On Saturday, January 24, 2009, hundreds of police and military police helped a private company into forcefully evicting Dey Krahorm community in central Phnom Penh.
A line of riot police moves in to confront Dey Krahorm’s residents and begin the eviction at 6AM. Hundreds of police & military police, who started coming in at 2AM, participated in the violent eviction.
Residents hold hands, in a vain attempt to resist. (© Peter Harris - Fotojournalism.net)
Wielding batons, the police break through the villagers’ lines. (© Peter Harris - Fotojournalism.net)
The flash & smoke of a tear gas canister (at left) fired by police. Rubber bullets and stones were also aimed at residents. (© Peter Harris - Fotojournalism.net)
More tear gas is fired and, at center right, a helmeted policeman throws a rock at residents.
A 7NG company worker (in hat) signals for hundreds of demolition workers with machinery and tools to move in to start demolishing villagers’ homes.
Water was fired at villagers and observers, especially photographers.
Protected by police, a horde of demolition workers (in red & blue) pour into the village. (© Peter Harris - Fotojournalism.net)
A woman wails as workers begin to destroy her house - her possessions still inside. (© Peter Harris - Fotojournalism.net)
Police move residents away as demolition workers (in green) continue their work.
A woman, who collapsed with heart palpitations, is comforted by her family. (© Peter Harris - Fotojournalism.net)
A female community representative, knocked unconscious when she fell down as a bulldozer flattened her house, is carried away to hospital. (© Peter Harris - Fotojournalism.net)
Demolition workers use axes, hammers and other tools to destroy homes. (Left picture © Peter Harris - Fotojournalism.net)
A line of workers push at the skeleton of a destroyed house, trying to topple it over.
Dazed residents, surrounded by police, stand with their salvaged belongings.
Other residents pick through a sea of debris to try to find their possessions. At right is a refrigerator. (© Peter Harris - Fotojournalism.net)
At morning’s end, jubilant municipal and government officials and 7NG company staff pose for a group photograph in the flattened village. 7NG plans to build a housing, shopping and office development on the land, which is worth an estimated $44 million.
Documents about development assistance to Cambodia and the government’s so-called Rectangular Strategy, to combat poverty and improve health and education, lie on the ground in the wreckage of Dey Krahorm homes.
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