Environment and natural resources

Prime Minister Hun Sen on Wednesday blamed the Kingdom’s rising population as a factor contributing to deforestation. He also told government critics who lived on deforested land to return it to the authorities for replanting. ...

Civil society groups, representatives of youth and environmental activists have marked World Environment Day 2018 with a wide-ranging call for reforms. The groups urged joint environmental protection to reduce climate change, and asked the government to take further measures to reduce the use of plastic ...

More than one million cubic metres of illegal timber has flowed unhindered from protected areas in Cambodia’s northeast provinces to Vietnam as the latter continues its role as a serial illegal timber trade offender, according to a report issued by the Environmental Investigation Agency. ...

Several NGOs, including Plan International, have urged the government to pay more attention to climate change issues in the country, noting that Cambodia is more susceptible to it than most Asian countries. ...

Police are on the lookout for an SUV driver who escaped after a chase by Rovieng District Forestry Administration (FA) officials in Preah Vihear province, who spotted his vehicle hauling two cubic metres of expensive thnong timber. ...

Phnom Penh Forestry Administration (FA) on Tuesday morning stopped a passenger bus that was carrying snakes, water monitor lizards, turtles and tortoises, weighing a total of 400kg, said Kom Seyha, office chief at the Phnom Penh FA, who led the operation. ...

Local authorities in Kratie province believe they have identified the source of the deadly rice wine, made with lethal levels of methanol that killed 14 people. The discovery was made after investigations traced the incident to the owner of a brewery who died after drinking ...

Nearly 30 illegal gold mining operations have been shuttered in Mondolkiri province over the past week as officials with Mines and Environment ministries continue a compliance push in the wake of a poisoning case that killed 13 villagers downstream in Kratie province. ...

Ten men were caught engaged in illegal logging during a three-day patrol by the Prey Lang Community Network (PLCN) that began on Friday. This led a representative of the group to declare that illegal logging at the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary in Preah Vihear province ...

Several National Assembly commissions met yesterday to discuss a draft law adopting the policies of the Asian Forest Cooperation Organisation. The meeting was led by Chheang Vun, chairman of the Commission on Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation, Information and Media; Yim Savy, chairman of the Commission ...

Chab Sopharith, Banteay Meanchey provincial deputy police chief, said the operation was carried out on National Road 59, in the province’s Malai commune. A driver was arrested but later released when it was ascertained that he was not involved in the case. ...

Chong Phlas commune, Mondulkiri province – As officials from the Mines and Environment ministries continue their compliance push here, villagers from the Chong Phlas Gold Mining Community have fled or withdrawn into their homes, too scared to continue their work for fear of being blamed ...

Senior Environment Ministry officials have urged owners of big businesses to help cut the use of plastic bags to reduce damage on the environment and people’s health. Tin Ponlok, secretary-general of the ministry’s national council for sustainable development, addressed the problem at a training workshop ...

The government has ordered the Ministry of Environment to work with the relevant authorities to grant Koh Kong province villagers land from Union Development Group (UDG), a Chinese company, following a long-standing dispute. ...

A senior official at the Ministry of Environment said on Thursday analysis of blood samples from victims of Kratie province’s contaminated water incident earlier this month have confirmed the presence of cyanide, albeit at very low levels. ...

The Sihanoukville governor yesterday expressed his disappointment over the city’s garbage problem and warned the city’s waste management company that its license could be revoked if they fail to solve the problem within three months. ...

Mines Minister Suy Sem yesterday ordered mining operators to follow the law to prevent mining waste from polluting rivers in the wake of more than 10 villagers dying from consuming tainted water in Kratie province. ...

From baby elephants to sun bears and pangolins, escalating demand for bushmeat in towns and cities is taking an increasingly heavy toll on some of Cambodia’s most endangered wildlife.    ...

Mines Minister Suy Sem has dismissed a claim by Industry Minister Cham Prasidh, who said that villagers in Kratie province were poisoned and killed by cyanide-tainted water due to run-off from gold mines. ...

According to Gray, the snaring crisis is worst in Vietnam and Laos, but is increasing in Cambodia – where he works – as well as Myanmar, Indonesia and Thailand. In some places – even protected areas – it is so bad that scientists talk of ...

Industry Minister Cham Prasidh has said that villagers in Kratie province’s Chetr Borei district were poisoned after consuming water tainted with cyanide which was used for mining operations in Mondolkiri and Kratie province. ...

Experts from the ministry examined the water in the river of Prek Te in Kratie and found chromium and cyanide. The substances were found at various mining sites between Kratie and neighboring Mondulkiri and the ministry believed that they were improperly handled and that rain ...

The final report assessing the impact of a future dam in Kratie has claimed that the dam project could result in “killing the life” of the Mekong River. This final report said the project’s location is the worst possible for a dam and would have ...

The owner of a timber handicraft workshop and one of his workers were arrested yesterday for allegedly handling illegal luxury wood. Eam Bunly, 45, owner of the workshop in Spean Meanchey commune in Mondulkiri province, and Doeun Sokhim, 35, were detained by Sen Monorom city ...