Villagers Say Preservation of Pond Is Worth Fighting For
The future of a pond that sparked controversy last Monday, when about 400 people stopped authorities from filling it with sand in preparation for the construction of a military police base, remains in question, locals said yesterday. The residents of 10 villages protested last week in Kandal province’s Ang Snuol district, saying the pond is their main source of water and was filled in against their will. … Following last week’s confrontation, plans to fill the pond were temporarily suspended, but villagers say they still have not received a response to complaints that they filed asking the commune, district and provincial governments to permanently halt the project. … … Kandal Provincial Military Police Commander Meas Sovann said that the pond was of no use to anyone, and that provincial officials had given the military police permission to build a new base on the pond. …
