Ability not disability as deaf puppeteers shine in Cambodia

Decades of war and poor health care have left one-fifth of Cambodians disabled.

They’re among the most vulnerable in society. Many are forced to beg to survive outside tourist attractions.

But this month they stepped out of the shadows and into the spotlight, with Asia’s first disabled arts festival.

One of the star performances was a puppet show by deaf and maimed Cambodian children. Rebecca Henschke took part in one of their rehearsals.

After decades of war and upheaval, including the Khmer Rouge ‘Killing Fields’, Cambodia is experiencing an unprecedented economic boom.

As a result, land prices in Phnom Pehn are spiraling to dizzy heights. It’s turning the once-sleepy capital into a construction site.

To make way for new housing developments the government is forcibly evicting hundreds of thousands of slum dwellers from their homes.

They claim they are illegal squatters.

But rights groups- including Amnesty International and the United Nations- say authorities are violating the countries land law and international human rights.

Despite mounting condemnation evictions continue as Rebecca Henschke reports from Phnom Pehn.