| BABC calls upon Cambodia’s Prime Minister to End Human Rights Abuses Against Boeung Kak Residents on World Habitat Day |
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Bridges Across Borders Cambodia and the Housing
Oct. 4 marks World Habitat Day under the slogan “Better City, Better Life”, and on Sep. 30 the UN Human Rights Council affirmed the human right to water and sanitation, yet in Phnom Penh Shukaku Inc. continues pumping sand and water into Boeung Kak lake forcing residents to live in inhumane conditions or abandon their homes, while police persist in using violence against those peacefully protesting against the illegal development.
In the face of inaction by the authorities in response to numerous requests and petitions, residents of Boeung Kak gathered near Prime Minister Hun Sen’s house on Oct. 1 to demand a halt to the pumping of sand and water into their homes.
In what has become a standard response, the demonstrators right to peaceful assembly was violated, with police using excessive and unwarranted violence to disperse the crowd, including striking women in the chest with electric batons.
The situation at Boeung Kak is untenable. Residents are being forced to leave as their homes are swamped with sand and water, while those who attempt to claim their rights face intimidation and physical violence. Despite requests and petitions, the Royal Government of Cambodia has not taken any observable steps to stop the ongoing abuse of its citizens.
BABC and HRTF continues to call upon the Royal Government of Cambodia to uphold its citizens’ rights as enshrined in the Cambodian constitution and international human rights law. BABC and HRTF urges Prime Minister Hun Sen to intervene in this case and bring an end to the ongoing aggression being directed at the people of Boeung Kak in the name of Development. The Prime Minster should go to see the situation firsthand and meet the people who are being flooded out of their homes by this project. He alone has the power to stop this injustice and bring about a better city and a better life for the people of Cambodia.
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Rights Task Force (HRTF) condemns the use of violence against peaceful demonstrators from Boeung Kak lake and calls upon Prime Minister Hun Sen to intervene in the ongoing violation of Boeung Kak residents human rights.