(Kyodo) - An independent logging watchdog said Friday it is ready to cooperate with the Cambodian government to investigate cases of illegal logging and corruption highlighted in a recent report by the group.
"We are ready to support an investigation in any way we can," Simon Taylor, director of London-based Global Witness, said in a statement.
The move follows the government's announcement Monday that it has set up a committee to study the report. A day earlier, the government banned circulation of the report, saying it targeted the country's leaders and senior figures.
"We must not forget that the facts set out in our report concern very serious crimes. As such, the government must ensure that there is a full judicial and police investigation into these issues, and that any such investigation must also be seen to be effective," Taylor said, welcoming the establishment of the government committee.
"Our report was always intended to facilitate the investigation and prosecution of those elite family members, senior officials and generals responsible for illegal logging and associated organized crime. If the government is now serious about ensuring that this happens, then that deserves to be applauded," he added in the statement sent via e-mail from London.
In the 95-page report titled "Cambodia's Family Trees: illegal logging and the stripping of public assets by Cambodia's elite," released late last month, Global Witness said a "kleptocratic elite" of officials and their kin are selling off Cambodia's natural resources with blatant disregard of the law.
The report details the activities of Cambodia's most powerful illegal logging syndicate, known as the Seng Keang Co., which is controlled by individuals related to Prime Minister Hun Sen, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Chan Sarun and Director General of the Forest Administration Ty Sokhun.
"Under the guise of a government-mandated rubber plantation, it has illegally logged vast tracts of forest, yielding a timber haul worth more than $13 million annually. Its targeting of resin trees has damaged the livelihoods of hundreds, if not thousands, of families living in the area," the report said.
Cambodia appointed Global Witness as an independent monitor of forests in the country in 2001, but terminated its mission in 2003 following a series of critical reports.
"We are ready to support an investigation in any way we can," Simon Taylor, director of London-based Global Witness, said in a statement.
The move follows the government's announcement Monday that it has set up a committee to study the report. A day earlier, the government banned circulation of the report, saying it targeted the country's leaders and senior figures.
"We must not forget that the facts set out in our report concern very serious crimes. As such, the government must ensure that there is a full judicial and police investigation into these issues, and that any such investigation must also be seen to be effective," Taylor said, welcoming the establishment of the government committee.
"Our report was always intended to facilitate the investigation and prosecution of those elite family members, senior officials and generals responsible for illegal logging and associated organized crime. If the government is now serious about ensuring that this happens, then that deserves to be applauded," he added in the statement sent via e-mail from London.
In the 95-page report titled "Cambodia's Family Trees: illegal logging and the stripping of public assets by Cambodia's elite," released late last month, Global Witness said a "kleptocratic elite" of officials and their kin are selling off Cambodia's natural resources with blatant disregard of the law.
The report details the activities of Cambodia's most powerful illegal logging syndicate, known as the Seng Keang Co., which is controlled by individuals related to Prime Minister Hun Sen, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Chan Sarun and Director General of the Forest Administration Ty Sokhun.
"Under the guise of a government-mandated rubber plantation, it has illegally logged vast tracts of forest, yielding a timber haul worth more than $13 million annually. Its targeting of resin trees has damaged the livelihoods of hundreds, if not thousands, of families living in the area," the report said.
Cambodia appointed Global Witness as an independent monitor of forests in the country in 2001, but terminated its mission in 2003 following a series of critical reports.
14 comments:
Hun Sen may say the same thing to GW as he said to UN Rep GHAI for HR, " I don't want to see you or cooperate with you, if I could live for 1000 years , I am going to see you ".
His brother will say, " my men, here they come, be prepared to knock their heads off".
Our beloved Samdech HUN SEN must take on this challenge to vindicate his innocence.
Go Samdech! Go Samdech! Go! They will kneel before you!
Yes, go samdech go to see the desert for yourself, and stop being so ignorant and arrogant against your critics. What GW want is helping your country from becoming the SAHARA of Africa and that all. Don't you think you're rich enough already?.
Ignorant and Greet has no limit.
Don't call us, let us call you (Global Witness) instead. Now,
get lost!
Yes, go ah "ploer" Hun Sen. Go and buy more phD, and just maybe you won't be too Stupid. Have you not stopped Destroying Cambodia yet?
Have you any family member that understand the Ecosystem? If not, ah Hun family members need to go to School, a school that DOES NOT DONATE DEGREE WITH BRIBERY!!!
Sacratoon,
Make ah HunSen family a Virulent strains of virus that infected everything it Touches. The classification of this Strain is H1S1.
We innocent Khmers have anti-virus (H1S1)medication. A Blast of Radiation (U235) would wiped out the H1S1 infected strain.
We don't care about ecosystem,
stupid (6:52). We only care about
jobs, jobs, jobs.
Whoever calls Ah Hun Kwang: your beloved Samdech, Samdech, I will call you stupid idiot animal. And whoever says don't care anything about Ah Hun Zen destroys what Cambodia has but jobs, jobs,jobs, I say you are Lop LOp Lop. Ah Sen Hun will give you no fucking jobs at all.
Hey 8:23,
Let see if you really understand, what job is? Please explain because you so dearly love kissing ah Hun's hairy cancerous gangrenous rotten ASS!
But, first you need to go school & define "job" since you're related to ah Hun by having his Shit on your lips MF!
Kone Neak Sre, 2008
it always the same for Hun sen, with his brainless head, one he get angry with anyone, he always show his anger with unlaw action, after a night, his whatever teacher, advisor will tell him what he said is not corect it will make world wonder about their action, to cover all this and to convince the world, they will set up a shadow committee to investigat the report, but don't expected any outcome from the committe, or if it has the result, it will be one of the oposition party i bet.
one of who need job (8.23) there will be plenty of job when there are investment from the world, investment can be there when the country with proper law and enforcement, if everything right are about comission and corruption, the good company will not invest in. please tell your samdech to get the corruption law which have been drafted since 1993 to pass and implement it if you are a really supporter of your Samdech hunsen.
Sorry, dude (10:25), there is no
such thing as a poor and
uncorrupted country. If you know
one, tell us about it. Your State
(Louisiana) is one of the poorest
US states, and it is the most
corrupted State in the US, isn't
that right.
The point is, for the budget that
we have at our disposal, that is
the best you ever gonna get, like
it or not.
You are absolutely right Dude 3:06pm. Corrutpions are everywhere even in communists or authoritarian countries but they have their own laws. Whereas Ah Samdick Hun and his crooks commit mountains of corruptions but never get caught. Get it?
Right on brother 11:05PM! Most civilized countries get prosecuted if officials caught being corrupted. Cambodia bragged about Laws, none of the officials seems to careless about the laws. They are above the laws.
I wish that HunSen took the role model of Matsuoka, commit suicide because he committed scandal as a director.
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