Angdong Village relocation site

On 19 February, 2008, two international human rights organizations and two Cambodian NGOs called upon Cambodian authorities to take effective measures to combat the practice of forced evictions which constitutes a flagrant violation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and other international human rights instruments that the Kingdom of Cambodia has ratified.

The call was made at the launch of a new report by the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders - a joint programme of International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and World Organization Against Torture (OMCT) - along with the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC) and Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO).

The report, entitled "Defending Economic and Social Rights in Cambodia: A High-Risk Activity" highlights land-grabbing and forced evictions and the persecution of community activists and others who attempt to resist them. The report also illustrates cases of grave human rights violations resulting from forced evictions to which LICADHO contributed by providing field information and expertise.

Coinciding with the launch of the report LICADHO hosted a five member delegation from FIDH who meet with various key stakeholders from the government, bilateral donor countries and civil society to lobby for change and to hear first hand the human rights issues affecting Cambodia.

Their meetings included:
▪  The Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC)
▪  Amnesty International (AI)
▪  Human Rights Watch (HRW)
▪  The United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Cambodia
▪  The World Bank
▪  The Asian Development Bank
▪  H.E. Sok An, Deputy Prime Minister
▪  The German, British, French, Australian, Danish, European Union, Japanese and American Embassies in Cambodia

The delegation also visited Cambodia's largest prison Correction Center 1 (CC1) in Phnom Penh, the Police Judicial (PJ) prison, community representatives defending land rights, and the families of Born Samnang and Sok Sam Oeun, who were falsely convicted of the murder of union leader Chea Vichea and are currently serving a 20-year sentence.

Closing with a field visit
The culmination of the visit on 20 February saw the FIDH delegation together with 11 NGOs, international organizations, bilateral and multi-lateral donors and embassies visit Phnom Penh's largest relocation site Andong Village situated 20 kilometers from Phnom Penh. Here more than 50 delegates had the opportunity to witness first hand the gravity and impact that land grabbing and forced evictions have had on the community. The majority of villagers now living at Andong have been displaced from land in central Phnom Penh and are now living without adequate health care, water, sanitation, jobs, schools, and other basic social services.

In the coming weeks LICADHO is hosting other international delegations visiting Cambodia including Oxfam regional and headquarter representatives, Operation USA Founder, Norwegian parliamentarians and representatives from the Norwegian Ministry of Justice, a group of international graduate students from Thailand and Amnesty International along with 4 international journalists.

LICADHO welcomes all international delegations interested in supporting actions towards protecting human rights, in particular ending land-grabbing and land evictions in Cambodia in order to ensure security of land tenure, human dignity and the respect of human rights in Cambodia. LICADHO maintains that the international community plays a pivotal role in lobbying and pressuring the Cambodian government to effect change in its respect for human rights.