Memories of a land unspoiled
The constant hum of chainsaws almost drowned out Buddhist monk Sam Kim Sath, 65, as he stood this week in a wildlife sanctuary on Oral Mountain, Cambodia’s highest peak.
Forest in the Phnom Oral Wildlife Sanctuary, in the eastern part of the Cardamoms, is being “obliterated” by systematic logging, Kim Sath said while men in homemade tractors drove piles of timber out of the sanctuary without hindrance. …
Recent data from Open Development Cambodia shows that only about 46 per cent of the country is covered in forest, down from 72 per cent in 1973.
A separate report, released by the Cambodian Human Rights Task Force (CHRTF) last month, alleges that Try Pheap’s land empire has grown to almost 70,000 hectares in size. Furthermore, it claims, his companies clear luxury timber from ELCs in practically every province and his projects have resulted in the eviction of at least 1,445 families. …
May Titthara
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/memories-land-unspoiled
