សកម្មជន​ការពារ​ព្រៃឈើ​ ៦០០ នាក់ នឹង​ទៅ​កន្លែង​គេ​បាញ់​លោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី

(Photo: RFA/Tin Zakariya)

ដោយ ជិន ជេដ្ឋា
2012-05-08​
Radio Free Asia

តំណាង​សកម្មជន​ការពារ​ធនធាន​ធម្មជាតិ និង​ក្រុម​សិទ្ធិ​មនុស្ស ឱ្យ​ដឹង​នៅ​ថ្ងៃ​ទី ៨ ខែ​ឧសភា​ថា ប្រជា​សហគមន៍​ព្រៃ​ឡង់ និង​សកម្មជន​ការពារ​ព្រៃឈើ​ប្រមាណ ៦០០ នាក់ មក​ពី​ខេត្ត​ចំនួន ៨ នឹង​ធ្វើ​ដំណើរ​ទៅ​ខេត្ត​កោះកុង កន្លែង​ដែល​គេ​បាញ់​សម្លាប់​លោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី ផ្ទាល់។

ប្រជា​សហគមន៍​ការពារ​ព្រៃ​ឡង់ មក​ពី​ខែត្រ​ចំនួន ៤ តវ៉ា​ទាមទារ​ឲ្យ​រដ្ឋាភិបាល​ជួយ​ដោះស្រាយ​បញ្ហា​ការ​កាប់​បំផ្លាញ​ព្រៃ​ឡង់ នា​សួន​សេរីភាព ក្នុង​រាជធានី​ភ្នំពេញ កាល​ពី​ថ្ងៃ​ទី​២៥ ខែ​ឧសភា ឆ្នាំ​២០១១។

ការ​នាំ​គ្នា​ទៅ​កាន់​ទី​នោះ គឺ​ដើម្បី​អុជ​ធូប​គោរព​វិញ្ញាណក្ខន្ធ​របស់​លោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី។ ក្រុម​សកម្មជន​ព្រៃ​ឈើ​អះអាង​ថា នៅ​ពេល​នោះ​ពួក​គេ​នឹង​ចំណាយ​ពេល​ជា​ច្រើន​ថ្ងៃ​ក្នុង​ការ​ចុះ​ល្បាត ការ​កាប់​ឈើ​ខុស​ច្បាប់​នៅ​តំបន់​ភ្នំក្រវ៉ាញ​ភាគ​កណ្ដាល ក្នុង​គោល​បំណង​ប្រមូល​យក​ភស្តុតាង​បទល្មើស​ព្រៃ​ឈើ​ក្នុង​តំបន់​នោះ។

សេចក្ដី​ប្រកាស​ព័ត៌មាន​ចេញ​ដោយ​មជ្ឈមណ្ឌល​សិទ្ធិ​មនុស្ស​កម្ពុជា នៅ​ព្រឹក​ថ្ងៃ​ទី៨ ខែ​ឧសភា ឲ្យ​ដឹង​ថា នៅ​ថ្ងៃ​ទី ១០ ឧសភា ខាង​មុខ​នេះ សកម្មជន​ការពារ​ធនធាន​ធម្មជាតិ ព្រមទាំង​មន្ត្រី​សិទ្ធិ​មនុស្ស​ជា​ច្រើន​នាក់ នឹង​ទៅ​ជួប​អ្នក​ឃុំ​ជី​ខ​លើ ហើយ​បន្ត​ស្នាក់​នៅ​ពេញ​មួយ​យប់​ក្នុង​ស្រុក​ថ្មបាំង ខេត្ត​កោះ​កុង។

នៅ​ថ្ងៃ​ទី ១១ ឧសភា សកម្មជន​ទាំង​នោះ​នឹង​ធ្វើ​ដំណើរ​ទៅ​កន្លែង​ដែល​គេ​បាញ់​សម្លាប់​លោក ឈុត វុទ្ធី ដើម្បី​អុជ​ធូប និង​គោរព​វិញ្ញាណក្ខន្ធ​របស់​លោក។

CCHR Press Release - Communitie​s to patrol Koh Kong forests for illegal logging following death of Chut Wutty

https://www.box.com/s/5c0ff871d995e8b7b772


https://www.box.com/s/e8320129827127fc04ca

Prey Lang communities hot campaign against illegal logging when government support private company

Prey Lang communities hot campaign against illegal logging when government support private company

25-28 March 2012

More than 200 people from 4 provinces of Prey Lang area, Kg. Thomm, Preah Vihear, Kratieh and Stung Treng hold a long campaign to raid illegal logging business by private companies in Prey Lang area stretched over 460, 000 hectares. When people hold long campaign with motorbike ridden throughout forest looking for illegal logging placed inside jungle, authorities and undercover of armed forces were deployed ready to prevent people from entering into there. A lot of rumors were used in order to threat against Prey Lang activists and their member’s family such as illegal charge, arrest.

