Prey Lang activists halted on road
More than 300 activists from Kampong Thom province’s Prey Lang Community Network were stopped by district police yesterday as they were marching from the Vietnamese-owned CRCK Company to deliver a lawsuit in Sandan district calling for the postponement of alleged forest clearing and the “invasion” of farms that villagers claim as their own. … “We were gridlocked for about 30 minutes. We tried to go on another road, because we don’t want to have a problem with police,” [Heoun Sopheap] said. … Sandan district governor Sim Sovanna said he’s seen no evidence of illegal forest clearing, but police were nevertheless investigating. … According to rights group Adhoc, the government has granted at least 33 companies about 100,000 hectares-worth of land concessions in Prey Lang. Government data shows CRCK was granted more than 6,000 hectares of land in May 2010 for a rubber plantation in Kampong Thom’s Sandan district, with a 70-year contract. …
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/2013021461350/National/prey-lang-activists-halted-on-road.html
