Bunong Villagers Barred From Attending Illegal-Logging Protest
Authorities in Mondolkiri province’s Pech Creada district on Wednesday set up roadblocks to prevent indigenous minority villagers from traveling to Sen Monorom City to attend a demonstration calling for an end to illegal logging, villagers and authorities said. Some 300 indigenous villagers had planned to attend the protest at Doh Kraomom hill in the provincial capital, according to Bunong activist and event organizer Blang Sin, but most were diverted by traffic police and local authorities who set up roadblocks on the outskirts of town. … Kroes Khvin, a 41-year-old Bunong man, confirmed that those orders had been carried out as he and seven other villagers were stopped by traffic police and district police as they approached Sen Monorom City. … Yoeth Sarin, chief of Pech Creada’s Bosra commune, confirmed Wednesday that villagers had been prevented from joining the demonstration, but said the decision to do so was made at the district level. “When I told them that we were going to attend a peaceful rally to advocate for an end to deforestation and do a traditional dance, they kept saying they had orders from provincial superiors to stop us,” Mr. Khvin said. The forests of Mondolkiri, much of which are ostensibly protected by community forest titles, are under increasing threat from loggers, according to Adhoc’s provincial coordinator Sok Ratha. …
Kuch Naren
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/bunong-villagers-barred-from-attending-illegal-logging-protest-51137/
