Dr. Martin Broeckelmann-Simon
Managing Director International Cooperation
MISEREOR

Dear Dr. Martin,

I am pleased and thank you very much in receipt of your copied letter dated 09 June 2006, regarding your concerns on the resettlement of the poor located in Phum 14 of Sambok Chab community of Sangkat Tonle Basaac, Khan Chamcarmorn to the new site in Khan Dangkor Phnom Penh. I have still remembered when we organized the fifth anniversary of UPDF, the Prime Minister Samdach HUN SEN, has announced the policy to upgrade 100 poor settlements in one year. Since then, the Municipality of Phnom Penh has been seeking financial, technical, as well as human resources of development partners for us. With this, we received from UN Habitat to set up Housing Rights Task Force in the city hall to coordinate with secure tenure issues of the poor living in the temporary locations of Phnom Penh city.

Please allow me to confirm that the first primary goal of Samdach Prime Minister is to ensure secure tenure of the poor living in temporary settlement to live with dignity, mental safety, and without fear so that they can earn their living life successfully and progressively in line with National Reduction Strategies of the Royal Government. Therefore, the above recommendation is not attempt to encourage any person or any small group of individual to denature so as to have their own group interest.

So far, we have chosen two types of methodologies for solving informal settlements, one is on site upgrading and other one is land sharing for the poor who are living in the state land such as Rotesh Ploeung A-B, Dey Kraham, and Borey Keila. But for private land or private state land the authority has obligation to protect legal rights of the owner. The second methodology is voluntary resettlement for the poor with the participation of the partner private sector, land owner, NGO as well as other relevant technical departments.

In the case of 1,352 poor families who lived in Phoum 14 or called Sambok Chap, behind Russian Embassy Sangkat Tonle Basaac, Khan Chamcarmorn involved in private land and six poor communities agreed with above second methodology Municipality of Phnom Penh facilitated with the landowner and the six communities agreed voluntarily for moving to live in the new location of Phoum Trapaing Angchagn, Sangkat Trapang Krasang, Khan Dangkor with a total of land 15 hectares, and each family received 5m x 12m. We worked very hard to prepare infrastructures such as road, sewages system, clean water supply, school, health center, as well as market center. With the agreement made, from 3rd to 29th May 2006 we transferred 1,304 families of voluntarily resettlements to the new site and remaining 48 families in the process. By the way, the issues were happened not because of the voluntary families but came from the tenants. After strictly reviewed the tenant 364 families Municipality of Phnom Penh facilitated and allocated 3 hectares of land locating in Phoum Andong, Sangkat Kokrokar, Khan Dangkor for their resettlement.

Unfortunately, on 30 May 2006, there was happened a violence, because some people provoked more many people live in old site again caused 10 police officers injured, burned village post, destroyed fence, and ruined properties. In this uncontrolled event, some people tried to purchase and sell plot receipt and cooked number of tenant. For the clear evidence, four people were arrested including Mr. Kim Lihour, Chan Ra, Hem Chun, and Chhanne Sovann for legal testimony.

In order to ensure safety and trust in law enforcement, local authority decided to move 1610 families to the new site. After this incident, Municipality of Phnom Penh identified points is as following:
    - Increased number by cheating registration is beyond our planed.
    - Some family sold their plot receipt, and cheated to register again.
    - Opportunist’s gang emerges the people in the province and other community to demand land for resettlement.

With the aim of good implementing the communities’ development project, the Municipality of Phnom Penh has continuing to survey the real statistic of the two new site resettlements in order to provide them the priority needs.

I would like to confirm that we work with our responsibility; it is different from the news which was accused that we have transferred the poor people to disposal. We have been working hard to provide access road, school, health center, and marketplace, loan for housing and small business in improving their living condition at the new site. Our effort has been supported by international agencies such a UNICEF and others NGO. I expected that you will understand the difficulties of the Municipality of Phnom Penh are responsible for more than 2,000 families thus we can not do everything during in the short time.

In the name of the governor of Municipality of Phnom Penh, we are very pleased to welcome your visit so as to evaluate the situation at the new resettlement site, and with your kind consideration, I do expect you will continue to cooperate with Municipality of Phnom Penh to benefit the poor communities.

KEP CHUK TEMA
Governor
Phnom Penh Municipality