During the outbreak, people fought against illegal loggers that did not have legal license but for licensed legally private companies were not yet attacked.

After CCHR public forum,authority did not take any legal action against company that did not respect of following procedure of concession in master plan project submitted to government.

According to my observation with Prey Lang, I found that only forestry communities took care and concerned deeply into Prey Lang and rallied with risk in order to protect remaining forest. In contrast government and provincial authority did not fulfill their duty to protect Prey Lang yet and also used armed forces of intelligent spy and undercover team to intimidate people stop campaign anymore against company.

Prime Minister Hun Sen also said again and again that Forest Administration and Ministry of Agriculture of Cambodia have to protect forest and resolve impact of ELC for benefit of people, should stop delay conflict, stop involved or get benefit from company in forest issue;but his order was not implemented. People always said that, land and forest were lost because of forest and land department officers who signed and cut land and forest to company for business.

Mr. Ouch Leng, would like to appreciate forest movement by communities and appeal to donors remove funds from government to support community rather than lost millions hectares of land by development policy and millions of forest were destroyed and logged by private company.It was injustice legal protection when poor community members were prevented when rich people were licensed legally. When government try to prevent people from campaign it meant automatically that government support and accomplice with company in illegal logging and take land from people like people alleged. Please consider again that who signed license of ELC and Forest Concession in Cambodia? So who (government officers) can come out to resolve these land and forest conflict? How we can reform with these issues? I think that from now on there is only one method of people campaign, out of law to protect land and forest.All donors would not be cheated again and again. Until when we can protect our land and forest? Until empty of land and forest?

Phnom Penh 28 March 2012
--
Human Rights Defender of Cambodia
ouchleng@gmail.com, ouchleng@yahoo.com
Skype: ouch.leng
855-11256 053/ 855-12928 399

Buddhist Monk 'Robes' Trees to Save Them

Gender and climate justice in a Cambodian cashew nut orchard

March 10th, 2010
Lucy Aitken-Read
Ethiopian Review

A few weeks ago I was sitting in a steamy forest drinking juice from a slightly fermented coconut. I had arrived here, at the patrolling station of a Community Forestry bang in the middle of Cambodia, after following a petite woman with a beetle-nut orange smile over fences, through bushes and under the branches of a huge cashew nut orchard. We had all followed her actually; myself and the Oxfam GB team and at least half of the local village. We must have looked like a scene from the Pied Piper as a long line of people snaked in and out of trees, trying to keep up with her, pausing only while she snapped off some branches to chew, loaded up her hat with leaves and fruit and jumped up on rocks to yell gleefully out to those straggling at the back.

Her name was Nhek Oeng and as we sat at the patrolling station downing warm, fizzy coconut juice her story unfolded. Throughout our time in Cambodia we had heard the stories of many women who seemed to be feeling the impacts of climate change, their crops becoming harder and harder to manage as more extreme weather patterns emerged, their children becoming ill in hotter weather than they had seen before. Oeng’s story had another dimension. She had recently joined Oxfam’s Women Empowerment Network and was now taking more and more of a leadership role in her Community Forestry. As well as describing how her village was committed to preserving the forest for the next generation and detailing the sustainable livelihoods work they are all involved in, she also told us of her transformation into a local mover and shaker.

When Oeng first wanted to join the network her husband didn’t want her to do it. It doesn’t really surprise me that before long she had persuaded him otherwise- even with the language and cultural barriers I found her utterly compelling. She described how meeting other women in similar positions, doing similar work, had made her realise her potential. Oeng is now able to represent women’s needs and issues in the Forestry decision making processes and when she described, with a glint in her eye, how she talks about gender all the time the whole crowd erupted into laughter and nodded their heads knowingly. Oeng mentioned that there has been a noticeable decrease in domestic violence and at least 50% increase in the number of men who understand gender equality. She spoke these words with pride, understanding the enormity of these changes.

