Monday, June 16, 2008

Vietnamese crossing the border to illegally cut trees in Ratanakiri?

15 June 2008
By Ratha Visal
Radio Free Asia

Translated from Khmer by Socheata

The people’s community for the protection of natural resources in Lom village, O’Yadao district, Ratanakiri province, claimed that a car and saws belonging to Vietnamese people who crossed the border and entered Cambodia to illegally cut down trees, were confiscated, but they were immediately released after the Cambodian villagers were threatened by the border army post chief who intervened and forced the villagers to receive money from the Vietnamese in exchange for their release.

An anonymous villager from the people’s community explained the incident: “The border army post chief threatened the villagers, saying that we don’t have the rights to make any arrest, he said that he wanted to shoot us. He told us to release them (the Vietnamese) back because they agree to offer 2 million riels ($500)

A report from a Pak Nhay commune councilor indicated that the above incident took place on 13 June 2008, at the community O’ Tang development forest, located about 10 kilometers from the border, in Lom village. 16 members of the people’s community were patrolling their area when they encountered a group of Vietnamese people who were cutting down 30 to 40 trees, and they were trimming the wood to transport them out of the forest, but the villagers were able to arrest them and confiscated their saws. The villagers then reported the case to the commune authority, and Sok Som On, the border army post chief, intervened, forcing the villagers to release the Vietnamese and their equipments in exchange for 2 million riels ($500).

RFA could not reach Sok Som On because he is allegedly located in an isolated area.

Nevertheless, Ly Sovannara, the commander of the border army indicated that: “When I asked, they said that they (the Vietnamese) needed wood post to grow pepper trees in Vietnam. They then contacted the village chief, the village chief then cut woods in his farm, he had some large tree trunks to provide, and he told the border post to come and transport them over, but he did not inform the chief of the people’s community.”

Hor Ang, the deputy police chief for the province of Ratanakiri, said that illegal actions along the borders are under the watch of the border defense army, he also indicated that there are collusions (with the border defense army) allowing the illegal wood logging: “When the villagers arrest them (the Vietnamese), they have to report to their authority. When the authority took this kind of action, it’s wrong, the villagers should provide this information and seek for measures from the police authority.”

In May, Lom villagers reported that they confiscated two tractor loads of logs from Vietnamese people also, but during that time, the Vietnamese agreed to surrender the wood to the community, and they told the villagers that they already paid their bribe to the border post officers (to cut the wood).

These logs are still kept by the villagers as proof of this illegal action.

Vong Somethy, the director of the forestry administration, declined to provide comments to RFA on Sunday, claiming that he was too busy.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Roum RITH Ce n'est pas nouveau en mon temps j'ai aidé les vietcongs à batrre les Américains d'une façon pas loyale , j'ai laissé transité les armes par le port qui porte mon nom C'était l'idée de ma femme car elle n'a pas le sang Khmere mais franco vietnamien Les vietnamiens qui controlemnt à présence mon pays c'est suite à mon accord alors que mon cousin touk Sarimatak lui a défendu la patrie je lui ai taxé comme un traite lui qui a osé de dire la vérité Je lui ai fait fusillé par mes kone chauv khmer kraham . Il faut laisser nos freres Vietnamiens

Anonymous said...

ពូជចោរ នៅតែធ្វើចោរ រហូត! លោកធំៗនៅឯណា? ជាមុខការងាររបស់លោក បើកភ្នែកមើលឲ្យធំៗៗៗ មើលផងមើរ គ្មានអនុភាពឫយ៉ាងណា ឬបានតែគ្នាឯង???
ប្រជារាស្រ្ត

Anonymous said...

Down and Out ! ah Hun Sen, a third-year- elementary-school- educated Prime Minister with 29 years of holding power, is the Criminal against humanity in Cambodia and is a former Khmer Rouge soldier in Khmer Rouge Regime, from CPP (Communist Pro youn Party)

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the 500$. Please come again soon.

Anonymous said...

Com on' mate 9:04 PM. No Cambodian would have said like you do.
You are Crackpot user?

Anonymous said...

Oh no? That is easy for you to say when you got job and money.

Anonymous said...

So what you waiting for, go to school and get a job stupid.

Anonymous said...

9:36 PM, Here are the categories of people that leave comments on this blog:

-Khmer
-Khmer overseas
-Khmer oversea that are parasite to their host country
-Khmer sucking Vietcong dick
-Khmer sucking Siam dick
-Khmer sucking Chinese dick
-Khmer licking Hun Sen's ass [because their relatives get rich because of him]
-VietCong
-Siam
-Chinese

So comments that does not make sense, would make sense if you try to picture in what category the commentator belong to.

Anonymous said...

The border patrol commander is just doing on a small scale what his bosses doing on a large scale.

Hey Vietcong do your dirty job through Hun Sen at least you have a fake OK from the CPP.
Right now you put shame on your country, the land of the pure and mighty.

Anonymous said...

go back home, vietcongs! how would you people like it if cambodians go to vietnam to cut down your trees to bring back to cambodia? same, here!

Anonymous said...

Nope, Cambodia will be open for business 24/7 for everyone. Yuon, Thai, Lao, or Jen makes no difference.

Anonymous said...

aH HO ChIMIN ARE YOU STUPID? WHEN aH XEN SHIT AT THE BORDER YOUR HOUSE GET SMELL TOO!