Tampuon File Complaint Over Forest Clearing
A community of ethnic minority Tampuon people in Ratanakkiri province yesterday filed a complaint with the provincial court against six people they believe illegally cleared 80 hectares of community forest land and sold it to a rubber investor, villagers and court officials said. The land in question is located in Bakeo district’s Soeung commune, and is part of a community forest patrolled by Tampuon villagers from Chet Village, said community chief Khlongang Sang. “But people from neighboring Sou village started clearing the 80 hectares of land in 2011 and sold it for $2000 per hectares to a local business man,” Mr. Sang said. … We have reported three times to commune and district authorities since the clearing began but we have never seen any authority come to stop the activity he [Mr. Sang] continued, adding that 20 percent of the land is already planted with rubber trees. …
