THROUGH A SERIES of case studies, this book documents the process of forced evictions in Asian cities. This is the second such report supported by the Eviction Watch programme of the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR), and it focuses on evictions that occurred in 1996 and 1997. It also looks at the social, economic and psychological repercussions of these evictions for the low-income communities that endure them, and discusses the failure of the authorities to respect and enforce national and international human rights laws. The editor points out that in spite of the increased attention brought to this issue by the Habitat II Conference in Istanbul in 1996, the number of evictions has continued to rise: 254,172 families are reported to have been evicted in Asia over this two-year period and, for every case reported, it is estimated that at least two more go unreported.

The individual country and city reports in this volume range from comprehensive assessments of the situation in a particular city to eye-witness accounts of specific evictions; from examinations of the structural causes of evictions to discussions of possible responses. This range makes comparison difficult, but the wealth of perspectives allows for a rich and informative collection. In several cases, there is more than one account from a given city.

The most encouraging news in this volume comes from Phnom Penh, which experienced no evictions in 1997 in spite of the weakness of legal protection in Cambodia. Owing largely to the efforts of the Solidarity of Urban Poor Federation (SUPF), some major breakthroughs have been made with the local authorities. Although other chapters are less encouraging, they contain numerous suggestions for constructive action, from advocacy for legislative and policy change to community organization for resistance and negotiation. The appendices include recent human rights resolutions and comments, as well as a set of guidelines adopted by an Expert Seminar on the Practice of Forced Evictions.