Forests and forestry

A Mondulkiri commune chief and its head of police are among three people who could face up to five years in jail for allegedly allowing protected forest to be illegally cleared after complaints were filed with the provincial court. ...

A senior Agriculture Ministry official on Tuesday appeared at Mondulkiri Provincial Court to clarify how companies, including a Vietnamese firm under investigation over illegal logging, are granted Economic Land Concessions. Mam Vanda, provincial court spokesman, yesterday said that Chan Savuth, a ministry secretary of state, provided ...

Forest activists continue to claim that Korean-owned Think Biotech Cambodia Co Ltd is involved in illegal deforestation in the Prey Lang area, especially harvesting timber from resin trees, but the authorities say the company is operating legitimately. ...

Kampong Speu provincial authorities found 12 logs measuring a total of 40 cubic metres in a two-day operation over Tuesday and Wednesday in Oral district’s Sangke Satoap commune. Three trucks also found at the scene were impounded. Provincial governor Vey Samnang said two of the ...

The Apsara Authority has announced that it will begin construction of canals surrounding forest areas in Angkor Archeological Park in Siem Reap province this week in a bid to preserve the historical site. Chum Sopheakmakara, acting director-general of the Apsara Authority, in a statement issued on ...

The Koh Kong Provincial Administration is probing a news report that a private company had colluded with the local authorities to buy 40ha in the Botum Sakor National Park. Provincial hall spokesman Sok Sothy said on Sunday that the administration was only aware of one ...

Civil society organisations along with local authorities in Kampot province have kick-started a campaign to plant 100,000 mangrove trees in eight communities in the province throughout September to December. The campaign was jointly organised between ActionAid, Children and Women Development Centre in Cambodia, Samaky Organisation, Kampot ...

National Military Police commander Sao Sokha ordered the destruction on Monday of 10 makeshift vehicles that were used in forestry crimes in Battambang province. Sokha, who is also chairman of the National Committee for Prevention and Crackdown on Forestry Crimes, ordered officers to destroy them ...

Some 70 NGO representatives, forest activists and university students signed an open letter urging the government to find ways to prevent and combat forestry crimes more effectively. In their petition released on Saturday, the group said they had been observing the government’s clampdowns over the ...

Authorities are on the hunt for a man who escaped custody on Tuesday after being arrested for allegedly transporting luxurious timber in Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary. The suspect was detained by environmental rangers at the Keo Seima Wildlife sanctuary headquarters on Monday but ran off ...

A plan to establish a $5.5 million luxury tree breeding centre was set in motion during a meeting between the Agriculture Ministry and China’s Asia-Pacific Network for Sustainable Forest Management and Rehabilitation yesterday. The plan was raised by Agriculture Minister Veng Sakhon and Zhao Shucong, ...

The Environment Ministry has planted 40,000 tree saplings in the protected areas of Preah Jayavarman-Norodom National Park in Siem Reap province and Beong Per Wildlife Sanctuary in Preah Vihear province. The tree planting event was held on Friday and Saturday, and involved provincial authorities, monks, and ...

The Council of Ministers has authorised the courts to allow the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the National Committee for Prevention and Crackdown on Natural Resource Crimes to freeze the assets of anyone involved in forestry crimes. ...

The director of the Natural Resource and Wildlife Preservation Organisation (NRWPO) requested the Ministry of Environment on Tuesday order an investigation into an alleged land grab in Phnom Oral Wildlife Sanctuary in Oral district’s Trapaing Chor commune in Kampong Speu province. NRWPO director Chea Hean ...

Cambodia is seeking Vietnam’s help to curb timber smuggling and crack down on forestry crimes along shared borders. National Assembly Foreign Affairs commission chairman Chheang Vun made the request to his Vietnamese counterpart during a two-day conference of parliamentarians from Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos in ...

The ministries of Economy and Finance, and Justice have established a committee to manage property seized from crime, a document signed by the respective ministers said. The “Managing Committee of Confiscated Property” is to handle the sale of items transferred from the courts after a ...

The National Committee for Prevention and Crackdown on Natural Resource Crimes on Monday impounded nine trucks used to transport timber to Vietnam through Kratie province’s Snuol district. Committee spokesman Eng Hy declined to provide details, citing the ongoing investigation. “We are still working on the ...

A kratie provincial investigating judge has ordered well-known timber trader and oknha (tycoon) Kong Kroeng, and his son-in-law Math Naseat, to be detained at the provincial prison after they were questioned last week about their alleged role in forestry crimes. ...

The Environment Ministry over the weekend reiterated that encroachment upon or the sale of protected land is illegal, noting that more than 20 people have been arrested this year over alleged land grabbing. Environment Minister Say Samal on Saturday posted on his Facebook account stressing that ...

Minister of Interior Sar Kheng ordered relevant authorities to freeze the assets of those found to be involved in human trafficking and illegal logging. Sar Kheng was speaking at the annual Interfaith Forum on Combating Human Trafficking in the capital on Wednesday. ...

Acting on orders from National Military Police commander Sao Sokha, the Kratie provincial court and Military Police detained an oknha (tycoon), and another man following questioning on Thursday, Military Police spokesman Eng Hy said. “Following a proper investigation, the police can detain any individual who is ...

Forest activists have welcomed the recent crackdown on 151 sawmills in Stung Treng province but also slammed the relevant authorities for turning a blind eye to illegal timber processing facilities for a long time. ...

The Mondulkiri provincial administration has annulled the ownership of 990ha in Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary after finding that a senior justice ministry official had encroached on a conservation zone. The provincial hall said Seng Sovannara – the Ministry of Justice’s under-secretary of state and a ...

Some 30,000 palm tree seeds were planted on Monday along a 10km stretch of National Road 7 leading to the Cambodia-Laos border in Stung Treng province. The seeds were planted on both sides of the road between post markers 040 and 042, the Stung Treng ...