The residents of Phnom Penh are becoming increasingly frustrated by the chaotic and largely unplanned construction in this ‘jewel’of an Asian city.
While welcoming sustainable and inspired development the latest and largest ‘development’ is the filling of Boeung Kok. The loss of this iconic open space is nothing short of tragic particularly in the light that the 133 hecatres of public property will be developed for private business gain (estimated at US$2 billion +).
The Lake may be lost but there is still time to support the thousands of families living around the lake who are negotiating for fair compensation (their case for possession is FAR stronger than the the Government’s Lease to Shukaku which is illegal on a number of counts).
With enough support the Government may be persuaded to retain 30, 40, 50 hectares as a public park for public use. With enough support from all the city’s residents, whether you are Khmer or foreign it may be possible to still change the future of Boeung Kak.
Put up a sticker, buy a T-shirt and show your support.
The Campaign was established by the Housing Rights Task Force, a coalition of NGOs working for housing rights in Phnom Penh. This blog is an independent effort to chronicle their efforts, and can be contacted via saveboeungkak@gmail.com
(Note: some transliterate the lake as ‘Boeung Kak’, others ‘Boeung Kok’. The contributors to this blog don’t particularly care what rule you follow for transliteration – we care about people following rule of law and their conscience.)
