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]
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]