However, this cherished way of life is under relentless threat. Land seizures driven by agricultural expansion, lucrative high price of land, development projects and Economic Land Concessions (ELCs) for private investors have disrupted the delicate balance between progress and cultural preservation. It is within this backdrop that the Cambodia Indigenous Peoples Organization (CIPO), in collaboration with Diakonia, has stepped forward to empower the Bunong people in their fight to defend their customary land rights and protect their legacy.
The Complex Fight for Land Rights
Together with Diakonia, CIPO and other local networks provide technical support for GPS data mapping, legal assistant and legal knowledge trainings to the community. Additionally, they assist during the application process for community communal land titles, the documents that provide legal recognition, protection, and security for their ancestral lands.
Yet, navigating the bureaucratic system presents a unique set of challenges. The communities have raised concerns about the loss of natural resources due to complex and costly land titling processes. Indigenous peoples bear the brunt of the financial costs and invest significant time in court battles, placing their traditional lands, sacred forests, gravesites, and distinct identities at serious risk.
In-Ham, a committee member from Laoka village, echoes these concerns as he expresses the urgency of protecting their customary land.
“Without land and forests, the Bunong cannot survive. We want to protect and secure our land,” he asserts, highlighting the vital role the land plays in their community’s survival and cultural identity.
Hean Bunhieng, CIPO’s Technical Advisor, highlights the slow and limited implementation of collective land title registration by the government, leading to irregularities and unallocated land becoming available for sale.
Such unallocated land becomes vulnerable to exploitation due to the lack of proper supervision or management, which in turn fuels an environment that accelerates deforestation.
According to Global Forest Watch, over the past decade, Mondulkiri has lost a significant amount of its humid primary forests. Approximately 65.6 thousand hectares, equivalent to about 90 thousand football fields, were cleared or removed. This represents more than half (58%) of all the forested areas that were affected during that time. Areas once forests and traditional lands of the indigenous communities are now being converted into extensive cash crop plantations and luxury resorts.
The Power of Voice
Laoka is not the only village experiencing struggles in court while asserting rights to their land. The Royor Leu community villagers, also part of the Bunong ethnic group, have faced similar circumstances. Lin Mao, the Chairman of Royor Leu’s community committee, sheds light on the struggles they face. He explains that some young members of the community have lost faith in the communal land titles due to the tedious registration process, which can be easily rejected by the authorities.
In the face of these challenges, the villagers have found a powerful ally in social media. Vy Ly Sean, Secretary of the Communal Land Registration Committee from Royor Leu village describes how they leveraged the power of social media to raise awareness about their land issues.
