Background:
Borei Keila in located in central Phnom Penh. It housed 1776 families, including 86 families affected by AIDS/HIV. Villagers first moved onto the land in 1992. In 2003 a land-sharing arrangement was proposed for Borei Keila, to allow a private company to develop part of the area for commercial purposes whilst providing alternative accommodation to residents. The idea was welcomed as villagers would receive compensation for their land in the form of apartments. The construction company Phanimex was granted a contract by the government to build 10 apartment buildings on 2 hectares of land in return for ownership of 2.6 hectares for commercial development. So far only 522 families have been allocated apartments, while more than 100 other families had their homes demolished and were left living under tarpaulins in very squalid conditions. There have been allegations of corruption and other irregularities in the allocation process, with some apartments being occupied by families who’d never been residents of Borei Keila before.

Link to LICADHO

Take Action: Send your appeal to the Cambodian government and demand that the authorities protect these families and guarantee adequate alternative housing with access to health services.