Photos from Koh Kong Campaign led by Prey Lang forest community

Community members being questioned by the authority. They were asked why they came here and how many of them are coming. (All photos: CCHR)

Community members being questioned by the authority.

Community members being questioned by the authority.

Community members being questioned by the authority.

Sharing water supply.

Preparing tent shelter for the night

Please sign the change.org petition to stop the illegal logging in Prey Lang.

Save Prey Lang Forest and its communities

Click here to sign the online petition

Dear Samdech Hun Sen and Your Excellencies,

Please stop the destruction of the Prey Lang forest and support the Prey Lang Network for cooperative, community-based protection and sustainable management.

Prey Lang is the last large primary forest of its kind on the Indochinese peninsula. As one Cambodia’s most important remaining watersheds, it supports the food, water, and livelihoods for hundreds of thousands of people. Prey Lang provides habitat for as many as 50 endangered species and is a powerhouse to fight climate change.

We applaud the initiatives of the Prey Lang Network, representing the forest communities, to save Prey Lang. We support the Network’s call to the Prime Minister Hun Sen and the Cambodian Government to:

• Stop granting economic land concessions and suspend all those already granted in Prey Lang and the surrounding buffer areas;
• Give protected status to Prey Lang and keep and conserve Prey Lang as a heritage for Cambodia; and
• Recognize the Prey Lang Network to be partners with the government in co-management of the forest.

In the Kuy language, Prey Lang means “our forest.” We believe Prey Lang is so important that is belongs to the world. Cambodia is OUR forest, too.

Again, I respectfully urge you to take action to save Prey Lang Forest and to develop a sustainable management plan, inclusive of the Prey Lang Network and the forest communities.

Sincerely,

[Your name]

Viet Co. cut down more 5,000 trees in Prey Lang - ក្រុមហ៊ុន​វៀតណាម​កាប់​បំផ្លាញ​ដើម​ឈើទាល​ជាង​៥​ពាន់​ដើម​នៅ​តំបន់​ព្រៃ​ឡង់

16 Dec 2011
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Oss Prey

Kampong Thom villagers indicated that more than 5,000 trees were cut down and destroyed by the Viet CRCK Company inside Prey Lang.

The local authorities and government agencies involved do not have any plan to end all these deforestation operations at all, even if an order was already issued by Hun Xen.

In a phone interview with Taing Sarada, Chhun Vuthy, President of the Natural Resources Preservation organization, showed about the most recent news on deforestation. Cambodian forest is the main resource for Cambodian communities to sustain their daily life, the deforestation causes havoc among these communities.

-------------
2011-12-16
RFA

ក្រុម​អ្នក​ស្រុក​ខេត្ត​កំពង់ធំ​ បាន​ឲ្យ​ដឹង​ថា ដើម​ឈើទាល​ជាង ៥​ពាន់​ដើម កំពុង​រង​ការ​កាប់​បំផ្លាញ​ដោយ​ក្រុមហ៊ុន​វៀតណាម ​ឈ្មោះ ស៊ី អ ស៊ី ខេ (CRCK) នៅ​តំបន់​ព្រៃ​ឡង់។

អាជ្ញាធរ​មូលដ្ឋាន និង​ស្ថាប័ន​ពាក់ព័ន្ធ​នៅ​មិន​ទាន់​មាន​វិធានការ​បង្ក្រាប​ការ​កាប់​បំផ្លាញ​ដើម​ឈើ​ទាល​ទាំង​នោះ​ឡើយ​ទេ បើ​ទោះបី​ជា​មាន​បទ​បញ្ជា​របស់​លោក​នាយក​រដ្ឋ​មន្ត្រី ហ៊ុន សែន ជា​រឿយៗ​យ៉ាង​ណា​ក៏​ដោយ​នោះ។

នៅ​ក្នុង​បទ​សម្ភាសន៍​តាម​ទូរស័ព្ទ​របស់​លោក តាំង សារ៉ាដា ជា​មួយ​លោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី ប្រធាន​អង្គការ​ការ​ពារ​ធនធាន​ធម្មជាតិ ដោយ​លោក​បាន​បង្ហាញ​ពី​ស្ថានភាព​ថ្មី​ៗ​ជុំវិញ​ការ​កាប់​បំផ្លាញ​ព្រៃ​ឈើ​របស់​ប្រជា​សហគមន៍​ដែល​តែង​ទទួល​បាន​អនុផល​សម្រាប់​ចិញ្ចឹម​ជីវិត​ប្រចាំ​ថ្ងៃ​នៅ​ទី​នោះ៖

