Housing Activists Clash With Police

Tep Vanny, rear center, of Boeung Kak lake, scuffles with riot police officers during a protest rally against land eviction near the prime minister's residence, in Phnom Penh, file photo.

PHNOM PENH - Some 100 demonstrators for housing rights clashed with police on Thursday, as they attempted to march on Phnom Penh’s City Hall to call for a solution for evictees of the neighborhood of Borei Keila.

No serious injuries were reported, after the group ran into some 100 riot police with batons and shields.

Heavy rains have created an outbreak of illnesses at an eviction site outside the capital, where former residents of Borei Keila have been forced to live, said Pech Lim Khoun, a representative of the evictees.

If city authorities fail to respond to their demands, the evictees will begin camping in front of City Hall, he said.

About 60 families have not received adequate housing after the eviction, demonstrators said.

Long Dimanche, a spokesman for the city, declined to comment Thursday.