Indigenous People Protest Over Farmland in Keo Seima Sanctuary
More than 200 indigenous people in Mondulkiri province’s Keo Seima district protested on Tuesday for access to farmland inside a wildlife sanctuary, which the Environment Ministry banned them from last month, citing conservation laws.
Bun Nat, a representative of the protesters, said 250 ethnic minority Bunong and Kuy people gathered at the Keo Seima District Hall to call on officials to allow them to use land that some say they have farmed for more than five years.
Nat said the farmland is the sole source of income for indigenous people in O Am and Orona villages in Sre Khtum commune, so cutting them off from the land prevents them from earning any money.
Khan Leakhena
