Prey Long Forest Patrol Ends With Huge Illegal Wood Haul
The Prey Long People’s Network yesterday said it found 121 cubic meters of cut wood and seven chainsaws belonging to illegal loggers after a coordinated patrol across four provinces that was prematurely aborted due to heavy rains. In a statement, the community group said it discovered the wood and equipment over the course of four days before the rains forced them to cut short their patrols in Kompong Thom, Kratie, Preah Vihear and Stung Treng provinces on Monday. The four teams, totaling 276 volunteers, had planned to patrol until today. It was one of the larger patrols for the network, which started making regular forays into the 650,000-hectare Prey Long forest a few years ago after growing frustrated with the perceived inaction and alleged collusion of local officials in illegal logging. …
