Sihanoukville evictions

Dr. Lao Mong Hay takes a look at the ongoing land rights problem in Sihanoukville and concludes that Hun Sen is the only hope for a solution.

[Sihanoukville Governor] Say Hak has not stopped with this eviction though. His connivance with land-grabbers continued on May 11 when he issued another order of eviction to 18 families and gave them 20 days to vacate their land. Knowing his way of ending land disputes, these families face the same terror as those previous 107 families if they defy his order. Hun Sen needs to stop Say Hak’s abuses before other governors turn his “war against land-grabbers” into terror against powerless people in other towns and provinces if his “war” is to have any meaning.

Not unsurprisingly, Hun Sen is the last appeal for many people facing crisis, seldom to much result.