Tep Vanny—From Boeng Kak Protester to Globe-Trotting Advocate

On the morning of September 23, anti-eviction champion Tep Vanny was grappling with a legion of security guards blocking the entrance of the Daun Penh district offices while fellow protesters dismantled a razor-wire barricade nearby. The next day, she was on a plane to Washington to meet with representatives of the World Bank and U.S. State Department. … Ms. Vanny has come a long way since she arrived in Phnom Penh from Kampot province in 1998, where she grew up in a poor family. Today, she is a spirited presence at the often-violent protests against forced evictions in Phnom Penh since 2009 and has become the unofficial spokeswoman for both the Boeng Kak community and human rights causes in general. … She has been invited to speak in the U.S. three times, as well as in France, Brazil, the Netherlands, Singapore and Thailand. In March, she received the Vital Voices Global Leadership Award in a ceremony presided over by former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. During her most recent trip to Washington from September 24 to October 4, Ms. Vanny spoke at events hosted by the World Bank Inspection Panel, the U.S. State Department, the National Democratic Institute, Human Rights Watch and Freedom House. … In December 2010, the World Bank froze new loans to Cambodia after the Inspection Panel—an independent body intended to serve those adversely affected by the bank’s policies—found that the government’s World Bank-funded issuance of land titles had deprived Boeng Kak residents of their property rights. In 2007, the Phnom Penh m­nicipality granted a 99-year lease of Boeng Kak to Shukaku Inc., a private firm owned by CPP Senator Lao Meng Khin. City Hall has since overseen the eviction of roughly 3,000 families. Ms. Vanny said Monday that her dual roles as a grassroots protester in Cambodia and symbol of courageous activism abroad are equally important in bringing about positive change. … She [Ms. Vanny] flies to Dublin with independent radio station owner Mam Sonando to represent Cambodia at the annual meeting of the Irish rights forum Front Line Defenders on Wednesday. …

Mech Dara and Ben Woods
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/tep-vanny-from-boeng-kak-protests-to-globe-trotting-advocate-44583/