Thousands to Be Evicted From Riverbank
Nearly 2,000 families living on the bank of the Sekong River in Stung Treng district will be evicted beginning January to make way for the construction of public gardens, officials said this week. … Loy Sophat, Stung Treng provincial governor, said the evicted families could purchase plots of land on the site of the disused Stung Treng airport, which he said would also be built upon. Officials said there was no longer a need for an airport in the northeastern province. … Villagers living along the riverbank, and who have lived there since 1979, said they were only informed of their impending eviction last month. … Land for sale at the airport is in the region of $4,000 for a 20- by 40-meter plot, Ms. Chanson [one of the villagers] said. …
