Vanny is one of the leading figures in a high profile struggle against the largest forced eviction since the Khmer Rouge era. Vanny lives in what remains of the Boeung Kak Lake area of central Phonm Penh, an area of prime real estate once home to around 20,000 people.

In 2007, a private development company, Shukaku Inc, was granted a 99-year lease over the site.


In 2008, some 20,000 residents living in the area, who had not been informed of development plans, were threatened with eviction. In August 2008, Shukaku started filling in the lake. Families were offered US $8,500 or a flat at a resettlement site on the outskirts of Phnom Penh. Families living around the lake began facing threats and intimidation, and many felt they had no option but to leave. Many of them have since experienced severe hardship.

Vanny decided to join those resisting eviction in 2009. Today she is one of the most outspoken community representatives, mobilising people to join protests outside City Hall and the company’s office. Local residents depend on her advice and support:

"I continue to mobilize the community to strengthen [the people’s] spirit so that the community can stay firm and independent and can convince the government to change its mind," Vanny says.

Vanny and other community leaders represent the community’s views in meetings with the World Bank and bilateral donors to Cambodia. Their resistance has paid off.

In August, the Prime Minister signed an order for an area of the Boeung Kak Lake development site to be given to the remaining residents for onsite housing. While it is unclear how this will work, and the plan will not benefit everyone, it is a major victory for the community.

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