Environment and natural resources

A meeting at the Ministry of Mines and Energy on Friday about plans for a controversial hydropower dam in Koh Kong province failed to assuage fears among those trying to stop the project that construction had already been approved. During Friday’s meeting, officials from the ministry ...

At least six people were killed by lightning this week in storms that destroyed dozens of homes across several provinces, officials said Thursday. Keo Vy, cabinet chief for the National Committee for Disaster Management (NCDM), said that the six deaths had occurred between Monday and Wednesday ...

The Ministry of Mines and Energy invited the head of an NGO battling to stop construction of a highly criticized dam in a remote area of Koh Kong province to meet with ministry officials Friday. Signed by Mines Minister Suy Sem and dated April 25, the ...

About 30 villagers in Phnom Penh’s Meanchey district staged a protest Tuesday morning against tycoon Sok Kong, whom they accuse of piping dredged sand into their farmland and fishing ponds. Fourteen families occupying 21 hectares of land in Prek Pra commune have been locked in a ...

ANZ’s financing of ruling party senator Ly Yong Phat’s controversial sugar plantation has come under fire once again, this time in an investigation by NGO Oxfam into Australia’s big four banks and their links to rights abuses in developing countries. In a report titled “Banking on ...

A weekend storm battered buildings in Banteay Meanchey province’s Thma Pouk district, leaving hundreds affected by damage to houses and schools across the area. Deab Chhun, Thma Puok district deputy governor, said strong winds and rain swept through Komrou, Thmor Puok and Phoum Thmey communes at ...

Nearly 200 people from 25 different communities converged on the Mondolkiri Provincial Hall Monday to file complaints and petitions calling for an end to illegal logging and environmental degradation. The action comes two days after armed commune police blocked 16 rights workers and journalists from visiting ...

The French Agency for Development (AFD) announced yesterday that it will provide $24 million to finance privately owned water and power providers to supply rural areas that state-run utilities cannot reach. During a ceremony held at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the AFD and the ...

A little more than two years after signing off on a scheme aimed at improving protection of the critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphin, experts said last week they were concerned that Mekong dams would see wholesale destruction of the population. During a two-day workshop that closed on ...

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 ...

Lightning killed two people sheltering from rain on Wednesday in Preah Sihanouk’s Stung Hav district. Ros Ky, the district police chief, said Khem Nget, a 40-year-old motodop from Kampot, and a second victim identified only as Vanny, 50, were taking shelter near Vanny’s home in Tomnup ...

The Asian Development Bank announced Wednesday that it will provide $81.7 million, including a $6.7 million grant from Australia, in additional financing to help Cambodia recover from catastrophic floods in late 2013. The flooding affected 1.7 million people and caused an estimated $356 million in damage. ...

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 ...

Imports of older cars and vans should be banned to help reduce pollution, Minister of Industry and Handicrafts Cham Prasidh said on Monday. Speaking to Cambodia’s business community at a Green Industry workshop in Phnom Penh on Monday, Prasidh said all countries had a role to ...

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 ...

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 ...

Small and medium-size enterprises (SME) have been urged by the Cambodian government to employ more environmentally friendly practices at a green industry workshop in Phnom Penh yesterday. Cham Prasidh, minister for the Ministry of Industry and Handicrafts, said SMEs and handicraft producers’ reliance on fossil fuels ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Cambodian land advocates face some of the most threatening and deadly working conditions in the world, according to a new report by UK-based environmental watchdog Global Witness. Since 2002, 908 reported killings linked to land activism have occurred across 35 countries – with 13 taking place ...

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 ...

អង្គការ​ការពារ​ធនធាន​ធម្មជាតិ​ឈ្មោះ ក្លូបប៊ល វីតណែស្ស (Global Witness = GW) ចាត់​ទុក​កម្ពុជា ថា​ជា​ប្រទេស​មួយ​ដែល​មាន​សកម្មជន​ការពារ​បរិស្ថាន និង​ដីធ្លី​ជាច្រើន​ត្រូវ​បាន​គេ​សម្លាប់។ ស្ថាប័ន​អន្តរជាតិ​មួយ​នេះ អំពាវនាវ​ឲ្យ​រដ្ឋាភិបាល​ចាត់​វិធាន​ការ​ឲ្យ​បាន​តឹងរ៉ឹង ដើម្បី​បញ្ឈប់​ការ​គំរាម​កំហែង​នានា​ទៅ​លើ​សកម្មជន​ការពារ​បរិស្ថាន និង​ដីធ្លី។ នៅ​ក្នុង​របាយការណ៍​សិក្សា​ចុះ​ថ្ងៃ​ទី​១៥ ខែ​មេសា ឆ្នាំ​២០១៤ អង្គការ​ក្លូបប៊ល វីតណែស្ស បាន​ផ្តល់​ចំណាត់​ថ្នាក់​ដល់​កម្ពុជា ស្ថិត​ក្នុង​លំដាប់​លេខ​៩ ក្នុង​ចំណោម​ប្រទេស​ទាំងអស់​ចំនួន​៣៥ ដែល​មាន​សកម្មជន​ការពារ​បរិស្ថាន និង​ដីធ្លី ត្រូវ​បាន​គេ​សម្លាប់។ ក្នុង​ចំណោម​ប្រទេស​ទាំង​៣៥ នោះ ប្រទេស​ដែល​សកម្មជន​ការពារ​បរិស្ថាន និង​ដីធ្លី​ត្រូវ​បាន​គេ​សម្លាប់​ច្រើន​ជាង​គេ រួម​មាន​ប្រទេស​ប្រេស៊ីល (Brazil) ប្រទេស​ហុងឌុយរ៉ាស់ (Honduras) ប្រទេស​ហ្វីលីពីន (Philippines) ប្រទេស​ប៉េរូ (Peru) និង​ប្រទេស​កូឡុំប៊ី (Columbia)។ ចំណែក​ប្រទេស​កម្ពុជា ជាប់​ចំណាត់​ថ្នាក់​លេខ​៩ គឺ​នៅ​ពី​ក្រោយ​ប្រទេស​ម៉ិចស៊ិក (Mexico) ហ្គាតេម៉ាឡា (Guatemala) និង​ប្រទេស​ថៃ (Thailand)។ ...