Cambodia's Amazon under threat

Wednesday, 07 March 2012
Written by Borin Noun
Asia Sentinel

Illegal logging, government collusion combine

The sounds of birds chirping filter down through the forest canopy as the 200 members of Prey Lang Network walk deep into Cambodia’s most precious rainforest.

The group, dedicated to stopping illegal logging, have set out on foot from the city of Kam Pong Thmor to the Prey Lang Forest, arguably Cambodia’s Amazon, a remote 200,000 hectares of virgin timber. Five hours in, they discover newly built roads and illegally logged timber.

“Since 2010 we have seized and destroyed many machines that we have found in our Prey Lang Forest and even around this area we also destroyed many,” said team head Cheang Vuthy as he stopped to survey the damage. Home to the indigenous Kouy people, “Prey Lang” means “our forest”.

Last year, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen approved a 9,000-hectare rubber plantation in the forest despite its status as a protected area. The government says the deal will boost local welfare, but a recent investigation has revealed the extent of illegal logging in the forest to make way for the rubber plantation.

Loggers held at Vietnam border

Monday, 06 September 2010
Tep Nimol
The Phnom Penh Post

POLICE in Ratanakkiri province arrested two Vietnamese men with the help of an ethnic Jarai leader on Saturday, after the pair were reportedly found illegally felling trees in Andong Meas district.

Sov Hmeus, head of the ethnic Jarai community in Kaet village, in Andong Meas district’s Nhang commune, said he was patrolling an area near the border with local police when the group came across six Vietnamese men who were cutting down trees with chainsaws.

Four of the men escaped on foot, but two were caught and confessed to each paying a US$154 bribe to Nin Na, chief of police at the Fhasav border checkpoint, in exchange for permission to cut down trees in Ratanakkiri.

“[Nin Na] has warned me not to interfere in these cases when Vietnamese people cut down trees in Cambodia,” said Sov Hmeus. “But I must protect the community forest and must not allow anybody to conspire with Vietnamese people to cut down trees illegally.”

Sov Hmeus said he intended to file a complaint against Nin Na today “for intimidation and for allowing Vietnamese people to cross the border to cut trees in Cambodia illegally”.

Nin Na could not be reached for comment.

But Uy Sarath, deputy commander of the military border battalion stationed at Ou Sathai, which controls the Fhasav border checkpoint, rejected accusations that checkpoint officials had taken bribes. “I will investigate the case, and if I find that someone has [taken bribes], I will take legal action,” he said.

Illegal Viet loggers go free ... Illegal Cambodian loggers go to jail: Life in the CPP kingdoom?

Three illegal Vietnamese loggers arrested and released

Monday, 2 August 2010
By Khmerization
Source: Kong Yuthnea, Radio Free Asia

Three Vietnamese illegal loggers, along with 2 motorbikes and two electric saws, had been arrested on 29th July while illegally logging inside Cambodian territory in O'Thmor Da village of Keo Seima district in Mondulkiri province, but were immediately released, reports Radio Free Asia.

Officials from the Conservation Department denied that there were any arrests of the Vietnamese illegal loggers, but confirmed the confiscations of 2 motorbikes and 2 electric saws. However, villagers said everybody had seen with their own eyes that the trio were being handcuffed by the military police. "Three Vietnamese, 2 electric saws and 2 motorbikes. Officials from the Conservation Department went down to the area and arrested them on the spot. There were plenty of villagers along the road witnessing the arrests. They saw the trio being arrested and bundled into a police car and saw the military police transporting them on motorbikes with their hand cuffed, most people saw it. According to the information, conservation officials fined them $1,000 each", he said.

A local official had also confirmed the arrests of the three Vietnamese.

However, Mr. Peth Peaktra, Deputy Director of Conservation Department of Keo Seima district, denied that there were any arrests of any Vietnamese. But official who was sent to conduct investigation at Keo Seima district had confirmed that three Vietnamese were in fact arrested, but immediately released after they paid $3,000 in bribes for the release. "Officials from Keo Seima Conservation Department had arrested the three (Vietnamese) loggers and they were paid $3,000 in bribes by those Vietnamese for their release. This is very true. Why did the conservation officials did like this? But for our Khmer people who didn't even log any trees, but just used their tractors to transport some timbers for other people, they, along with their tractors, were arrested and detained without food until today?", he said.

Mr. Song Pheang, director of Mondulkiri Forestry Department, said he had received a report from conservation officials that no Vietnamese were arrested. Only 2 electric saws and 2 motorbikes were seized. "The report didn't say that any people were arrested, but according to laws, any people who were arrested must be sent to court for prosecutions", he said.

In the past, there were reports that many Vietnamese illegal loggers were arrested for illegally logging inside Cambodian territory, but were often released without charge.

Jarai ethnic community take the law into their hands while the incompetent cops are too busy taking bribes

Jarai community vigilantes with the Viet truck transporting illegal logs they have arrested

Cops from unit 623 and O’Yadaw district cops allow illegal logging in Ratanakiri province by Viet merchants

Monday, May 11, 2009
Rasmei Kampuchea
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

The Jarai ethnic minority group from Lom village, Pok Nhai commune, has accused border cops from unit 623, as well as O’Yadaw district cops of collusion to allow illegal logging in Ratanakiri province by Viet merchants.

Poy Phnom, Lom village chief, said that since 2007, Viet merchants had come to log precious wood in the O’Yadaw area and they took them back to Vietnam in large trucks.

Poy Phnom claimed also that the reason these Viet merchants brought in large trucks and cut down precious wood because they are in collusion with the Cambodian border cops and O’Yadaw district cops.

