A Bunong man was questioned by Mondulkiri police after he released a song describing the sufferings of indigenous people in land disputes in conjunction with World Indigenous Peoples Day.

While indigenous people state their right to sing on International Day of Indigenous Peoples has been restricted, local authorities request that the songs be sung with clear information to avoid “problems” on social media. But indigenous people’s associations and human rights groups say that the recent questioning restricted indigenous peoples’ freedom of expression.

Bunong native Srom Chounh, 38, told CamboJA News that the song was to celebrate the 30th World Indigenous Peoples Day in Mondulkiri on August 15, 2024.

Chounh, who is a teacher, said the song was an expression of their rights and highlighted the concerns of indigenous communities. It was a collaboration with other indigenous communities who also agreed to compose the song.

However, the way in which “outsiders” reacted was not planned as the video was “cut into different images”, which resulted in the authority requesting him to delete the video.

He said the song titled “Why Arrest Us” was based on three points – the “forest and mountains being taken away”, “where is the law and why is it biased”, and “we are the owners of the land, and all are imprisoned”.

The three points apparently riled up the authorities who asked him to delete the video immediately.

Explaining each point, Chounh said he would not refer to the government “cutting off large tracts of forest land and giving them to other countries”, but the law allegedly allowed indigenous peoples’ lands and farms to be confiscated, and barred them from farming. The local authorities also allegedly “handed over power to traders who assume the right to indigenous people’s land anarchically”.

In the second point, he said the law enforcement was biased, in reference to the involvement of environmental officials who allegedly accepted bribes from people with power. They are given the right to illegally cut down forests, while indigenous people who engage in subsistence farming are “barred”, with complaints filed in court. Cases have been filed against 80 native people, Chounh said.

As for the third point, he admitted that using the word “prison” was not correct. What he meant was that lawsuits were filed in court and people were barred from farming.

“The three meanings are not related to politics, there is no provocation in [any situation] arising from the suffering of the indigenous people,” he said.

Chounh said after the authorities asked for more information about the song on August 19, 2024, a contract was prepared for him to agree to stop singing it. If the song continues to circulate in social media, people will be punished by the law, Chounh said.

He opined that it was a threat to his rights as well as to other indigenous people. “In the video, I wanted to show that indigenous communities’ rights are restricted today. The collective land registration is slow, which has caused problems for the people. It’s difficult to farm one’s land and not have money to pay the bank.”

Mondulkiri provincial police chief Lor Sokha told CamboJA News that the local authority must inquire and ask for more information to find out the reason for the song. People must also seek permission before posting the song online, he said.

Sokha said the lyrics revealed that indigenous people have lost their land and “they will die”. “Who wrote the song for him?” he said, adding that the authorities should find out the reason and person behind the song.

“What about indigenous people where the government and the authorities do not pay attention? […] And indigenous people who are Khmer. We have to deal with them all,” he said.

He said if Chounh came out with “clear arguments” and it was correct, then it “did not matter”. If his argument was clear and he wants the local authority to address the issues, they will help to resolve any concerns in accordance with the law.

Pleok Pirom, chief of Bunong indigenous community, told CamboJA News that the questioning by the authorities was a deprivation of their right to express their views and a coercion to stop them from singing the song.

She said the composition of the song saw the participation of the indigenous network, which represented 55 villages from five districts.

“If the authorities change their minds [in future] and there is no discrimination, no arrests of indigenous people or intimidation, then we won’t sing. But if the authorities continue, we will sing the song. The first time was by Srom Chounh,” she said, adding that in future they will sing together.

Provincial coordinator of rights group Adhoc, Be Vanny, told CamboJA News that singing was an art of the indigenous community who agreed to sing and is within the rights of indigenous people.

They have sent a message to the local authorities and the government which shows the hardships they have encountered.

He said the authorities should not force indigenous peoples to delete the video and intimidate them, rather they should address the issues raised by them.

“If the people just send a message to seek justice for their problems and we [authorities] restrict their freedom by banning them […] this must be reconsidered as our country is a signatory of human rights treaties.”

“Indigenous people are also citizens, and the authorities have a duty to promote and protect human rights. As an organization and a citizen, I am only involved in promoting indigenous people’s [issues],” Vanny said.

Cambodia Indigenous Peoples’ Alliance coordinator Sompoy Chansophea told CamboJA News that it was normal to sing songs reflecting the situation of the indigenous people.

If the authorities restrict and threaten the right to freedom of expression, it is a violation of human rights.

“So, if he is restricted, he won’t dare to speak on social media next time. Don’t confuse the community. Let them talk about what they are going through,” he said.