Phan Imex president Suy Sophan told the Post yesterday that her company would not compensate these families for any losses, but would offer them “humanitarian” payments of US$200 to $500.

“Most of the protesters are those who have bought a house after 2003 or rented houses at Borei Keila,” she said.

“Many are children of the residents who have received flats from our projects – the company cannot give these people another flat.”

Ten families, most of whom had rented houses or cottages belonging to residents in Borei Keila after survey registration in 2003, accepted the offer, Suy Sophan said, with the “humanitarian” money intended to help families run businesses or return to their homelands.

However, Pich Lim Khuon, a representative of Borei Keila residents who refused to accept land and houses at relocation sites in Dangkor district and Kandal province, said  that villagers had lost their ownership documents when their houses were destroyed.

“It is really unfair for us,” he said, adding that families who accepted the money had done so because they were children and relatives of families who had already received flats.

In 2003, Phan Imex agreed to construct 10 buildings on two hectares of land to house 1,776 families, in exchange for development rights to a remaining 2.6 hectares. The firm has constructed only eight buildings.

Thirty women and children detained last week during a protest led by Borei Keila residents remained in Prey Speu social affairs centre yesterday, while eight villagers arrested during clashes on January 3 were still being held in Prey Sar prison.

Meanwhile, a representative of villagers living at Boeung Kak lake yesterday met with World Bank representatives to discuss their living conditions.

Villager Tep Vanny told the Post that the World Bank had promised to help lakeside residents who were still facing  eviction. The World Bank could not be reached for comment.

Many women living in communities around the capital’s Boeung Kak lake who have lost employment after spending years shielding their homes from the impact of a real estate development have begun creating handicrafts in order to support their families.

About 30 women divided into four groups arrive daily to work in shifts on seven sewing machines in the house of former Village 22 representat-ive Tep Vanny, producing handbags for sale.

“We are hopeful and confident that our houses will not be lost. That is why we initiated to create some jobs for income,” Tep Vanny told the Post yesterday.

In 2007, local firm Shukaku Inc was granted a 99-year lease on 133 hectares of land around the lake for a real-estate development project.

After years of protests by residents, Prime Minister Hun Sen announced in August that a 12.44-hectare onsite area would be set aside for families that had refused compensation.

Local officials have recently begun issuing land titles to hundreds of remaining families, but some say they remain excluded from the resettlement deal.

Sia Phearum, secretariat director of Housing Rights Task Force, said HRTF, a charity in New Zealand, along with German development agency GIZ, had provided seven sewing machines worth a total of US$2,000, and another charity had recently donated $1,200 for more machines.

Representatives from GIZ could not be reached by the Post for comment.

“The authorities, led by deputy district governor Sok Penhvuth, stopped me,” he said. “They wanted to take my equipment, such as a saw, a hammer, an axe and nails.” The large crowd of protesters had prevented police confiscating the tools, Slesh Mosa said. Slesh Mosa said he had asked permission to repair and rebuild parts of his house in 2007, but the government had not allowed it because it was the part of the Boeung Kak area earmarked for development. “They said I had repaired my house without asking permission,” he said. “But the government has given 12.44 hectares of land for the villagers who agreed to develop at the site, so right now I can repair my house.”

After 100 residents heard of the ban and flocked to Slesh Mosa’s house to protest, district governor Sok Penhvuth led police from the site, departing with a warning that he would return if residents defied the ban. “If you don’t listen to me . . . I will lead my officials to come here again,” were the words he had used, Slesh Mosa said. After authorities left, Slesh Mosa resumed his work, saying he was not scared of the possibility of police returning to arrest him and warned authorities to leave his house alone. “I will commit suicide by cutting my neck in front of the Phnom Penh Municipal Hall if the authorities destroy my house,” he said.

Phnom Penh municipal hall issued the first set of land titles for 259 families living around Boeung Kak lake on Saturday, bringing hope and relief to some, but leaving many concerned for those still waiting. In accordance with a government sub-decree issued by Prime Minister Hun Sen in August, families from villages 6, 23 and 24 in Daun Penh district’s Srah Chak commune were granted land within a 12.44-hectare resettlement area set aside for 794 families who had refused offers of compensation. Kong Chantha, 54, of village 24, told the Post yesterday that she was delighted after receiving a land title from municipal authorities.

