Governor Seeks Curb in Rubber Resin Smuggling

14 November 2013
The Cambodia Daily
Crime and law enforcement / Forest policy and administration / Forest products / Forests and forestry / Government / Land / Law and judiciary / Non-timber forest products / Provincial and local governments
Association for Rubber Development of Cambodia / E.U. / European Union aid / Kompong Cham provincial governor Lun Lim Thai / Kompong Cham provincial trade department / Lun Lim Thai / Mak Kimhong / Sieng Pengsrieng / U.S.

Kompong Cham provincial governor Lun Lim Thai on Tuesday ordered authorities to step up long-running efforts to reduce the smuggling of unprocessed rubber resin from the province into Vietnam. Those smuggling resin to processors across the border should be more actively pursued and instead forced to use local processors who they are depriving of their livelihoods, he said at a meeting at provincial hall. “Our measure is to bring back the smugglers to sell their resin through the official checkpoints,” he said, explaining that resin processors in Cambodia were struggling to make ends meet due to smugglers. “If they continue to smuggle the resin, the small and legal rubber processing plants will not have resin for processing, causing people to become unemployed.” Mr. Lim Thai added that he was prepared to take disciplinary action against provincial authorities who continue to facilitate or turn a blind eye to smuggling. … Mr. Lim Thai, for his part, said that due to the black-market nature of resin smuggling, he was not sure precisely how much more rubber would flow into the hands of local processors if smuggling were stopped or how much money was being lost. …

 Hul Reaksmey
http://www.cambodiadaily.com/business/governor-seeks-curb-in-rubber-resin-smuggling-46966/