A few days ago, back in cold, harsh London, I went to the launch of the Women’s Environment Network (WEN) latest report, Gender and Climate Change. Sitting coconut-less in the House of Commons I heard facts and figures about the way women’s lives interact with climate change and vice versa. Perhaps unsurpisingly, two of the main findings of the report are;

• Globally, women are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change due to different and unequal social roles and status.
• Women contribute less to climate change, are impacted more by it, and have less say in decisions about the problem.

It is a pretty desperate situation and provides some serious reading around this year’s International Women’s Week. Gender inequality oozes from each page making it a report that is hard to stomach. I think I was able to get to the end of it because I could see Oeng’s face in my minds eye. Her story involves all of the themes talked about in the report, and many of the themes we saw in a myriad of villages across Cambodia, but her story was strikingly different. Oeng had been able to change her situation. She had taken things in to her own hands, was speaking out in influential spheres and was championing a new way forward for women to engage with climate change issues. Oeng brings tangible hope to those who want to see gender equality permeate everything, and it is hugely encouraging to know that across the world there are female climate warriors with a powerful fire in their belly!

We kicked off this week with International Women’s Day and no doubt the next few days people across the globe will be reflecting on how far we have come on the journey toward gender equality. It is also a time to prepare for the haul ahead. Prompted by the WEN report we must take the chance to mourn the women and children lost to the impacts of climate change, but provoked by stories of those such as Oeng’s we must celebrate the efforts of women who are carving out a future bursting with gender and climate justice.

Nine Communities Agree to Forest Protection

By Chiep Mony, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
05 May 2009

The Ministry of Agriculture’s forestry administration on Monday signed an agreement with nine communities in the north of the country to protect thousands of hectares of forest.

The scheme, being implemented for the first time, seeks to better protect 60,000 hectares of forest in Oddar Meanchey and Siem Reap provinces.

“It means that the forestry administration gave us the legal rights to manage the forest,” said leav Lin, a representative for one of the communities in Oddar Meanchey’s Banteay Ampil district.

The agreement urges villagers, civil servants student and members of the armed forces to protect the forest and plant trees, said Chea Sam Ang, deputy director of the forestry administration.

Illegal land grabs and deforestation are threatening the natural environment, he said, calling on perpetrators of forest crimes to stop their activities.

Chee Boreth, executive director of the Children Development Association, an organization that also focuses on forestry community projects in Oddor Meanchey, said that in the past four months alone, the group had uncovered the illegal clearance of 400 hectares of forest in the province.

The new agreement will likely curb the practice, he said, as villagers are allowed to manage forests in their own communities.

Human rights organizations investigate grenade attack in Anlong Veng

23 July 2007
By Sav Yuth
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Heng Soy

A group of human rights organizations and the UN human rights office in Cambodia are currently conducting an investigation on the attack with explosive by unknown persons on the house of the community forest protection leader in Run village, Thlat commune, Anlong Veng district, Oddar Meanchey province, on Monday 23 July.

The investigation took place one day after unknown persons used explosive to try to kill a family of 6.

Chan Soveth, an investigator for the Cambodia Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), who is conducting the investigation and talking to several witnesses at the location of the incident, concludes that the use of explosive to attack the house of Sat Savuth, the community forest protection leader, is related to his community activities to protect forests, lands and to defend human rights.

Chan Soveth said: “On the authority side, they think that because the victim knew the fact in advance, he could be creating the explosion by himself. We do not come up to this conclusion, but during the incident, 4 persons were seen by the activist: two of them were standing behind and two walked into the house.”

Kong Kheng, the 35-year-old wife of Sat Savuth, claimed that people actually wanted to kill her husband because of his community work to prevent illegal land-grabbing, and illegal logging in the area.

Kong Kheng said: “I am very concerned, I couldn’t sleep and I am restless. During his work, people threatened him, they want to persecute him also.”

On Monday, the group of human rights organizations in the country had expressed their concerns about the successive killings perpetrated on human rights activists and the group demanded that the authority arrest the culprits as well as their backers and bring them to justice.

Tes Soeum, the Anglong Veng police chief, said that on Monday, the authority had identified the culprits and they will be arrested soon.

Nevertheless, Tes Soeum claimed that the explosive attack was not related to the community forest protection activities: “This is a dumb thing (perpetrated) for some (unknown) reason.”

Human rights group claimed that Sat Savuth, the 42-year-old victim of the attack to kill him, used to be a community forest protection leader in Sandan district, Kompong Thom province. Those involved in illegal logging wanted to kill him once in 2005, and when he fled to live in Anlong Veng, he continued working for the community forest and land protection for the people again.

On Monday, the human rights group decided to take Sat Savuth, his wife, and his four children out to live in a safer place.