Fishermen to be freed

Two days after extending indefinitely a ban on commercial fishing in Tonle Sap Lake, Prime Minister Hun Sen on Friday called for the release of all prisoners detained during the government crackdown, officials close to the premier said yesterday. Deputy Prime Minister Yim Chhayli told the Post yesterday the premier had made the statement at a Council of Ministers meeting. According to Yim Chhayli, Hun Sen said the release of the prisoners would allow them to return to their families and earn a decent living. The premier was also adamant that the pardon exclude fishermen who had illegally logged parts of flooded forest areas in order to use the timber to artificially create an environment that would attract fish, Yim Chhayli said. “The fishermen who are involved in illegal logging of flooded forest cannot be set free because they cut the forest to possess the land by their own,” Yim Chhayli said. It was unclear how many prisoners would be affected by Hun Sen’s mandate. …

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/index.php/2012030654880/National-news/fishermen-to-be-freed.html