Monitoring group blames rise in forest crimes on authorities turning blind eye
A prominent forest monitoring group on Monday urged the government to combat illegal logging and poaching in the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary, which it claimed had seen a drastic increase in forestry crimes during the first five months of this year. The Prey Lang Community Network (PLCN) – a grassroots movement working to preserve Prey Lang forest, spanning Kratie, Stung Treng, Preah Vihear and Kampong Thom provinces – claimed in a statement on Monday that the rapid increase was due to local authorities turning a blind eye, an accusation a spokesman for the Ministry of Environment dismissed as politically motivated. …
