Forest Cleared for Stung Treng Dam Construction
Logging has officially begun in Stung Treng province in preparation for the construction of a massive hydropower dam, but local authorities and villagers said Wednesday that the clearing of forest is going unchecked outside the official dam concession area. The Lower Sesan 2 dam was approved by the National Assembly in February amid strenuous objections from environmentalists and opposition lawmakers who argued that the social and environmental costs of the dam outweighed the benefits. … Wood cut outside the reservoir area is being passed off as wood cut inside the concession zone, and is fetching from $150 to $500 per cubic meter, depending on the quality of the timber, Mr. Mekong said. … Calling the dam “a big mistake,” Meach Mean, coordinator for local rights group 3S Rivers Protection Network—which has been lobbying for a halt to construction at the site—appealed Wednesday for the government to intervene in the rampant logging, and to place clear boundaries to mark where the dam concession begins and ends. “This project is already causing some strong illegal logging activity and they are already violating the agreement [with the government],” Mr. Mean claimed. According to a copy of a document from Ang & Associates Lawyer Ltd. received earlier this year, Mr. Meng’s firm and a firm belonging to Sok Vanna, the brother of local conglomerate Sokimex Group founder Sok Kong, have entered a joint-venture agreement to clear the dam area. …
Kuch Naren and Dene-Hern Chen
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/forest-cleared-for-stung-treng-dam-construction-41693/