“I was very happy because this certificate [land title] is a new hope for my family in the future,” she said, adding that she and other residents had spent almost four years demanding land titles. In 2007, developer Shukaku Inc – run by ruling party senator Lao Meng Khin – signed a 99-year lease with the municipality for 133 hectares of land around the lakeside for a real estate development. Rights groups estimated more than 20,000 people faced relocation due to the project. Remaining residents from villages 1, 6, 22 and 24 have continued to protest since the resettlement deal was announced, after they were initially cut out of the deal.

Last week, a protest in the capital turned violent, with several villagers injured and four – including Kong Chantha – arrested and charged by the municipal court with insulting and obstructing public officials. Villagers remained concerned yesterday about families who had not yet received land titles and with ongoing development in the area. Vong Sok Heng, a representative of village 6, said more than 30 families in his village had not received titles because their measurements of their plots of land were inconsistent with those of the authorities’. “The authorities did not correct [the difference] in land size after measurement,” she said.

Tol Srey Pao, of village 24, said the authorities planned to build a sewage system and roads in the area in the future, which could again affect local residences. Kiet Chhe, deputy administrative director at municipal hall, said the provision of land titles for lakeside residents was not yet complete.  “At the end of December, the municipal hall will continue to issue land titles for other Boeung Kak lake residents,” he said. Deputy commune chief In Saphorn said land titles would next be provided for roughly the same number of families in villages 20, 21 and 22.

Multimedia producer Kent Truog captured yesterday’s events at BKL and in front of the Phnom Penh Municipal Court on film. You can view his photos here.

Four villagers from Boeung Kak lake were charged by the municipal court with insulting and obstructing public officials yesterday following their arrest during a violent protest in the capital on Monday, lawyers for the villagers said. Ham Sun Rith, a lawyer from rights group Licadho who is defending village 22 residents Tep Vanny, 31, Bo Chhorvy, 37, and Heng Mom, 55, and village 24 resident Kong Chantha, 54, all from Daun Penh district’s Srah Chak commune, said yesterday that the court had charged his clients under articles 502 and 504 of the penal code. He added, however, that the four were released by the court on bail. “The court should drop its charges, because the cause resulted from a land dispute, but nevertheless, I was happy with the decision [to release them on bail],” he said. Article 502 of the criminal code states that insulting a public official can be punishable by one to six days in prison, while article 504 states that obstructing a public official can be punishable by six months to a year in prison. The four women were arrested and detained by municipal police on Monday after protesting with about 50 villagers outside city hall to demand that authorities hasten the process of issuing them land within an onsite resettlement area set aside by the government. Six protestors were reportedly injured during clashes with police. Yesterday, more than 100 villagers walked to city hall to demand the release of their representatives but were blocked halfway by municipal police. Protestors threw rocks and urine-soaked sarongs at police, before later gathering outside the municipal court until the four women were released. Residents from villages 1, 6, 22 and 24 were excluded from a 12.44-hectare resettlement area granted by Prime Minister Hun Sen in August for 746 families facing eviction to make way for a real estate project by developer Shukaku Inc. After being released, Tep Vanny told the Post that the court had banned them from moving or resisting the authorities, and warned them that they would be detained temporarily if they did not comply. “The ban and warning is blocking our freedom of expression,” she said. Heng Mom said that soon after Hun Sen announced the resettlement plan, her house was demolished and she did not receive any compensation. “We did not curse and protest against the order of the public officials, we just said what was fact. If authorities or public officials did not do wrong, we would not criticise,” she said. A senior municipal official who declined to be named told the Post yesterday that villagers cut out of the resettlement area would not receive land titles, but would still receive a policy resolution from city hall. Last week, municipal officials told village 22 residents that they would begin the land titling process last Wednesday. In a statement released late yesterday, four rights groups including Housing Rights Task Force and Licadho commended the release of the villagers, but called on authorities to drop the charges against them and include all remaining families in the onsite relocation area.