Major New Amnesty International Report Condemns “Mass” Illegal Evictions In Angkor Wat Region
This is an urgent action alert. Action is required.
យើងត្រូវកាចំណាត់ការបន្ទាន់របស់បងប្អូន។ សូមអូសចុះក្រោមដើម្បីមើលភាសាខ្មែរ និងបំពេញការស្ទង់មតិ ដែលជាផ្នែកមួយនៃឱកាសប្រាប់ទៅអ្នករាយការណ៍ពិសេស អំពីអ្វីដែលត្រូវដោះស្រាយមុនគេ។ សូមកុំឱ្យឱកាសនេះរម្លងផុត!
Momentum is building dramatically for additional, and long overdue, international attention to the Cambodian government’s widespread use of illegal land displacements and property evictions to benefit private corporations and government officials. Support from the Khmer community for this movement is urgently needed and requested. This is a movement you need to become actively involved with.
There have been a number of important developments you need to know about in support of challenges to Cambodia’s land eviction policies.
First, and most important, Amnesty International has issued a major new report reviewing and condemning Cambodia’s illegal evictions, with a special focus on what Amnesty calls the “mass illegal evictions” now taking place in the regions and communities near Angkor Wat. Amnesty’s report: “Nobody Wants to Leave Their Homes,” where more than 100,000 inhabitants, estimates that 10,000 families, which is 40,000 people, were illegally evicted from “protected communities” that are designated by UNESCO, with the agreement of the government of Cambodia, to be secure from evictions of existing and long-standing residents.
The UN Special Rapporteur for Cambodia continues to give priority attention to these illegal eviction issues. You will remember he was originally responsible for bringing renewed attention to this problem when he visited two major eviction sites during his December in-country investigative visit to Cambodia. He will be conducting the second segment of his in-country visit in early April, and given the new Amnesty report, hopefully will look into the Angkor Wat situation personally. He firmly supports our illegal evictions efforts and the required model protest letters to UNESCO, Japan and France, and Cambodia. In addition to his upcoming in-country visit, Professor Muntarbhorn will be prioritizing and visiting political detainees.
The United Nations’ Human Rights Council and the UN Special Rapporteur for Housing Rights, have just issued a “Call for Inputs,” seeking submissions from non-governmental groups on the land displacement illegal evictions issue. Although this seeks information on a worldwide basis, the Khmer community plans to make a submission focusing on the Cambodia evictions, with a focus on the current mass evictions in the Angkor Wat region, emphasizing the point that Cambodia is at the top of the list, or close to the top, as a perpetrator of illegal evictions.
What can you do to support these important efforts?
Amnesty’s Angkor Wat report notes that UNESCO, and the governments of France and Japan, bear responsibility for the illegal Angkor Wat evictions, along with the government of Cambodia. UNESCO has not spoken out or taken action, despite granting over 113 “traditional” communities in the Angkor Wat region protected status from evictions. Same for Japan and France as “supervising powers” over the Angkor Wat heritage site. Write letters of protest to UNESCO, Japan and France, demanding that they insist that the government of Cambodia stop these illegal evictions, and return those already evicted to their traditional sites.
Write letters of protest to the appropriate officials of the government of Cambodia, demanding an end to the evictions, and the prompt return of those already evicted to their traditional community sites, citing the findings from the Amnesty International report making clear that the government is not abiding by agreements with UNESCO protecting “traditional” residents of Angkor Wat communities from eviction.
Continue speaking out against illegal evictions, not only in the Angkor Wat area. This deserves to be high on the Khmer community’s list of advocacy priorities, and no longer a “forgotten or ignored issue.”