Media Alert on Roundtable Discussion on Land and the Rights of Indigenous People on 29 January 2013 at Kratie Province

MEDIA ALERT

Phnom Penh, 25 January 2013

Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) Hosts

Roundtable Discussion on Land and the Rights of Indigenous People

At Hor Bunny Hotel, Kratie City, Kratie Province

On 29 January 2012, the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (“CCHR”) will host a Roundtable Discussion on “Land and The Rights of Indigenous People”  with the participation of representatives of indigenous peoples groups  affected by land conflicts, representatives from relevant institutions, NGOs and the parliamentarians from political parties, facilitating approximately 30 participants. 

The Roundtable Discussion will be held at Hor Bunny Hotel, National road 7E, in front of the gendarmerie headquarter, Kratie city, Kratie province. The purpose of the Roundtable Discussion is to provide an opportunity for the groups who are affected by land conflicts in Cambodian civil society, political parties and other relevant institutions to discuss the reality of the land conflict situation.  Land conflicts arise through legal and illegal measures, causing complex and difficult to resolve situations where the real security of land rights of the Cambodian people, including the land rights of indigenous people, cannot be ensured in accordance with National and International Laws which have entered in to force.

In the morning session of the discussion, the participants will comprise of representatives of the indigenous people who are affected by land conflicts together with representatives of other relevant institutions and representative of civil and they will dialogue on the above problems, and share their recommendations for ensuring the land rights of the indigenous people in accordance with the law.  

The afternoon session invites the parliamentarians from other political parties to participate based on the presented problems, concerns and recommendations raised by the participants in the discussion’s morning session. Each political party’s parliamentarian’s responses to the problems, concerns and recommendations of those participants will then be heard, as well as what consideration the parliamentarians will make in integrating these recommendations into their land policy in the run-up to the fifth mandate of the National Assembly Election in 2013. 

                                                                                                             

For more information, please contact:

Mr. Vann Sophath, Land Reform Project Coordinator, CCHR

Tel: +855 12 941 206

Email: vann.sophath@cchrcambodia.org