Mass Evictions Loom for Wildlife Sanctuary

4 August 2011
The Cambodia Daily
Agriculture and fishing / Economic land concessions and plantations / Economy and commerce / Environment and natural resources / Environmental and biodiversity protection / National parks and wildlife sanctuaries / Protected forest / Rubber
Adhoc / Cambodia / concessions / evictions / Forests / Human Rights group / Iv Saphum / Kratie Province / Ministry of Environment / Mondolkiri Province / National Road 76A / Pan Hieb / Rubber Companies / Snuol Wildlife Sanctuary / Sovannvuthy Rubber Company / wildlife / Wildlife Sanctuary

Ms Sam On, 37, has already lost her house. It was one of three homes razed in April by Kratie provincial military police, environment officials and workers of the Sovannvuthy rubber company, after a tense stand-off with about 100 villagers that villagers said ended with warning shots fired in the air. Thousands of farms and homes along National Road 76A here in Snuol Wildlife Sanctuary now await the same fate, as the government has given 10 rubber companies the rights to vast swathes of fertile and located along 30 km of the recently upgraded road, which runs from Snuol City to Mondolkiri province’s Sen Monorom City. Soon there will likely be very little forest or wildlife left to protect, as the economic land concessions – approved by the Ministry of Environment – cover most of te 60,000 hectare sanctuary.