Land grabbing …

Since I’ve been in Mondul Kiri, I’ve attended many meetings all of which are to do with educational rights; teachers’ salaries, teacher motivation, gender equality, enrolment and student dropout and more.   Last Friday however, I attended an all NGO meeting to hear more political issues Mondulkiri  Province is experiencing.  Each NGO sector (education, health, livelihood, governance) represented their case.  What was most interesting about the meeting is that livelihood and governance (who work in partnership) talked about ‘land grabbing and deforestation’.  This is a 'hot' issue!

A Bunong little girl wearing a 'spiritual' necklace  

Land grabbing and deforestation is common practice here in Mondulkiri.  Essentially, Mondulkiri Province belongs to the Bunong people, the indigenous people who have lived here for hundreds of years.  The Bunong people are nomads and travel from place to place throughout Mondulkiri.  They hunt and collect berries.  Burial places where their ancestors are buried, are considered to be ‘spiritual’ for the Bunong people.  ‘If however, these spirits are unhappy because of some human action /disturbance they can intervene in the life of a Bunong to harm or protect them’.   The Bunong people have a strong link with the land and in principal they are known to live a rather peaceful life.

During the last 50 years or more there’s been a huge migration here.  Both the Cham from Kampong Chang Province and rich Cambodians from the south have migrated to Mondulkiri.  The weather is more plausible, land fertile with rich black/red soil for planting.  Also, communal land is either cheap to buy, cheap to rent or anyone will settle on the Bunong’s land without paying for it.  They are many promises made from the people who settle on the Bunong’s land but none of these promises are delivered.

Rubber trees planted throughout various parts of Mondolkiri  Province 

Companies such as theVietnamese Co. have dug out 'spiritual' graves, cut down trees, and have replaced them with rubber trees.  For example; These companies have promised the Bunong people that they will pay them a million dollars a year for the next five years for rubber profit.  However, at the end of the 5 years, no money has been given to the village elders and their families.  At the end of the day the Vietnamese have taken possession of the Bunong’s land, claiming the land to be theirs. 

As I speak there’s an ongoing dispute between the Bunong people and a Vietnamese official in Ou Reang District.   The Vietnamese official has offered to lease and contract indigenous communal land for 99 years. They want the land to plant more rubber trees. The Vietnamese official has promised that this time the Bunong people will be paid.  The Bunong NGO, advocating for the Bunong elders know from previous experiences that if the land is rented out for 99 years –their communal land will continue to be destroyed.  More importantly, the Bunong people will never get their land back. And so negotiation continues. 

A Bunong lady selling her goods at the local market

Recently a Chinese company approached the Bunong elders to buy communal land from them and offered the Bunong people a considerable amount of money.  Together, with ‘My Village’ NGO  (operated mostly by Bunongs) collaboratively worked closely with the village elders and took care of the problem.  They declined their offer. The Bunong people’s mandate is to preserve their land, the forest and, their ancestor’s burial ground.

Some actions are being taken for communal land rights and forest protection.   Both the livelihood and the governance sectors are planning a Province wide demonstration to protect what’s left of the forest and for communal land rights.  The Indigenous people are asking for a 'plea' from the government to protect and preserve allocated acres of communal land and natural resources throughout various parts of Mondolkiri Province for them  –they are asking the government for a number of secured communal areas that the Bunong people can call it theirs again ...

More later ...