Cambodia to celebrate day for indigenous people near Angkor Wat

About 1,000 people will get together next week in Cambodia's northern province of Siem Reap, home of Angkor Wat Temple complex to celebrate international day for indigenous people.

In a joint statement released Tuesday, Oxfam America in cooperation with 17 other local and international organizations said about 1,000 people representing the Cambodian government, civil society, the United Nations and indigenous communities from across Cambodia will come together for the first time to celebrate the 16th International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples in Siem Reap on August 9, 2010.

The celebration is to recognize the aspiration of Cambodian indigenous peoples to exercise control over their ancestral lands, forest and other natural resources vital to their ways of life and economic development, and to maintain and develop their identities, languages and cultures.
Indigenous peoples, making up 5 percent (about 340 million) of the world's population, are among the poorest of the poor, according to the statement.

The statement, however, did not say how many percent that the indigenous people in Cambodia represent the country's total populations of more than 14 millions.

But it did say Cambodia has about 30 indigenous groups, and on the day some 300 indigenous peoples from across the county will join a parade to call for respect for their own rights.

They will present their ways of life in an exhibition and a cultural performance, the statement said.

Source: Xinhua