He said that the Viet merchants who conducted illegal logging only aim at No. 1 precious wood. After they are done logging, they cut the woods into pieces and carted them off to Vietnam in large trucks.

He said also that members of his community reported the case to Pok Nhai commune cops, as well as border cops, indicating that Viet merchants trespassed into Cambodian territories to conduct illegal logging, but the cops never arrested them. Quite to the contrary, the cops turned around and accused the villagers of not telling the truth.

Poy Phnom said that, in the past, community vigilantes stopped the trucks transporting illegal logs belonging to Viet merchants, and they brought them to the cops, but the cops made arrangements with the Viet merchants, took their bribes and released the trucks back.

The Lom village chief said that in the evening of 07 May, vigilantes from his community arrested one the trucks belonging to the Viet merchants, but another one fled near O’Cheang area, Lom village, Pok Nhai commune, about 6 kilometers from the “white zone” [No man’s land: disputed border zone].

He added that when the illegal truck was stopped, there were 4 Vietnamese citizens inside the trucks and they have confiscated 10 pieces of logs, each measuring 3-meter long with 40 to 80-centimeter wide.

The truck was brought to Lom village by the vigilantes, but the 4 Viets were handed to the Pok Nhai commune police. However, the next morning, the cops released all the Viets back.

The community indicated also that cops of the Pok Nhai commune are threatening the community and forcing them to return the truck back to the Viet merchant in exchange for 10 million dongs (~$550). But, the community refused to return the trucks back to the Viets.

Nguon Sovann, chief of the border police unit 623, indicated that in the case of the community confiscating the Viet truck, he is not involved with it because he is currently sick. However, he said that police officers working under him are following up on this case. When we asked the cops who are under the order of chief Nguon Sovann, they said that this issue involved that O’Yadaw district police instead.

Ma Vichit, O’Yadaw district police commissioner, indicated that, on the day the illegal logs were confiscated, he was busy: he went to a meeting at the Ratanakiri province. However, he said that his officers are already involved in this case.

Sao Vanny, director of the Keo Andong Meas forestry department, said that he did not learn yet about the community confiscating a Viet truck transporting illegal logs, but that he is sending officials to follow up on this case, however, he does not know the outcome yet.

Representatives of the Jarai community asked the government to take measures to prevent unauthorized Viet merchants to bring in large trucks to conduct illegal logging in O’Yadaw district. They said that the illegal logging started since 2007, and when they reported the cases to the border cops, no measure was ever taken, to the contrary, these cops only take bribes from the Viet merchants only.

Vietnamese illegally logging in Mondulkiri

23 June 2007
By Or Phearith
Radio Free Asia
Translated from Khmer by Socheata

Villagers form Chhneng village, Sre Khtum commune, Keo Seima district, Mondulkiri province, said that Vietnamese people have crossed the border into Cambodia for small tree logging activities and transporting the logs back to Vietnam by motorcycles.

Chhneng villagers said the Vietnamese arrive in small groups through the border gate, each group comprising 2 to 3 members and up to 5 members, they came to Cambodia by motorcycles, and they bring along chainsaws to cut down trees in area 33 located in Chhneng commune. The Vietnamese people claim that they log the trees to harvest the tree center core exclusively.

Chhneng villagers said: “The Vietnamese came in to log the trees because (the Cambodian officials) take their (bribe) money, that’s why they come in large number, it’s a mess there. They only log the valuable (Ko-koh) trees to take back to their country. When they cut down the trees, they cut out the tree core which is the most valuable part, and they cut it into 3 wood logs measuring each 1-meter long. They transport the wood logs back by motorcycles, each motorcycle carrying 2 to 3 wood logs.”

A Cambodian villager who is involved in professional logging, said that when he went to the forest, he encountered groups of Vietnamese loggers, and he asked them to see their permits for wood logging: “In Chhneng, also called (area) 33, when I saw them logging trees, I asked them (for their permits), they said that they made payments at the border. They came in to log the trees, and they use motorcycles to transport back wood logs measuring between 1.2-meter to 1.5-meter long, depending on the ability of the motorcycle drivers. When I asked them, they said that they paid the fees at the border, and they even showed documents to me. They came in numerous groups, sometimes they go to one location, and then to another location the next time around”

The deputy forestry chief of Mondulkiri province said that area 33 in Chhneng village falls under the control of the environment department of Snuol, Kratie province.

Nop Chanthy, the director of the environment department of Kratie province, confirmed that the control of region 33 is planned to be transferred to Mondulkiri province, but that right now, the situation is still unclear. However, he said that based on the (illegal) logging report, the local authorities in Mondulkiri should arrest (the illegal Vietnamese loggers).

Sin Vannavuth, the Keo Seima district governor, said that the border gate allows free passage for people from both sides of the border, but some bad people are crossing over to Cambodia to conduct illegal activities.

Sin Vannavuth said: “In the past, we arrested Vietnamese people and we educated them, we even called the Vietnamese authority to come over to educate them and fine them and then we send them back across the border gate (to Vietnam). These (illegal logging) cases did actually take place, and we made the arrest, but now, they are taking advantage of this opportunity. We will not let it happen, there was nobody who authorize them (to conduct illegal logging).”

The arrival of groups of Vietnamese loggers cause a lot of concerns among the Chhneng villagers who are afraid that valuable woods in Cambodia will be logged and taken to Vietnam, and forcing the Cambodian villagers to buy back from Vietnam finished furniture built with lower quality woods, and at a higher price.