Man Charged With Clearing State Forestland
The Kampong Thom Provincial Court yesterday charged a man with clearing state-owned forestland after he was arrested on Monday along with 13 other villagers, according to provincial prosecutor Ben Sarath. Heoun Sokha was arrested in Kraya commune’s Santuk district after he was found by police clearing trees on the land, said Soth Mary, an official at the provincial Forestry Administration. … After he was arrested, Mr. Sokha claimed he had been hired by two businessmen from Phnom Penh, who ordered him to gather villagers and coerce them into helping to clear the land, according to Mr. Mary. He added that Mr. Sokha told the villagers that the government had already handed the land over to the two businessmen. Asked by police who the businessmen were, Mr. Sokha said he did not know. …
