Phnom Penh is made up of poor settlements; it continues to be a problem for the government and private development. By the time land was privatized in 1993, 87 percent of the existing poor settlements had already established in Phnom Penh. The SUPF (2003) survey shows that existing settlements are expanding and new larger resettlements are also on its way, by merging small relocated communities into one large settlement. Moreover, settlements on private land continue to increase, in contrast from those on public land. Settlements on public land are continuously relocated to private land where they were promise to get a title. Back in 1997, settlements on public land were over a quarter whereas those on private land are small. Then in 1999, the numbers of settlements on public and private land were equal with some settlements on mixed land. (Ibid.)
The poor communities in Phnom Penh have a lack of tenure security. In addition, people are not well informed about development plans, almost 30 percent of them are unaware of what the plans are for their land. (ibid.) The SUPF (2003) study shows that eviction threats are greatest on public land where 60 percent of settlements are at risk and 20 percent of settlements are at risk on private land, and on mixed land less than 10 percent are at risk of evictions. (Ibid.)
In terms of education, according to NIS (2005) the majority of the population in Phnom Penh has acquired some education. Nearly a third of the population has completed primary/grammar level of education and 30 percent has attained a secondary or higher education. However, these percentages do not include the inhabitants in the informal settlements. According to CDRI (2007) these informal dwellers are originally from poor rural areas with low level of education. Due to the lack of basic education and training, illiteracy and lack of arithmetic skills prevents these dwellers to attain formal work.
In order to get information from the grass root level of Phnom Penh, this study selected six informal settlements for special examination: Srak Chork, Tork Thalar, Boeung Kak 1, Tork Laouk, Boeung Kak 2, and Ka Moung (see appendix 2 for map of Phnom Penh and the 6 informal settlements selected in this study). These communes were chosen to
represent diverse poor settlements in Phnom Penh of location, land tenure, and infrastructure.
Srak Chork commune is located in the district of Daun Penh. It is located along the railway track and along the main road. It is at the heart of the city, with the Psar Thmey (New Market) in the corner. Due to the good location, the commune is under threat of eviction. 92 percent of those living in this district have long established the
communities, in other words, they have lived there by the time land was privatized.
Most of the eviction threats are settlements along the railway track. The settlements along the railway track are public land and mixed land, and those that are residing along the main road are private land. This district is a commercial and heritage area of Phnom Penh, development is targeted at: heritage and tourism potential. (SPUF, 2003.)
Tork Thalar commune is located in the Dangkor district. Homes are built on top of the water. All the in situ settlements in Dankor were established between 1979 and 1989.
About 89 percent of poor families in Dangkor district live on their own private land.
The dwellers in this commune live in mixed land. So far the dwellers have not been informed about any development plans. New houses continue to be constructed.
However, 96 percent are experiencing water problems. (SUPF, 2003, 32.)
Boeung Kak 1 commune is situated in the Toul Kok district and homes are located along the railway track. The settlements were established in 1999 with at least 5
settlements (394 families) were already evicted. In recent years, more settlements were evicted and relocated (SPUF, 2003).
Tork Laouk commune is situated in the Toul Kok district. Homes are built on top of the water. The settlements in Tork Laouk are indeed under threat of eviction as well.
Toul Kok district (including Boeung Kak 1 & 2 and Tork Laouk) is transforming into a district for high-income residential development. Water supply has improved, so is solid waste management and electricity supply are planned for the future development.
Currently, 50% of settlements in district have problems with water supply, and 80%
with flooding and drainage problem. (SUPF, 2003.)
Boeung Kak 2 commune is situated in the Toul Kok district. The homes are built on top of the water canal, majority of the families are renting. Families are under pressure of evictions for canal development.
Ka Moung commune is located in the Sen Sok district. The settlements are situated in the outskirts of the city. It is a relocation site. Due to its distant location about 40 miles from the city center, the infrastructure is poor, such as hospitals, jobs and schools.
The dwellers of these settlements make a living through a wide variety of jobs and occupations. Some are technicians, tailors, retirees, small traders, a professor, a few stay at home moms and others own a small informal business at home (typically selling miscellaneous goods).
communes number of interviewees number of inhabitants
Srak Chork 6 28.535
Tork Thalar 3 31.896
Boeung Kak 1 2 30.526
Tork Laouk 4 30.237
Boeung Kak 2 1 29.875
Ka Moung 4 29.968
TABLE 2 PROFILES OF THECOMMUNES2
It would be crucial to understand the administrative structure in Cambodia, as they will be mentioned frequently in the analysis chapter. The hierarchy of the Cambodian administrative structure starts off with highest level as: (1) the national government, (2) the ministry of interiors, (3) the province, (4) the provincial local administration Unit, (5) the district, (6)the commune council they are assigned with three to four villages or communities each, and finally (7) the village or community’s chief (Pellini, 2008). The village’s chief (VC)3 is appointed by the commune council. The VC serves as the main messenger between the village and the commune council. The VC’s duties are to act in the best interest of the village, to be responsible to the duties given by the commune
2 The number of inhabitants was provided by the commune’s chief as there is no official record of the communes. Informal settlements tend to be excluded from the consensus bureau. However, there is information on Khans (districts) of Phnom Penh.
3 The term village’s chief will be replaced with community’s chief in this thesis.
council, to give recommendations to the commune council that benefit the village, to manage and coordinate the work with the commune council. (Ibid.)
6 Untitled and undefined land in Phnom Penh
This chapter presents the analysis of the empirical research that stems from the interviews and observations from the fieldwork. To analyze people’s conceptions of landownership, I employed a qualitative research method by means of semi-structured interviews. In order to better understand people’s conceptions of land ownership that are composed of multiple layers, the housing background of the dwellers will be explored.
Since I aim to analyze the themes from urban perspectives, the fieldwork was conducted in Phnom Penh, focuses upon six informal settlements.