CPP Lawmaker Says Deforestation Is Good for Economy

CPP lawmaker Chheang Vun on Wednesday lauded the economic and social benefits of the widespread clearing of Cambodia’s forests for development projects. Speaking to reporters at the National Assembly after a meeting with the Vietnamese Ambassador Ngo Anh Dzung, Mr. Vun, who is also the spokesman for the Na­tional Assembly, said the protection of forestland is important, but not more important than economic development. “We need to balance the consequences of deforestation, [which is] what we can get from the deforestation for the good of the people,” Mr. Vun said, adding that the Lower Sesan 2 dam in Stung Treng province is a prime example of economic development growing out of felled forests. ...

Mech Dara and Dene-Hern Chen
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/cpp-lawmaker-says-deforestation-is-good-for-economy-46721/