Environment and natural resources
Forests and forestry
Heritage preserved: Park status to protect ancient site
Ancient ironwork at a site in Preah Vihear province that predates the civilisation of Angkor will fall within a new national park formed by royal decree last week. More than 200 pre-Angkor era industrial sites have been discovered since 2010, but the newly created national park ...
Phak Seangly
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/heritage-preserved-park-status-protect-ancient-site
Trucks hauling luxury wood busted
Police in Kompong Speu province on Monday night stopped three container trucks on National Road 4 bound for Sihanoukville Autonomous Port, seizing more than 100 logs of illegal luxury wood, officials said. Provincial economic police chief Nhem Sao said that his officers and police from Chbar ...
Saing Soenthrith
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/trucks-hauling-luxury-wood-busted-57090/
R’kiri bust ends with $5,000 fine for logging
Forestry officials arrested four men and confiscated two pickup trucks containing illegally logged luxury timber en route to Vietnam on Sunday in Ratanakkiri’s O’Yadav district before releasing both the men and the timber after fining them thousands of dollars, officers and a rights group representative ...
Phak Seangly
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/r%E2%80%99kiri-bust-ends-5000-fine-logging
Military cop investigated for alleged forest clearing
A deputy district military police chief in Kampong Thom’s Santuk district is under scrutiny for allegedly clearing up to seven hectares of community forest land for personal gain, and district officials are investigating the case with the aim of presenting it at the provincial court ...
Chhay Channyda
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/military-cop-investigated-alleged-forest-clearing
Wood confiscated in Stung Treng Province
Military police and local forestry officials in Stung Treng province confiscated more than 90 pieces of luxury-grade Thnong wood from a private farm on Sunday, but only after the suspected owner escaped, according to officials. Provincial court prosecutor Chroeng Khmao said a joint force of military ...
Saing Soenthrith
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/wood-confiscated-in-stung-treng-province-56919/
To honour Chut Wutty
Nearly two years have passed since Cambodia’s leading forestry activist, Chut Wutty, was gunned down in the Cardamom Mountains. After a long wait, more than 100 activists, supporters and monks will finally make the pilgrimage on Saturday to the spot where he was killed to pay ...
May Titthara
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/honour-chut-wutty
State violence against reporters condemned
The Club of Cambodian Journalists has condemned the alleged beating by military police of three journalists while were covering illegal logging and called for the government to open an investigation and take legal action. In a statement published on Friday, the CCJ voiced its concern for ...
May Titthara
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/state-violence-against-reporters-condemned
Journalists covering logging denounce abuse
The Club of Cambodian Journalists (CCJ) released a statement on Friday expressing concern over three recent cases of reporters facing harassment while attempting to document illegal logging in Preah Vihear, Pursat and Kompong Cham provinces. Sorn Mongkul, a reporter for Kampuchea Thmey newspaper based in Preah ...
Eang Mengleng
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/journalists-covering-logging-denounce-abuse-56775/
Chong villagers put festive spin on dam protest
Villagers from an ethnic minority community in Koh Kong province’s Areng Valley continued their blockade over the Khmer New Year holiday of an access road leading to the site of a proposed dam they say would destroy their way of life. Members of the ethnic ...
Khuon Narim
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/chong-villagers-put-festive-spin-on-dam-protest-56708/
(ខ្មែរ) GW៖ កម្ពុជាជាប្រទេសដែលសកម្មជនការពារបរិស្ថាននិងដីធ្លីជាច្រើនត្រូវបានសម្លាប់
អង្គការការពារធនធានធម្មជាតិឈ្មោះ ក្លូបប៊ល វីតណែស្ស (Global Witness = GW) ចាត់ទុកកម្ពុជា ថាជាប្រទេសមួយដែលមានសកម្មជនការពារបរិស្ថាន និងដីធ្លីជាច្រើនត្រូវបានគេសម្លាប់។ ស្ថាប័នអន្តរជាតិមួយនេះ អំពាវនាវឲ្យរដ្ឋាភិបាលចាត់វិធានការឲ្យបានតឹងរ៉ឹង ដើម្បីបញ្ឈប់ការគំរាមកំហែងនានាទៅលើសកម្មជនការពារបរិស្ថាន និងដីធ្លី។ នៅក្នុងរបាយការណ៍សិក្សាចុះថ្ងៃទី១៥ ខែមេសា ឆ្នាំ២០១៤ អង្គការក្លូបប៊ល វីតណែស្ស បានផ្តល់ចំណាត់ថ្នាក់ដល់កម្ពុជា ស្ថិតក្នុងលំដាប់លេខ៩ ក្នុងចំណោមប្រទេសទាំងអស់ចំនួន៣៥ ដែលមានសកម្មជនការពារបរិស្ថាន និងដីធ្លី ត្រូវបានគេសម្លាប់។ ក្នុងចំណោមប្រទេសទាំង៣៥ នោះ ប្រទេសដែលសកម្មជនការពារបរិស្ថាន និងដីធ្លីត្រូវបានគេសម្លាប់ច្រើនជាងគេ រួមមានប្រទេសប្រេស៊ីល (Brazil) ប្រទេសហុងឌុយរ៉ាស់ (Honduras) ប្រទេសហ្វីលីពីន (Philippines) ប្រទេសប៉េរូ (Peru) និងប្រទេសកូឡុំប៊ី (Columbia)។ ចំណែកប្រទេសកម្ពុជា ជាប់ចំណាត់ថ្នាក់លេខ៩ គឺនៅពីក្រោយប្រទេសម៉ិចស៊ិក (Mexico) ហ្គាតេម៉ាឡា (Guatemala) និងប្រទេសថៃ (Thailand)។ ...
