Villager Patrol Detains Seven Loggers, Confiscates Equipment
Tired of the rampant destruction of their forests by loggers, villagers in Kratie province on Tuesday took matters into their own hands by briefly detaining loggers and confiscating six chainsaws and a tractor, a forestry official and villagers said yesterday. San Sihan, one of the villagers, said a total of 53 locals in Snuol district formed a citizens’ patrol and ventured into the forest to look for illegal loggers. After conducting a search, the villagers discovered “piles of high grade logs…at various locations in the forest,” he said. “We also held seven workers briefly but set them free after they promised not to come back, especially as they were just laborers employed by powerful officials.”
