Lake Residents Granted Bloc of Development Land
Thousands of Boeung Kak lake residents who have been fighting a protracted battle with Phnom Penh and a development company have seen their fortunes reversed and have been granted a small plot of land on which to resettle. Prime Minister Hun Sen signed a subdecree Aug. 11, giving 1,000 families still living near the lake approximately 12 hectares of land on the planned 133-hectare development site. The order came just days after the World Bank said it would withhold funding to Cambodia if a resolution over the dispute were not found. World Bank officials, lake residents and rights monitors all welcomed the decision, which prevented thousands from being evicted from land they had fought to keep. Annette Dixon, the World Bank’s Cambodia country director, said in an email that Hun Sen’s decision “appears to be a positive development, and we hope that it will lead to a good outcome for the residents of Boeung Kak.”.
