ឆ្លងដែន​មរណៈ​ជញ្ជូន​ឈើគ្រញូង​លើ​ខ្នងភ្នំ​ដង​រែក - Along the path of death for rosewood on Dangrek Mountain

ថ្ងៃអង្គារ ទី២៧ ខែមីនា ឆ្នាំ២០១២
ដោយ Bopha
ដកស្រង់ពី Koh Santepheap

នា​ថ្ងៃ​ទី​២៤ ​​មីនា មាន​អ្នក​ឡើង​ភ្នំដង​រែក​កាប់​ឈើ​គ្រញូង​ចំនួន​២០​ទៅ​៣០​នាក់​ នៅ​ក្នុង​ចំណោម​អ្នក​ទាំង​នោះ​មាន​ម្នាក់​ឈ្មោះ​​​​​សន ធឿន​ ភេទ​ប្រុស​ អាយុ​២៩​ឆ្នាំ មាន​ស្រុក​កំណើត​​នៅ​ស្រុក​​សង្កែ ខេត្ត​បាត់​ដំបង​ ដែលទៅ​​ស្នាក់​នៅ​ភូមិ​អូរឫស្សី​ ឃុំ​អូរ​ស្វាយ ស្រុក​ត្រពាំង​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ប្រាសាទ ខេត្ត​ឧត្តរ​មាន​ជ័យ​ ​​រៀប​រាប់​​​ឱ្យ​​កោះ​សន្តិភាព​​ដឹងថា​ ពួក​គេ​រក​ស៊ី​ឡើង​ទៅ​លើ​ភ្នំ​ដង​រែក​កាប់​ឈើ​គ្រញូង​​ចំនួន​៦​ទៅ​៨​ដង​ ហើយ​។ ពួកគេ​បាន​ដើរ​កាត់​ព្រៃចូល​ទៅ​ក្នុង​ទឹក​ដី​ថៃ​ ដែល​មាន​ជម្រៅ​រាប់​គីឡូ​ម៉ែត្រ ។ នៅ​ពេល​រក​​ឈើ​គ្រញូង​បាន​​ហើយ​ពួក​គេ​​នាំ​គ្នា​វិល​ត្រឡប់​មក​វិញ​ដោយ​ ប្រើ​បច្ចេក​ទេស​ចង​ឈើ​គ្រញូង​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ចំនួន​៤​ទៅ​៥​ដុំ ទំហំ​​​១៥​x១៥​ប្រវែង​​១​ម៉ែត្រ រួច​ចង​ស្ពាយ​ដូច​សាក់​កាដូ​​ដើរ​កាត់​ព្រៃ​​ ចុះ​អូរ​ ឡើង​ភ្នំ ទំរាំ​ចូល​មក​ដល់​ក្នុង​​ទឹក​ដី​ខ្មែរ​វិញ​។ ពួក​គេ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​លក់​ឈើ​គ្រញូង​ទាំង​ នោះ​បើ​គិត​ជា​ទឹក​ប្រាក់​​មាន​តម្លៃ​​ពី​១៥០​​ទៅ​​២០០​ដុល្លារ​​អាមេរិក​នៅ ​សល់​ពី​ការ​បង់​​ផ្លូវ ។

ប្រភព​ដដែល​បន្ត​ថា ​សព្វ​ថ្ងៃ​នេះ​មាន​ប្រជា​ពលរដ្ឋ​ឡើង​ភ្នំ​រាប់​រយ​នាក់​​​​​​​​នៅ​ពេញ​ព្រៃ ៕
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Excerpt from Koh Santepheap Daily
Translated from Khmer by Soy

