Community Media Statement (full text)

Feb. 28, 2011. Full media statement by the BKL community issued Feb. 23, 2011:

We are here to publicly present a landsharing plan that we have developed as a solution to the ongoing dispute between our community and Shukaku Inc. in the Boeung Kak area.

We are the people currently living in Beoung Kak, Sangkat Srahchok, Khan Daun Penh, Phnom Penh. The area has been populated since 1979. Before evictions began, over 4,000 families lived in the area, divided into nine villages. In 2006, the Municipality of Phnom Penh (MPP) organized a meeting for Beoung Kak residents in Srachchok’s pagoda, Khan Daun Penh, Phnom Penh. The purpose of the meeting was to announce the commencement of systematic land titling in the area. Following this, local authorities together with a group of cadastral commission staff came to our community and measured our houses. Nevertheless, systematic land titling was never conducted in Boeung Kak. We later learned the area had been excluded from the Land Management and Administration Project (LMAP).

On Feb 06, 2007, the MPP declared a lease had been signed awarding 133 ha Beoung Kak area to Shukaku Inc. Company for 99 years. In August 28, 2008, Shukaku Inc. Started pumping sand into the lake. Since then, several residents have been forcibly evicted, while remaining residents live under constant threat of eviction. The company has pumped sand to flood as well as bury residential houses, company staff and local authorities have threatened us, they have prevented community members from meeting, protesting and the residents have been beaten and treated badly by the company’s security guards and local authorities. People living in Beoung Kak consider these activities violations of their human rights.

The situation is unacceptable. The leasing of the land in Boeung Kak violates our legal rights under the Constitution of Cambodia (1993) and the Land Law (2001). We are the rightful owners of our property on the land surrounding Boeung Kak Lake.

To make us leave the area, we have been told that we have three options: cash compensation, relocation to Damnak Troyung, and on-site development. The last option is also referred to in the lease contract between Shukaku Inc. and the MPP. Unfortunately, we have never seen any plans for on-site development.

If the government needs to develop the Beoung Kak area, people are not against development. However, the government needs to open negotiations to solve the problem facing the people in Beoung Kak in order to be fair, transparent and to find a win-win-win solution to the situation.

To get negotiations under way, the remaining 1000-1500 families living in the Boeung Kak area have decided to agree to the third option of on-site development.

Because no on-site development plan has been put forward by the company, we have developed our own plan to solve the land dispute between Shukaku Inc. and our community.

Our purpose here today is to state that we are willing to share our land with the developer if the Government commits to building us new housing onsite. On January 26th, formally asked the Municipality of Phnom Penh as well as Shukaku Inc. to reserve 12%, or 15 hectares, of the leased area for this purpose. We have also asked the World Bank and other development partners to support the Government to make this plan possible.

Yesterday, we were extremely disappointed to receive a letter from the MPP rejecting our proposal. We strongly believe our proposal not only represents a mutually beneficial solution to the ongoing land dispute, but is also a concession on our part as we agree to share land that we believe is rightfully ours. Furthermore, the rejection of this plan represents a breach in the initial contract between the MPP and Shukaku Inc.

We call on the MPP and Shukaku Inc. to reconsider their stance and accept this olive branch the Boeung Kak community is offering. Despite having been beaten, threatened, intimidated, and forced to leave our homes, we are ready to sit down to discuss an equitable, just, and sustainable solution to the ongoing land dispute. As representative of the Cambodian government and hence also the Cambodian people, we expect the MPP will do the same.

MPP rejects community olive branch

Feb. 23, 2011. In an apparently strategic move, late in the afternoon the day before today’s Boeung Kak community press conference the Municipality of Phnom Penh issued a letter to the community rejecting their alternative onsite development plan. Nevertheless, the community went ahead with the press conference presenting a landsharing plan as a solution to the ongoing land dispute between Shukaku Inc. and the community.

Asserting they are the rightful owners of the land, the community proposed to share their land with the company, provided 15ha, or around 12% of the total area leased to Shukaku Inc., was granted for onsite development. Replying to the MPP’s rejection letter, the community spokesperson stated:

“Yesterday, we were extremely disappointed to receive a letter from the MPP rejecting our proposal. We strongly believe our proposal not only represents a mutually beneficial solution to the ongoing land dispute, but is also a concession on our part as we agree to share land that we believe is rightfully ours. Furthermore, the rejection of this plan represents a breach in the initial contract between the MPP and Shukaku Inc.