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Prey Lang prayer ban defied

Members of the Prey Lang network participate in a prayer ceremony yesterday at the Bayon Temple in Siem Reap in order to raise awareness of deforestation in the Kingdom. (Photo Supplied)

Thursday, 15 December 2011
May Titthara
The Phnom Penh Post

More than 100 villagers defied police attempts yesterday to break up a praying ceremony they held at Angkor Wat to seek divine help in their battle to stop the government from allowing private companies to destroy the protected Prey Lang forest.

Svay Phoeun, a member of the Prey Lang network, which advocates for the protection of the forest, said officers from the Apsara Authority and police tried but failed to stop them from holding their ceremony at Bayon temple in the Angkor Wat complex.

“We still continued even though the police tried to block us, because what we did was not wrong,” he said.

សហគមន៍​ព្រៃ​ឈើ​បួង​សួង​នៅ​សៀមរាប​សុំ​ឲ្យ​បារមី​ជួយ​ការពារ​ព្រៃឡង់ - Forest communities pray for protection of Prey Lang

សមត្ថកិច្ច​ព្យាយាម​រារាំង​ក្រុម​សកម្មជន​ព្រៃឈើ​មិន​ឲ្យ​ទៅ​ធ្វើ​ពិធី​បួង​សួង នៅ​ព្រឹក​ថ្ងៃ​ទី​១៤ ធ្នូ ឆ្នាំ​២០១១។ Photo Supplied

ដោយ ហង្ស សាវយុត
2011-12-14
Radio Free Asia

សមត្ថកិច្ច​របស់​អាជ្ញាធរ​ដែនដី និង​ក្រុម​ប៉ូលិស​បេតិកភណ្ឌ​​នៃ​ស្នងការដ្ឋាន​ពិសេស​ការពារ​តំបន់​អង្គរ​នៅ​ក្នុង​ខេត្ត​សៀមរាប បាន​ព្យាយាម​រារាំង​សកម្មភាព​របស់​សកម្មជន​ការពារ​ព្រៃ​ឈើ​​មួយ​ក្រុម​ដែល​បាន​ទៅ​ធ្វើ​ពិធី​បួង​សួង​​នៅ​ក្នុង​បរិវេណ​ប្រាសាទ​បាយ័ន កាល​ពី​ព្រឹក​ថ្ងៃ​ទី​១៤ ខែ​ធ្នូ ដើម្បី​សុំ​ឱ្យ​បញ្ឈប់​សកម្មភាព​កាប់​បំផ្លាញ​ព្រៃឡង់ ដែល​ជា​ព្រៃឈើ​ដ៏​ធំ​ជាង​គេ​នៅ​ក្នុង​តំបន់​អា​ស៊ី​នោះ។

ក្រុម​សហជីព​កម្មករ និង​សហគមន៍​ការពារ​ព្រៃឈើ​ជនជាតិ​ភាគ​តិច​ប្រមាណ ៣០០​នាក់ បាន​រួម​គ្នា​ធ្វើ​ពិធី​បួង​សួង​នៅ​កន្លែង​ព្រះអង្គ​គោកធ្លក ក្នុង​បរិវេណ​ប្រាសាទ​អង្គរធំ ខេត្ត​សៀមរាប កាល​ពី​ព្រឹក​ថ្ងៃ​ពុធ ទី​១៤ ខែ​ធ្នូ ឆ្នាំ​២០១១។

បើ​ទោះ​បី​ជា​មាន​ការ​រារាំង​ពី​ក្រុម​សមត្ថកិច្ច​ក៏ដោយ ក៏​​ក្រុម​អ្នក​ការពារ​ព្រៃ​ឈើ​​ទាំង​នោះ​​​នៅ​តែ​នាំ​គ្នា​ជម្នះ​ធ្វើ​ពិធី​បួងសួង​តាម​បែប​ព្រហ្មញ្ញ​សាសនា​ឱ្យ​​ទាល់​តែ​បាន។

