ABC Radio Australia
Cambodia's indigenous community has called on the government to live up to its obligations under local and international law and protect their interests. Representatives of Cambodia's 17 ethnic groups are urging the government to suspend hundreds of concessions awarded to foreign and local companies they say are operating on their land. The call comes after a recent United Nations committee hearing submitted evidence about serious shortfalls in Phnom Penh's commitment to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
Presenter: Robert Carmichael
Speakers: Pheap Socheat, indigenous Bunong people representative; Chhit Sam Ath, executive director Cambodian NGO Forum; Graeme Brown, consultant, indigenous people's rights
Listen: Windows MediaCARMICHAEL: Representatives from four of Cambodia's indigenous communities said Wednesday the government must start protecting their interests, and stop carving up traditional lands into concessions for investors.
Cambodia's indigenous people are worried that their way of life, traditions and customs are being destroyed as investors get huge parcels of land in 99-year concessions with no consultation or compensation for those who have used the land for generations.
The representatives from four of the country's 20 or so tribal groups were in Phnom Penh Wednesday to give their thoughts on the findings of a United Nations committee that earlier this month examined Cambodia's compliance with the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
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