On 24 March 2012, there were about 20 to 30 loggers who climbed up the Dangrek Mountain to log rosewood. Among these men was Sorn Thoeun, a 29-year-old man from Sangker district, Battambang province. He currently stays in O’Russey village, O’Svay commune, Trapaing district, Oddar Meanchey. He told Koh Santepheap that he made the trip to fetch rosewood 6 to 8 times already. They have to cross the forest several kilometers inside Thailand. After they log the rosewood trees, they tied the logs in a bunch of 4 or 5 pieces – each piece measuring 15 cm by 15 cm and 1 meter long – they would carry them on their back just like a backpack. They then trek back across the forest, through rivers and mountains and finally they reach back to Cambodia. After they sell their logs and paying off all the bribe fees along the road, they can make between to $150 to $200 per trip. The same source indicated that hundreds of Cambodians are undertaking this dangerous trade and the forest is full illegal loggers.
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KI-Media Note: If caught by Thai soldiers or cops, these Cambodian illegal loggers are usually shot dead on the spot. Thai rangers sometimes burn the bodies to hide their killings.

The hidden cost of tropical wood

Rosewood is so valuable even small scale logging is profitable (credit: EIA)

February 17, 2012
By Kevin Heath
Wildlife News (UK)

Tropical hardwoods are highly sought after by furniture makers and Rosewoods are among those species most in demand. Behind the luxury furniture or ornaments made from the wood lies a world of international commodity traders, armed shoot-outs, corruption of officials and most worrying of all the real potential loss of some species in just a few years.

Rosewoods are hardwoods from a range of tropical trees that come predominately from the Delbergia genus. They have rich deep colours ranging from browns through to rich reds. The wood can produce high quality and detailed finishes which make it ideal for use in luxury furniture, musical instruments and veneers.

Most rosewoods are endangered or vulnerable.

The species of trees that produce the rosewoods are found around the world including in South East Asia – particularly in the countries found in the Mekong River catchment such as Cambodia, Thailand and Laos. Most of the species that are targeted are classed as either endangered or vulnerable. Most countries have domestic regulations in place to prevent logging of the species but there is currently no regulation on the international trade.

5 containers of precious wood seized in Sihanoukville

Ty Sokhun, director of the forestry department and one of the person implicated in illegal logging by Global Witness (Photo: Global Witness)

11 September 2007
By Sok Serey
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

The Sihanoukville authority seized 5 containers of precious wood at the Sihanoukville port while they were waiting to be shipped overseas.

According to preliminary information, the Sihanoukville customs authority already seized the containers and the authority still continues to look into the people involved in the shipping.

Say Hak, the governor of Sihanoukville, told RFA on Tuesday that the containers were seized, however, he is still waiting for a detailed report from the customs authority.

Say Hak said: “I saw it, I am asking them to provide a detailed report. Earlier the 5 containers were arrested. They (exporters) had all the legal papers, they have all the export documents, that’s the story. That’s all I have.”

A source indicated that the several hundreds of cubic meters of precious woods in the containers are worth several tens of thousands of dollars.

Pen Siman, the director of the customs department, and Ty Sokhun, the director of the forestry department, cannot be reached on Tuesday about this issue. No source is willing to provide actual information on this issue.

SRP MP Son Chhay said: “We heard about this issue, we can see that the prevention of the export (of woods) is not effective. Large quantity of export still takes place in corridors along the Vietnamese border. The exports are now done at the seaport also. We, just like all citizens, want the authority and the government to work efficiently, the laissez-faire in the illegal logging, and the continued export (of woods) in this manner, will create a complete destruction of our forests within the next 2 to 3 years, just as the forest experts predicted.”

Illegal logging and illegal wood trading still constitute a main attention for the Cambodian public and for the forest protection communities in Cambodia. The Cambodian public and the forest protection organizations are constantly demanding a stop on illegal logging, and the illegal wood trade in Cambodia.

In November 2006, the Cambodian court sentenced 15 people to 7 to 17-year of jail time, accusing them of corruption, illegal logging, and the destruction of the Virachey national park located in the Dragon Tail area in Ratanakiri province, in Cambodia’s northeast, between 2003 and 2004.