The report accused high-level associates of Hun Sen of conspiring in illegal logging operations [EPA]THURSDAY, JUNE 07, 2007
Cambodia hits back at forest report
Source: Agencies
Posted at AlJazeerra.net
Cambodia has stepped up efforts to discredit allegations that senior government officials and business associates are involved in massive illegal logging operations.
The allegations were contained in a report published by the London-based environmental watchdog group Global Witness.
It accused relatives of Hun Sen, the Cambodian prime minister's relatives, tycoon friends and senior government and military officials of stripping what remains of the country's forests for their own profit.
The government has banned copies of the report, titled Cambodia's Family Trees, although copies in Cambodian and English can be easily downloaded from the internet.
The report, which came out ahead of a June 19-20 meeting of international aid donors to pledge new assistance for Cambodia, also blamed donors for not pressuring the government over the alleged illegal logging.
'Political campaign'
In its first official comment on the report, the Cambodian government via its embassy in London released a statement saying the report's claims were "totally groundless, unacceptable rubbish".
Rejecting the charges it said that rather than losing forests, Cambodia was actively engaged in building up its forests.
"The policy of reforestation has been introduced and implemented while the ban on logging and deforestation has been well conducted and observed," the statement said.
The embassy added that Cambodia had terminated Global Witness's role as an official forestry monitor in the country in 2005 after it began a "political campaign" against the government.
Earlier this week Global Witness condemned the banning of its report as "senseless censorship" saying it would not hide the illegal destruction of Cambodia's forests.
"Attempts to suppress this report will not make the facts that it presents disappear," Simon Taylor, the group's director, said in a statement.
Taylor said the reaction to the report raises a serious question for Cambodia's international donors.
"Is the government sincere in its pledges to strengthen governance and the rule of law, or is it simply paying lip service to these ideals to secure aid and international respectability?'' he added.
The allegations were contained in a report published by the London-based environmental watchdog group Global Witness.
It accused relatives of Hun Sen, the Cambodian prime minister's relatives, tycoon friends and senior government and military officials of stripping what remains of the country's forests for their own profit.
The government has banned copies of the report, titled Cambodia's Family Trees, although copies in Cambodian and English can be easily downloaded from the internet.
The report, which came out ahead of a June 19-20 meeting of international aid donors to pledge new assistance for Cambodia, also blamed donors for not pressuring the government over the alleged illegal logging.
'Political campaign'
In its first official comment on the report, the Cambodian government via its embassy in London released a statement saying the report's claims were "totally groundless, unacceptable rubbish".
Rejecting the charges it said that rather than losing forests, Cambodia was actively engaged in building up its forests.
"The policy of reforestation has been introduced and implemented while the ban on logging and deforestation has been well conducted and observed," the statement said.
The embassy added that Cambodia had terminated Global Witness's role as an official forestry monitor in the country in 2005 after it began a "political campaign" against the government.
Earlier this week Global Witness condemned the banning of its report as "senseless censorship" saying it would not hide the illegal destruction of Cambodia's forests.
"Attempts to suppress this report will not make the facts that it presents disappear," Simon Taylor, the group's director, said in a statement.
Taylor said the reaction to the report raises a serious question for Cambodia's international donors.
"Is the government sincere in its pledges to strengthen governance and the rule of law, or is it simply paying lip service to these ideals to secure aid and international respectability?'' he added.
12 comments:
HUN SEN and his team. Do what you got to do to win:
1. diplomatic counter-offensive
2. bribery to wives of
important foreign diplomats
3. Suppress the report
4. change the ways of logging
business or find new ways to
conceal
5. sing nice songs and sweet
tongues along with hypnotic to
the international donors.
GLobal Witnesses team:
1. Find more support
2. Establish where the connection
can stand with its report.
3. Hope for the best sound got
into people ears.
4. Find a much soft precise
target of HS and his team, if
this report falls into deaf
ears. next time.
The most powerful couple in the planet.
ONLY IN CAMBODIA'S PLANET. ENOUGH FOR THEM.
They look like Suhato and his wife.
No, they look like me and my katie.
Why you share you stolen money with the GW to shut them up. Or hay you can you family members marry the GW childen. They become your IN-LAW. Now they are your OUT-LAW
Look at MI KAHING and AH KHVAK! The 2 rulers of Cambodia, and the main Mafiosi Family receiving many
Doctorates Degrees from Unknown Foreign Universities and CPP private Universities in PPenh.
it time the people of cambodia & the world should band together and kick Mr. Hun Sen and his teams of thieves out before he completly destroy Cambodia.
How can you ask a corrupted Hun Sen to draft and anti corruption laws. That would be wrong hence the delayed in the passing the bill & prosecuting himself.
It the same thing with prosecution the KR, how can he let it happen, because he a KR and his team is full of KR.
It samething with land eviction how can you my profit..if you dont steal people land and sell them...
Question is how can GLobal Witness (GW) control this termite Hun Sen from destroying whatever left of Cambodia's forest.
Best way to get rid of a termite pest is to fumergate it air tight, close them in & kill them quick....
Unfortunately GW does have his kind of power to kill the termite Hun Sen...?
10:29am, every time the name MEE KAHING COME UP,it cracked me up too.
Any idea which surgeon performed the last cosmetic surgery on Bun Rany? He should be shot!
Read and Download Global witness talk about ah Hun Sen and his family corruption:
http://blogbykhmer.blogspot.com/2007/06/prime-minister-hun-has-done-it-again.html
http://hunsenmafia.alkablog.com
http://hunsenmafia.blog.com
http://corruptionfamily.wordpress.com
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