12 hours to help Cambodian families
Dear friend,
Mao Vona, a Group 78 resident threatened by forced eviction Tomorrow you'll be thrown out of your home with nowhere to go.
That's the reality facing 80 families in Cambodia who in the next 12 hours could be violently evicted from their homes in Phnom Penh by the military police - despite having the legal right to be there.
Known collectively as 'Group 78', these families have lived peacefully in Phnom Penh for over five years and under Cambodian law this gives them strong legal claims to their land. But in the name of "progress" - and the "beautification of the city" - their legal applications have been shelved to make way for property developers seeking to exploit the increasing value of their land, worth over US$14 million.
And that's not all. Unbelievably, the local authorities are trying to move the Group 78 residents to a squalid resettlement site on the edge of the city without sanitation, drinkable water or electricity - and which is so far from their workplaces in central Phnom Penh that the cost of travel alone would far exceed their expected daily earnings.
Email our Minister for Foreign Affairs, Stephen Smith and our Ambassador in Phnom Penh to halt the evictions immediately
The families - which include street vendors, teachers and government employees - are in a no-win situation. If they refuse to pack up and leave, the authorities say they will not take responsibility for any damage to or loss of housing or property. This effectively gives free reign to the military police who have been known to carry out evictions involving the wanton destruction of homes and personal belongings. And to make matters even worse, this is happening under the noses of our new Australian embassy in Phnom Penh - located within view of the proposed eviction site.
Don't let Australia stand by and witness another poor community being forcibly evicted - click here to email the Foreign Minister now
Last year over 23,000 people were forcibly removed in Cambodia in the wake of land disputes, land grabbing and development projects of this kind. Please don't let this be the next: click here to send your email, or if you have done so already, forward to at least two friends asking them to do the same.
Everyone has the right to adequate housing, no matter their socio-economic status. Your actions now can ensure that yet another Cambodian community is not driven even deeper into poverty.
Sarah Marland
Campaign Coordinator
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