Land alienation in Ratanakiri Province

Despite a 2001 law allowing indigenous communities to obtain collective title to traditional lands, land alienation has been a major problem in Ratanakiri Province, Cambodia; some villages have been left nearly landless.[1] The national government has granted concessions over land traditionally possessed by Ratanakiri's indigenous peoples,[1][2][3] and even land "sales" have often involved bribes to officials, coercion, threats, or misinformation.[1] For instance, a group of Ratanakiri villagers in 2001 were given salt and promises of development by military representatives in exchange for thumbprinting documents that—unbeknownst to them—transferred ownership of their ancestral lands to a military general.[4] Following the involvement of several international NGOs, land alienation has decreased in frequency.[5] These NGOs have assisted in the training of provincial government officials, promoting understanding of indigenous community concerns as well as encouraging dialog between the provincial and national governments.[5] Pilot communal land titling projects have aimed to give legal force to traditional land ownership.[6] Community natural resource management initiatives in Ratanakiri have been successful and have served as models for similar programs on a national level.[7][5][8]

References
  1. The Indigenous World 2004 (Diana Vinding, editor). International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (2004), p. 256. ISBN 87-90730-83-6.
  2. Stidsen, Sille, editor. The Indigenous World 2006. International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (2007), p. 324. ISBN 87-91563-18-6.
  3. Tyler, Stephen R. Comanagement of Natural Resources: Local Learning for Poverty Reduction. International Development Research Centre (2006), p. 33. ISBN 1-55250-346-1.
  4. World Report 2002: The Events of 2001. Human Rights Watch (2002), p203. ISBN 1-56432-267-X.
  5. Ashish Joshia Ingty John & Chea Phalla. "Community-based natural resource management and decentralized governance in Ratanakiri, Cambodia." Communities, Livelihoods and Natural Resources (Stephen R. Tyler, editor). International Development Research Centre (2006), p. 53. ISBN 1-55250-230-9.
  6. Vindig, Diana, editor. The Indigenous World 2005. International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (2005), p. 338. ISBN 87-91563-05-4.
  7. Tyler, Comanagement of Natural Resources, p. 36–37.
  8. Vindig, The Indigenous World 2002–2003, p. 264.

Further reading
  • Land alienation in indigenous minority communities, Ratanakiri Province, Cambodia. NGO Forum on Cambodia (2006). ISBN 87-91563-20-8.


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