Prey Long march ends, villagers still resolute

12 November 2011
The Cambodia Daily
Agricultural production / Agriculture and fishing / Environment and natural resources / Ethnic minorities and indigenous people / Forest products / Forests and forestry / Human rights / Land / Logging and timber / Social development
agrobusiness / CRCK rubber company / deforestation / illegal logging / Kompong Thom Province / Kuy / Preah Vihear / Prey Long Forest / Prey Long People's Network / Protest / resin trees / Stung Treng Province / timber / trees / Vietnamese-owned

After walking and camping in the jungle for more than a week, Tha Sros and hundreds of other villagers finally reached the winding red dirt road that lead to the rubber plantation of Vietnamese-owned CRCK company, which has cleared a vast 6,000-hectare swathe out of Prey Long forest. As dusk began to settle over the towering forest around them on Thursday evening, the villagers – most of whom are indigenous minority Kuy – marched on, carrying cardboard banners, traditional reed baskets and bags carrying food and water that sustained them during their long march. “I walked 11 days to reach the company,” said Ms Sros, 55, who had come to this area in northern Kompong Thom province from her village in Stung Treng province. “We had difficulties when we were in the forest, but we still continued,” she said, while keeping up a steady pace to reach the plantation…