gold
Bunong villager Pon Peul herds her buffaloes back as the dusk sets in, in March 2022. (Tran Techseng/VOD)

‘Everything Changed’: Cambodia’s Gold Rush Weighs on Indigenous Livelihoods

Labeled a “great achievement” for Cambodia’s post-pandemic recovery, the country’s biggest goldmine also exemplifies some of the challenges facing indigenous communities seeking to protect traditions. “It’s something very dangerous to lose culture, lifestyle and traditional practices,” one Bunong lawyer said.

A gold bar (Bullion Vault/Flickr)

Cambodia’s Gold Exports Balloon to $3 Billion

Gold exports through “private transactions” jumped some 676 percent, from $388 million to $3 billion last year, with some attributing the surge to investors selling their holdings due to a price rise, and others suggesting a potential link to gold smuggling to Vietnam.

Romas Mam, an indigenous Jarai representative from Ratanakiri province’s O’Yadaw district, speaks to a reporter at the Extractive Industries Governance Forum in Phnom Penh on November 22, 2019. (Hun Sirivadh/VOD)

Indigenous Communities Want More Transparency Around Mining Projects

Indigenous community representatives told a forum on extractive industries on Friday that they were concerned about the effects mining projects in their areas could have on their health and livelihoods, and asked that they be better informed by companies and the government.

Prime Minister Hun Sen attends a graduation ceremony for students of Beltei International University on October 2, 2019, in this photograph posted to his Facebook page.

Cambodia Has Tons of Gold, Doesn’t Need Trade Aid, Hun Sen Says

Cambodia has 30 tons of gold stashed in Switzerland, London and Phnom Penh; $15 billion in foreign reserves; and $4 billion more cash in hand — so it doesn’t need to be beholden to foreign aid, Prime Minister Hun Sen said on Wednesday.