We call on the MPP and Shukaku Inc. to reconsider their stance and accept this olive branch the Boeung Kak community is offering. Despite having been beaten, threatened, intimidated, and forced to leave our homes, we are ready to sit down to discuss an equitable, just, and sustainable solution to the ongoing land dispute. As representative of the Cambodian government and hence also the Cambodian people, we expect the MPP will do the same.”

Villagers stand up against eviction – police backs off

Feb. 10, 2011. A day-long stand-off in Village 22 ended by 4pm when local police left the area to receive payment from Shukaku Inc. owner Yeay Phu who arrived at the company’s lakeside headquarters. As police drove off, residents cheered, having prevented the eviction of a household that had moved to live on a relative’s land following eviction from their home on the lake. During the day, the situation was occasionally tense, yet the mainly female residents stood strong, at one point threatening to throw their period blood at the police if the attempted to evict the threatened household. As the police left, and although the day-time battle had been won, residents stated they feared the police might return during the night.

Erdos does good?

Feb. 2, 2011. The below article features Erdos, the Chinese company involved in Boeung Kak, on a list of 2010 Best Public Charitable Entrepreneurs. Below is the translation. You can see the article here.

” Wang Linxiang led Erdos Group in the course of twenty years of development, always adhere to the common progress of society and actively participate in public welfare, in order to repay the local, to promote regional economic development has made tremendous contributions. Over the years, Erdos Group, for the public welfare donations totaling more than 200 million yuan, the major public projects are: Enge Bei Sand spent 18.87 million yuan to support greening projects; invest 300 million species of goat research supports Inner Mongolia University; invested 50 million yuan to support the Ordos City pasture captive works; invested 40 million yuan to support the benefit of agricultural and pastoral area Republic of China cashmere processing projects; invested 60 million yuan to support farmers and herdsmen in scientific breeding cashmere goats. In addition, the Group has a variety of disaster relief operations also played a huge role, including:

　　In 2006 environmental projects for youth associations and student volunteers donate 540,000 yuan; in 2007 as assistant CYDF donate 100 million; in 2008 to 300 million Hangjinqi relief donations for Sichuan, Gansu and other quake-hit region more than 13 million yuan donated money and materials; Yushu in 2010 10 million yuan donation earthquake affected areas;

　　Farmers and herdsmen to help solve the difficult problem of their children to school for the children to provide a superior learning environment, in 2001, the company adopted the “reconstruction Erdos Group on the motion to the schools”, decided in 2001 to 5 per year , each the size and speed of 20 million in domestic production and distribution center for reconstruction area Erdos Cashmere Group wished to school. As of the end of 2008, has donated 8.5 million yuan to build Hope Schools 41.

　　Erdos Group donated to the schools that are aided Erdos Group, animal husbandry, trade and industry, an important measure of integration strategy, Bachu County, Kashi Prefecture in Xinjiang after the earthquake, Erdos Group donated 30 million reconstruction of schools, sent to disaster areas Ordos warmth. Most students enter for the pastoral Qixian school, parents need to rent read along with the practical difficulties, the Group Sonid Right Banner, Urad Middle Banner in Ordos and other Qixian built student apartments and student cafeteria, in the hope that donor aided schools process, group executive director, general manager of raw materials, royalties Zhangquan Xiang took out from his more than 30 million reconstruction of the Wu Liang Su too Hope Primary School, take practical action to return to his alma mater to the teachings of grace. Meanwhile, 10 million individuals in Dongsheng District donated one set up a “Wang Linxiang Scholarship Fund”, designed to reward outstanding students with good academic performance.

　　Erdos Group, led by the local enterprises also have to participate in many social return on donor activities in the development of public welfare in Inner Mongolia have made a positive contribution. Meanwhile, the Group’s public actions by the praise from all sectors of society, in 2003, Erdos Group, the Communist Youth League Central Youth Volunteers Association has been awarded the “common good, in 2003, the group was named outstanding grass-roots party organizations, and Communist Youth League Central Youth Volunteers Association has been awarded the “common good, to support volunteer service” medal; 2006, China issued by the public, “Corporate Citizenship Award.” Comrade Wang Linxiang annual economic figures in Inner Mongolia, selection of the “Charity People” awards. Ministry of Civil Affairs in 2010 was named “China Charity Award funded enterprises the most love.”

　　In the “Ordos warm the whole world” under the initiative of this business philosophy, the Group will continue to support charitable activities, and actively with the love back to society, economy and the Inner Mongolia region to promote the development of public welfare and contribute more power!