Anti-dam activists set to block workers’ arrival
Members of an ethnic minority in Koh Kong province’s Areng Valley stood watch Thursday to block a road leading to the site of a proposed dam after they heard that Chinese workers would inspect the site, community representatives said. Villagers believe that the Chinese company Sinohydro ...
Khuon Narim
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/anti-dam-activists-set-to-block-workers-arrival-56442/
A logging free-for-all
The scale of mass logging in once-dense woodlands in Cambodia’s north now more closely resembles the free-for-all of a gold rush than the sustainable forestry more often associated with these communities. With the financial backing of powerful businessmen, villagers in three districts of Preah Vihear are ...
May Titthara
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/logging-free-all
Jail time for governor if summons ignored
The governor of Ratanakkiri province’s Lumphat district will face arrest if he fails to appear for a second summons to Ratanakkiri Provincial Court to answer questions about his alleged involvement in the illegal logging of protected land around the Ou’Sinlair waterfall, the court said yesterday. The ...
Khouth Sophak Chakrya
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/jail-time-governor-if-summons-ignored
Villagers make plea over crocs
A group of villagers from Koh Kong’s Areng Valley gathered outside the offices of Flora & Fauna International (FFI) in Phnom Penh yesterday, demanding a say in a project designed to relocate endangered Siamese crocodiles from the site of the planned Stung Cheay Areng dam. ...
Phak Seangly and Amelia Woodside
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/villagers-make-plea-over-crocs
Python peddler arrested
Police in Kandal province’s Koh Thom district seized a shipment of live pythons en route to market in Vietnam on Friday, arresting the accused smuggler and turning the snakes over to conservation group Wildlife Alliance, police said yesterday. ...
Kim Sarom
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/python-peddler-arrested
Man injured by landmine while illegally logging
A man was seriously injured on Saturday by an anti-personnel landmine that exploded under him as he tried to sneak across the Thai-Cambodian border to illegally log rosewood, local officials said. [O’Smach commune chief] Mr. [Phang] Sam Ath said the border area where the men ...
Saing Soenthrith
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/man-injured-by-landmine-while-illegally-logging-55854/
Smugglers’ boats sink in timber chase
Smugglers sank two boats filled with illegally logged rosewood into Koh Kong’s Sre Ambel River as they shook off pursuing rangers from Wildlife Alliance on March 22, the NGO has said. An anonymous informant tipped off rangers in Sre Ambel district to the boats, allegedly filled ...
Amelia Woodside and Phak Seangly
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/smugglers%E2%80%99-boats-sink-timber-chase
RCAF soldiers charged for smuggling Rosewood
Siem Reap Provincial Court on Wednesday charged four soldiers from the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) with illegally logging rosewood and placed them in pre-trial detention, an official said. “We charged them under article 96 of the Forestry Law,” said Hok Pov, an investigating judge at ...
Saing Soenthrith
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/rcaf-soldiers-charged-for-smuggling-rosewood-55656/
‘Fatal shooting’ did not happen, Thailand says
While Cambodian officials say the Thais have not responded to a request for an inquiry into the shooting death of a man they say illegally crossed the border, Thailand is denying the incident even occurred. Cambodia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs last month called for an investigation ...
Alice Cuddy
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/%E2%80%98fatal-shooting%E2%80%99-did-not-happen-thailand-says
Python skin origins unclear
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) on Monday warned that allegedly farmed python skins originating from Cambodia could in fact have been harvested in the wild, and called for surveys to determine the scale and impact of possible python hunting in the ...
Stuart White
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/python-skin-origins-unclear
Police arrest 23 illegal loggers, issue warnings
Police raided a guesthouse in Poipet City on Monday and arrested 23 men as they waited to be paid for illegally logging rosewood across Cambodia’s border with Thailand, police officials said. Um Sophal, Poipet City police chief, said the men were arrested Monday following a tip-off ...
Ben Sokhean
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/police-arrest-23-illegal-loggers-issue-warnings-55554/
Crane makes itself at home
A growing number of red-headed Sarus cranes are reportedly flocking west from Vietnam to a protected sanctuary in Kampot province’s Kampong Trach district, and conservationists observing the trend aren’t sure why. The Tuoitrenews website reported on Saturday that unusually large numbers of the birds, which are classified as ...
Amelia Woodside
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/crane-makes-itself-home
Company 72 again accused of illegal logging
Ethnic Jarai villagers in Ratanakkiri province have once again accused the Vietnamese owners of a rubber plantation of illegally logging their ancestral forests in a complaint filed with rights group Adhoc. A district official, however, said the plantation owner, Company 72, was granted an extension on ...
Aun Pheap
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/company-72-again-accused-of-illegal-logging-55399/
Big logging cartel alleged
Prime Minister Hun Sen’s brother Hun Neng and a Vietnamese state-owned rubber firm are involved in an illegal logging cartel involving several well-connected companies operating on a “massive scale” in the embattled Prey Lang forest, forest monitors working in the area allege. Video footage and photographs ...
May Titthara and Daniel Pye
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/big-logging-cartel-alleged