Concern grows over forest concession
Sixty community representatives from Preah Vihear and Kampong Thom provinces expressed concern yesterday over a string of recent economic land concessions granted within the bounds of the Boeung Per Wildlife Sanctuary. At a press conference held in Preah Vihear’s Rovieng district yesterday, they claimed the concessions were having a negative impact on the livelihoods of thousands of families living in and around the protected forest. Three of those companies, Mekong Rubber Co, Sovanpaum Co, and Try Pheap Import Export Co Ltd, have already begun clearing forest to make way for large rubber plantations, said Chut Wutty, director of the Natural Resource Protection Group NGO.