Prey Lang Avatar struggle in Angkor Land ( Prey Lang for Prey Lang)

http://www.box.com/s/fosva2yrzgpyvqsn8vyp


http://www.box.com/s/3998lf9brftudpzrodsq


http://www.box.com/s/sdzytshkd6rex9v5g12v

Photos of Prey Lang Activists

They came in large number to protect Prey Lang

The long procession of Prey Lang activists

Confronting wit the cops who are protecting the Viet rubber Company

Well-earned rest after a long day of march

Click here to look at other photos:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.273045336065793.56132.205485466155114&type=3

សកម្មជន​ការពារ​ព្រៃឡង់​ឡោមព័ទ្ធ​ក្រុមហ៊ុន​កៅស៊ូ​វៀតណាម - Prey Lang activists surround the Viet rubber company

១០-វិច្ឆិកា-២០១១៖ ក្បួន​របស់​សកម្មជន​ការពារ​ព្រៃឡង់ ដង្ហែ​ឆ្ពោះ​ទៅ​ក្រុមហ៊ុន​វៀតណាម CRCK នៅ​ព្រៃឡង់ នា​ខេត្ត​កំពង់ធំ។ 10 Nov 2011 - Prey Lang activists march toward the Viet CRCK rubber company located in Prey Lang forest in Kampong Thom province (RFA/Uon Chhin)

មន្ត្រី​មជ្ឈមណ្ឌល​​សិទ្ធិ​មនុស្ស​កម្ពុជា ដែល​បាន​តាម​ឃ្លាំមើល​ការ​ដើរ​ល្បាត​របស់​សកម្មជន​ការពារ​ព្រៃឡង់​ប្រមាណ ៣០០​នាក់ បាន​ឲ្យ​ដឹង​ថា នៅ​ល្ងាច​ថ្ងៃ​១១ ខែ​វិច្ឆិកា សកម្មជន​ការពារ​ព្រៃឡង់ បាន​ចូល​ទៅ​ដល់​ទីតាំង​ក្រុមហ៊ុន​កៅស៊ូ​វៀតណាម CRCK ហើយ​បាន​ប៉ះ​ទង្គិច​ជាមួយ​ក្រុម​សមត្ថកិច្ច​ការពារ​ក្រុមហ៊ុន។

Synopsis: Officials from the Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR) who are following on the patrol conducted by about 300 Prey Lang Activists, indicated on 11 Nov. 2011 that the activists have reached the location of the Viet CRCK rubber plantation and a clash took place with the Xmer cops who are protecting this Viet company against Khmer activist. The activists are attempting to prevent the destruction and the deforestation of Prey Lang forest.

2011-11-12
ដោយ អ៊ួន ឈិន
Radio Free Asia

ការ​ប៉ះ​ទង្គិច​មួយ​បាន​កើត​ឡើង​រវាង​ប្រជា​សហគមន៍​ព្រៃឡង់ និង​កង​កម្លាំង​ប្រដាប់​អាវុធ មាន​នគរបាល និង​កង​រាជ​អាវុធហត្ថ​នៅ​ចំណុច​ភូមិ​ជាំប្រអប់ ឃុំ​សណ្ដាន់ ស្រុក​សណ្ដាន់ ខេត្ត​កំពង់ធំ កាល​ពី​រសៀល​ថ្ងៃ​ទី​១១ ខែ​វិច្ឆិកា ឆ្នាំ​២០១១។

តំណាង​ប្រជា​សហគមន៍​ព្រៃឡង់​ដែល​ជា​ជនជាតិ​ដើម​ភាគ​តិច​ព្នង មក​ពី​ខេត្ត​ស្ទឹងត្រែង លោក យ៉ែម សុខខូយ បាន​ឲ្យ​ដឹង​ថា នៅ​រសៀល​ថ្ងៃ​ទី​១១ ខែ​វិច្ឆិកា ប្រជា​សហគមន៍​ព្រៃឡង់​ចំនួន​ប្រមាណ​ជាង ៣០០​នាក់ ដែល​កំពុង​ស្ថិត​ក្នុង​យុទ្ធនាការ​ទប់ស្កាត់ និង​បង្ក្រាប​បទល្មើស​ព្រៃឈើ​នៅ​តំបន់​ព្រៃឡង់ បាន​ដុត​ឈើ​នៅ​ទី​តាំង​អាជីវកម្ម​ឈើ​ខុស​ច្បាប់​មួយ​កន្លែង​នៅ​ភូមិ​ជាំប្រអប់ បន្ទាប់​មក​កង​កម្លាំង​ប្រដាប់​អាវុធ​ស្រុក​សណ្ដាន់​ប្រមាណ ១០០​នាក់ បាន​ឡោមព័ទ្ធ​ចាប់​លោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី ដែល​ជា​នាយក​នៃ​អង្គការ​ការពារ​ធនធាន​ធម្មជាតិ ដោយ​ចោទ​លោក​ថា ជា​អ្នក​ញុះញង់​ប្រជា​សហគមន៍។

