The Phnom Penh Post
Written by Chrann Chamroeun
Monday, 01 December 2008
Dey Krahorm residents accuse 7NG of bullyin
A CLASH between developers and soon-to-be evicted residents of the Dey Krahorm community in central Phnom Penh broke out Thursday after hundreds of people refused to leave their homes.
According to remaining residents of the community, around 30 staff members from private company 7NG arrived at the site Thursday morning and began tearing down houses. Residents protested and a clash followed. No one was injured.
"About 30 staff came to violently pull down my cottage," resident Phix Seang said. "Violence exploded for about 20 minutes. The staff beat us, and we only just protected ourselves. We dared not beat them back because we were afraid of getting an arrest warrant from court," he added.
Chhorn Vanna, 60, another resident who refused eviction, said it was not the first time that they had been intimidated by 7NG.
"It is about ten times that they have come to threaten us to leave the land, " she said.
Company denies violence
Srey Sothea, managing director of 7NG, denied the use of violence by his contractors but said that the houses were being pulled down because they had been sold already to his company.
"I deny the allegations that my laborers used violence ...only about 10 laborers went to pull down some houses that were already sold to our company," he said.
"For about three years, I have never used violence to crack down on [residents]. I have always just told them to leave voluntarily."
Written by Chrann Chamroeun
Monday, 01 December 2008
Dey Krahorm residents accuse 7NG of bullyin
A CLASH between developers and soon-to-be evicted residents of the Dey Krahorm community in central Phnom Penh broke out Thursday after hundreds of people refused to leave their homes.
According to remaining residents of the community, around 30 staff members from private company 7NG arrived at the site Thursday morning and began tearing down houses. Residents protested and a clash followed. No one was injured.
"About 30 staff came to violently pull down my cottage," resident Phix Seang said. "Violence exploded for about 20 minutes. The staff beat us, and we only just protected ourselves. We dared not beat them back because we were afraid of getting an arrest warrant from court," he added.
Chhorn Vanna, 60, another resident who refused eviction, said it was not the first time that they had been intimidated by 7NG.
"It is about ten times that they have come to threaten us to leave the land, " she said.
Company denies violence
Srey Sothea, managing director of 7NG, denied the use of violence by his contractors but said that the houses were being pulled down because they had been sold already to his company.
"I deny the allegations that my laborers used violence ...only about 10 laborers went to pull down some houses that were already sold to our company," he said.
"For about three years, I have never used violence to crack down on [residents]. I have always just told them to leave voluntarily."
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