![]() ![]() “This is a very controversial and unclear line for the public. “How can they define if the land is no longer used for the public interest, classify it as private state land and then give it to other groups or developers?” says Soeung Saran, director of STT, an NGO, which has led research and community mapping efforts around Boeng Tamok. The remaining 10 have been at least partly filled. Since the 1990s, however, 16 of the lakes have been filled in for boreys and residential housing, as Cambodia’s prime minister, Hun Sen, has pursued a development boom. Phnom Penh was once home to 26 lakes that provided fishing, fresh water and protection from flooding, and a livelihood for thousands of people. Sophea and six others were recently summoned to court for allegedly obstructing a roadway during a protest. Yet in a country where criticising the government can often lead to jail, the group has attracted scrutiny. ![]() She and other protesters have relegated men to the back of the group, believing that police are less likely to treat women violently. Why can the rich live here and the poor can’t? Kong Toeur ![]() In 2020, she led a 50-strong group in a march towards the prime minister’s house. The group delivers petitions to city hall, stages protests in public parks, marches along the lake’s shrinking shoreline and even faces off against bulldozers nearing their stretch of roadway, documenting their activities on Facebook Live. Sophea is the de facto leader of about 100 residents – mostly women – fighting to keep their homes for as long as possible. Sophea sorts through photos of protests since 2016 against development of the lake and forced evictions. ![]()
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