នាយក​អង្គការ​ការពារ​ធនធាន​ធម្មជាតិ លោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី ថ្លែង​ថា ទង្វើ​របស់​កង​កម្លាំង​ប្រដាប់​អាវុធ​ចំពោះ​រូប​លោក និង​ប្រជា​សហគមន៍ បាន​បង្ហាញ​យ៉ាង​ច្បាស់​ថា អាជ្ញាធរ​ខេត្ត​កំពង់ធំ នៅ​ពី​ក្រោយ​បទល្មើស​ព្រៃ​ឈើ​នៅ​តំបន់​នោះ។

Prey Lang activists, police face off - សមត្ថកិច្ច​ប្រើកម្លាំង​៥០០នាក់​ដើម្បី​ទប់​ការតវ៉ា​ពី​សកម្មជន​ព្រៃឡង់

Police confront villagers at the CRCK rubber firm in Prey Lang forest, in Kampong Thom, yesterday. កំពង់ធំៈ កម្លាំងសមត្ថកិច្ច​ប្រមាណ​៥០០នាក់​ត្រូវបាន​ពង្រាយ​ ខណៈ​អ្នកភូមិ​ប្រមាណ​៣០០​នាក់ មកពីខេត្ត​នៅជុំវិញ​ព្រៃឡង់ ​គ្រោង​ធ្វើការតវ៉ា​នៅ​ក្រុមហ៊ុន​ចំការកៅស៊ូ CRCK ។

Friday, 11 November 2011
May Titthara
The Phnom Penh Post

“I think the reason that they did not allow villagers to go inside the company is because authorities have some [financial] interest in the company,” Chhim Savuth said.

ប៉ូលិសស្មែរការពារក្រុមហ៊ុនយៀកកុង! 

អស្ចារ្យ រ៉ុយ​ៗ!

Kampong Thom province - The long journey of 300 villager-activists intent on exposing illegal logging in the endangered Prey Lang forest ended on the doorstep of rubber firm CRCK yesterday.

About 5pm, the villagers, some of whom had been walking for more than a week, emerged from the forest, broke down CRCK barricades and entered the grounds of the rubber firm – although police stopped them short of entering, and inspecting, the company’s sawmill.

Thirty-five-year-old Sen Sothea, of Stung Treng province, said that after numerous encounters with illegal loggers during their journey, he and the other villagers had no intention of leaving without achieving that particular goal.

“We have to go inside the company land and see the saw- mill, because they say they have never cut the trees,” he said.

“If they do nothing illegal, please let us go inside.”

Paying the price for Prey Lang

Villagers camp out in Prey Lang forest, in Kampong Thom province, yesterday. The villagers have been patrolling the forest to monitor illegal logging activities. Photo by: Photo Supplied

Wednesday, 09 November 2011 12:04
May Titthara
The Phnom Penh Post

Kampong Thom province - Deep in Prey Lang forest, a group of villagers advocating on behalf of the embattled woodland area are paying with their health.

About 50 of a group of 230 villagers who have spent their days patrolling the woods for illegal loggers and their nights sleeping under the trees have fallen ill, NGO officials told the Post yesterday.

Villagers representing three of the four provinces that Prey Lang overlaps decided to walk from their homes to meet at the town of O’Chrok, with villagers from Stung Treng and Preah Vihear beginning their trek on November 2 and villagers from Kampong Thom following on November 4. A previously planned meeting point, Damnak Mean, was discarded in favour of O’Chrok after villagers were confronted by about 30 police officers on Monday.

Hundreds of Prey Leng community protect​ the illegal logging

Hundreds of Prey Leng community protect​ the illegal logging

The protection communities of Prey Lang’s four provinces, Preah Vihear, Kratie, Stung Streng and Kampung Thom, plan to enter Prey Lang area for 7 days starting on November 7th to 13th, 2011. The purpose is to prevent logging offenses.

