People in Ratanakkiri province in Cambodia (where the final scenes of Apocalypse Now would have happened if there wasa real life version), are slowly losing the land that is central to their way of life.

An excerpt:

People in this north-eastern corner of Cambodia farm the land collectively.

First thing in the morning, they make their way to the fields along the red clay paths, many of them puffing on gigantic, conical, hand-rolled cigarettes.

Traditionally, they up sticks and move their village every few years.

There are no fences. The land belongs to all and they say: "The forest is our market."

There are eight different ethnic groups living in Ratanakkiri. They have their own languages, and most of them are followers of animism, worshipping spirits in the trees, rocks and rivers that surround them.

Several years ago, the government recognised that the indigenous people collectively owned the land - and should do so in perpetuity.

Village chief Bran Godreng says sacred spirits have been disturbed

But the registration process has been painfully slow, leaving the way open for land-grabbers.

Their problem is indicative of a wider issue affecting many parts of Cambodia.

The UN special rapporteur on adequate housing, Miloon Kothari, recently acknowledged that rich and powerful interests were taking land in the country, leaving thousands of people dispossessed.

For a related BBC story, see Cambodia facing land crisis