Hundreds Protest Over Forest Land Seizures
More than 700 villagers from five provinces yesterday protested in front of the provincial government headquarters in Kompong Chhnang after losing their community forests to large agro-industry firms. Organized by the Cambodian Grassroots People’s Assembly- a network of communities that includes forestry and land activists as well as fisherman- people from Kompong Chhnang, Pursat, Battambang, Banteay Meanchey and Palin provinces, listened to speeches from community leaders about the threat villagers across the country face from land evictions. Yin Pech, a member of the Phnom Kok Network in Kompong Chhang which advocates for villagers affected by economic land concessions and evictions, said her community has been fighting to cancel a land concession over 1,800 hectares of forestland in Boribor district owned by well-connected Pheapimex Company. … “We are asking to protect the remaining 400 hectares since our people rely on the forest to collect products and sub-products to make a living,” she [Yin Pech] said, adding that non-timber forest products make up a large part of the communities livelihood. …
