By Hyo-Jin Paik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Asia

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia– After a week of negotiations, 20 families with HIV/AIDS were evicted from their homes in Cambodia today.  The families have been forced by the Cambodian government to move out of the Borei Keila community in central Phnom Penh and resettle in Tuol Sambo, which is known as the “AIDS village” by the locals.

Families have been protesting the move for months, complaining that they would have no means of income or medical care at the new location.  Tuol Sambo has no clean water or electricity, and the homes are made of metal sheets.  Most families are not in the position to battle the authorities, and they fear that they will face further discrimination by living in Tuol Sambo.

A man carries his belongings as another resident watches before being transported to the new resettlement site (Source: AP)

Amnesty International has condemned the move calling it “segregation,” and added, “The site’s long distance from the city hampers access to health services and jobs…[t]he families have urgent humanitarian needs…[t]here is a real risk that the health of the evicted families will deteriorate there.”

However, the Cambodian government is claiming that the families had illegally settled on government land where the authorities now wish to build new offices for Ministry of Tourism.

Last year, around 23,000 Cambodians were evicted from their homes and another 150,000 are at risk of facing eviction due to land disputes and commercial development projects.  Human rights organizations said evictions are a major social problem hurting Cambodia’s stability.

Furthermore, according to the 2008 estimate by the UN, 75,000 Cambodians are infected with AIDS and 100,000 have died due to AIDS-related causes, which is the highest in Southeast Asia.  The government is trying to decrease its HIV/AIDS prevalence to 0.6% by 2010 and have allocated about $50 million to combat the disease.

Despite the government’s efforts, Director of Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights Naly Pilorge said, “It is tragic that the government has chosen to create a permanent AIDS colony where people will face great stigma and discrimination.”

For more information, please see:

Amnesty International – Amnesty International Condemns Cambodian Government’s Eviction of 20 Families Living with HIV/AIDS – June 18, 2009

Kaiser Daily Reports – Cambodia Aims to Decrease HIV/AIDS Prevalence to 0.6% by 2010 – 6 April 2009

MSNBC – Cambodian authorities evict HIV-affected families – 18 June 2009