Violence Breaks Out at Railway Relocation Site
Three villagers who were evicted last year to make way for the rehabilitation of Cambodia’s railway—part of a $142 million project paid for by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and AusAid—were hospitalized early Friday morning after they were attacked with rocks and sticks at a resettlement site in Phnom Penh’s Pur Senchey district, villagers and rights workers said. Ros Bopha, a representative for more that 160 relocated families, said that Trapaing Anhchanh 4 villager chief Chan Sinara had become unhappy with relocated villagers on Thursday evening after they sought medical help from rights group Licadho without receiving his permission. Shortly afterwards, about 30 armed residents, who have been living at the site longer than the railway families, surrounded the railway villagers, and violence broke out, leaving 11 villagers injured on both sides. …
