Ethnic minorities and indigenous people

Despite the pandemic, there has been a boom in the development of high-end residential projects in Phnom Penh. The construction sector is one of the country’s main economic engines. ...

Prime Minister Hun Sen has extended his congratulations and best wishes to the Muslim community members in the country and around the world on Ramadan. ...

Fifty indigenous people in Mondulkiri province on March 15 stopped the clearing of forest land in Sokdom commune’s Laoka village, claiming that the site was reserved for collective land registration of the Bunong indigenous community. They said that clearing the land will result in the ...

The “Cultural Landscape of the Bunong People” has been named to the 2022 World Monuments Watch, as one of 25 heritage sites deemed to be of worldwide significance, critical for the local community, and in urgent need of preservation. ...

Some 200 indigenous people in Mondulkiri province have come together to protest against a company for encroaching into their collective land. ...

The Vicar Apostolic of Phnom Penh, Bishop Olivier Michel Marie Schmitthaeusler (MEP) has been recognized by the Cambodian Government as representative of the Catholic Church for his contribution to society. ...

The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts considers the use of the Cambodian flag as a fabric to design clothes a denigration of the core values of the “Nation, Religion, King” motto that represents the Khmer people. The ministry asked that manufacturers of such clothing ...

Six representatives of the Bunong indigenous community have filed a complaint with the Mondulkiri Provincial Court seeking an investigation into their commune and village chiefs, who they alleged had turned a blind eye to infringement on their traditional burial grounds.​ ...

A senior Ministry of Environment official has hit back at some local and international NGOs for their reports on deforestation, which they claim has affected the rights of indigenous people. ...

Angkor Resources Corp. has reported it has advanced the agreement with Jarai Indigenous communities by adding a latrine and water filter project, requested by and for communities on the Andong Meas license. ...

Pen Ean, a personal adviser to Prime Minister Hun Sen, has submitted a letter to Minister of Interior Sar Kheng requesting that the ministry review the case O’Raing district governor Seak Mony of Mondulkiri province and other officials in that district who allegedly conspired to ...

Indigenous community leaders have raised concerns about delays in obtaining Collective Land Titles (CLT). The bureaucratic process, already complex, has been further delayed by the pandemic’s impact. To date, 30 out of 455 CLTs have been granted. ...

The United Nations has translated a key human rights’ document into the Tumpoun indigenous peoples’ language so they can understand their right to participate in the development of their community. ...

The Ministry of Cults and Religion and other relevant stakeholders are expediting their work on drafting a Law on Religion in Cambodia with the intention to ban monks from participating in political protests. ...

Angkor Resources Corp., a Canadian company engaged in mineral and oil/gas exploration in the Kingdom, has reported that implementation of its industry-first, precedent-setting agreement with the indigenous Jarai communities in northeastern Cambodia is off to a ‘good start’. ...

The Ministry of Cults and Religious Affairs has authorised the resumption of all religious ceremonies and gatherings in Cambodia ...

Mondulkiri province’s concession company is in the middle of a land dispute with more than 100 Bunong indigenous families living in O’Raing district’s Dak Dam and Sen Monorom communes, who allege it has cleared over 100 hectareas of their land with bulldozers ...

The government and Civil Society Organisations have said that indigenous people in Cambodia are poorly educated and their health and livelihoods are also challenged with them living according to their traditional culture. ...

The government yesterday refuted claims made by Human Rights Watch in a report which said: “The Lower Sesan 2 dam washed away the livelihoods of Indigenous and ethnic minority communities who previously lived communally and mostly self-sufficiently from fishing, forest-gathering, and agriculture.” ...

Indigenous people play a very vital role in the development of safe (organic) agricultural products and sustainable, according to Cambodia Rice Federation (CRF). ...

International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples was celebrated yesterday as indigenous people living in Cambodia expressed their concern about their land rights and economic, cultural, political and natural resources’ rights. ...

About 1,000 Bunong ethnic minority families in Mondulkiri province are crying for justice after their shelters were demolished by environment officials, alleging they were living on state land, even though the families say they have been living there for generations. ...

The Government of Australia is supporting the efforts to maximise access to quality education for indigenous children in Cambodia, stressed the Australian Embassy in Cambodia. ...

Canada-based Angkor Resources Corp – formerly Angkor Gold Corp – has entered into a “ground-breaking” collaborative engagement with Ratanakkiri province’s Jarai minority ethnic communities on the Andong Meas licence. “The agreement covers exploration through mining and also includes reclamation,” Angkor said in a May 4 press ...