A short 20 metre walk around the Embassy's 2 metre high wall took us to a community of around 90 families that is under threat of eviction - Group 78. The land has been valued at $14million. The community has been offered a package totalling $400,000 or be forcibly moved to a relocation site 20kms outside of Phnom Penh.
We sat down in blue plastic chairs at the closest tarpolin-roofed "diner", sipping cold waters over brief introductions prior to the meeting lead by Lisa H (see photo). One woman ran a project at the relocation sites where the former neighbours of Group 78 were violently taken three years ago and who still don't have electricity or running water. Two others live in poor communities that are facing eviction in a number of years. The rest of us were hoping our presence at the meeting would be suggestive of the great interest amongst the Australian expat community.
Issues were discussed and questions were divvied up before we headed into the cold bleak modern building. The Embassy staff had moved in only one week ago and we were apparently the first guests to use the Brisbane Room (which was a remarkably similar size to the 6x4m plots of land being provided at the relocation site).
My mp3 player and phone were kept "safe" at the front desk, but there wasn't much to record anyway. The meeting went something like this.
Blah blah BLAH we're monitoring the situation blah blab blab don't get involved in individual cases blah BLAH blah speaking directly to various members of Government blah BLAH hmmm.
It was disappointing. While they indicated their interest in identifying new opportunities to act, they declined our offer to visit the relocation site or fund coordinated advocacy efforts. No mention of the issue is made in the soon-to-be-released country strategic plan and the new wording within the 2009 budget which aims to provide vulnerable groups with "access to justice" was just extra words and didn't reflect a desire to actually do it.
I thought his one final word of advice was odd "just don't write any letters to the editor". However, I've just read that at the national food security forum held that same day the Cambodian PM stated that a number of foreigners have wrong views and are creating friction between the governments of the two countries involved. In the current environment where newspaper's are being forced to shut down and editors are being jailed for "misinformation", speaking publically on the issue could be a good way to get a fast ticket home.
The Third Secretary's advice was timely and perhaps his (and our) efforts are beginning to challenge the status quo after all.
2 comments:
Three years ago the ABC program Foreign Correspondent featured this issue, and made mention that the Australian Embassy may have had some awareness of the problem. A synopsis of this program can be seen at http://www.abc.net.au/foreign/content/2006/s1754763.htm
Thanks Linda. I am amazed that you remembered the program. Yes, the issue has been around a long time... it's just getting worse that's all.
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