Yesterday, 250 community representatives from Preah Vihear, Kratie and Stung Steng started traveling by foot toward the Prey Lang area. Around 300 community members from Kampung Thom will start to travel by foot tomorrow. On November 07th 2011 they will gather at the Damnak Mean point, which is 50 kilometers from Dandan district. After they meet, they will protest in the Prey Lang area, especially in the Oh Chrouk area where there are many cases of illegal logging; they will leave the forest on November 13th 2011.

People and community representatives plan to show the result of illegal logging the repression to the parliamentarians, local authorities, government, civil society representative and another stakeholders in a public forum organized by the Cambodian Center for Human Rights in the Freedom Park of Sandan district, Sandan commune, Sandan village. The event will start on 14th November 2011 from 8:30 am to 12 pm.

For further information, please contact:

Mr. Chhim Savuth, Project Coordinator of Training and Public Forum , the Cambodian Center for Human Rights(CCHR)

H/P: (+855)12899858or

Email address: savuth@cchrcambodia.org

Mr. Suon Bunthoeun, Project Officer of Training and Public Forum Project, CCHR

H/p: (+855)12 483546

Email address: bunthoeun@cchrcambodia.org

http://www.box.net/shared/ni6osjz2csc7iksng8sh


http://www.box.net/shared/p3sl9a9tsypy9j15l42p

Cambodian 'Avatars' call for forests to be saved [-Prey Lang]

People with painted faces attend a protest at the Freedom Park in Phnom Penh, Cambodia on May 25. (Samrang Pring / Reuters)

According to Reuters, about 100 Cambodian activists attended a demonstration in Phnom Penh today appealing to the government to save the Prey Lang forest. They demanded the government stop granting economic land concessions and suspend all those already granted. The protesters, who call themselves Cambodia's "Avatars", had their bodies painted in green and blue and wore traditional ethnic Kuy clothes, including hats made from tree materials.

Watch a short film about the Prey Lang forest below. According to the filmmakers, up to 700,000 people rely on the forest for survival, as well as a number of endangered animals.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJHEiYmleVo&feature=player_embedded

CCHR Media Alert - 07 March 2011

CCHR Media Alert - 07 March 2011

MP Son Chhay urges gov't to halt deforestat​ion in Prey Lang

On March 7, 2011: SRP MP Son Chhay asks Heng Samrin, President of the National Assembly urge the government to quickly halt of the deforestation in Prey Lang area, owner of Vietnamese Company which name CRCK.

Please see the attachment file of the letter in Khmer.

SRP Cabinet

MP Son Chhay's Letter 07 March 2011

IRIN | Film | The Gathering Storm - Asia | Holy Forests

The Prey Koki forest in the south east of Cambodia was devastated during the Indochina wars of the 60’s and 70’s and latterly by loggers. But an army of Buddhist monks in search of a place to meditate are replanting the forest to the benefit of farmers. (May 2009)

Click on the following link to view the work of Ven. Nhem Kim Teng
http://www.irinnews.org/film/?id=4140

U.N. calls on Asian nations to end deforestation [Shoudn't the UN tell this to Hun Sen directly?]

June 20, 2008

MANILA (Reuters) - The United Nations has called on more Asian leaders to agree to a plan to end deforestation by 2020 to slow down the destruction of plants and animals, a top official said on Friday.

About 80 percent of the world's known biodiversity could be found in forests, where about 1.6 billion people also depend for their survival, Ahmed Djoghlaf, executive director of U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), told a news conference in Manila.

"The project to stop deforestation by 2020 is feasible, it's doable," Djoghlaf said.

In a meeting in Germany in May, 65 countries committed to support a call by the Worldwide Fund for Nature for a zero net deforestation by 2020, but only two -- Cambodia and Vietnam -- were from Southeast Asia.

Djoghlaf said the world was losing around 13 million hectares of its forest cover every year, about the size of 36 football fields a minute. About 95 countries have totally lost their forests, he said.

In Southeast Asia, forest fires destroyed about 10 million hectares between 1997 and 2006. More trees were being felled due to shifting agricultural practices, illegal lumber trade and large-scale mining, he said.

At the current rate of deforestation, said Rodrigo Fuentes, head of Southeast Asia's Center for Biodiversity, the region would lose three-fourths of its 47 million hectares of forest and up to 42 percent of its biodiversity by 2100.

Djoghlaf and Fuentes said the destruction of biodiversity would also impact global security and the world economy due to rising competition for scarce food and fuel resources.

(Reporting by Manny Mogato; editing by Carmel Crimmins and Roger Crabb)