Monday, January 21, 2008

High Quality Timber Smuggled to Vietnam with Protection from Influential Persons

20 Dec 07
By Koet Samrach
Moneakseka Khmer

Translated from Khmer and posted online

Moneakseka Khmer has already published two issues exposing the protection provided by Ney Charei, deputy governor of Kandal province who is a brother-in-law of Kun Kim, deputy supreme commander of the armed forces and a close confidant of Hun Sen, for illegal timber merchants who have been smuggling luxury wood to Vietnam through the Chrey Thom border pass in Kaoh Thom district, Kandal province. After Moneakseka Khmer's successive reports, an official of Kandal province's Agriculture Office who spoke on condition of anonymity said that Ney Charei, deputy governor of Kandal province, and his elder sister known as Chae [sister] Ri, have continued to carry on their protection providing activities with unaltered arrogance. As for the authorities along the Bassak River and National Route 21, none of them dare to raise any objection to the merchants who are shipping luxury wood in boats, motorboats, and cars for sale to the Vietnamese via the Chrey Thom border pass because they are afraid of the influence of Kun Kim's brother-in-law Ney Charei.

The same Agriculture Office official further said that Ney Charei and his sibling Chae Ri can provide protection for the dishonest timber merchants to smuggle luxury wood to Vietnam with utter confidence because there is also the complicity of the Forest Administration chief of Kandal province, Mam Sarin, helping everything to proceed so smoothly. Without the complicity of Kandal province's Forest Administration chief, Ney Charei and his sister Chae Ri can not be the protectors of the dishonest timber merchants so overtly like this. In particular, Ney Charei relies on his being a brother-in-law of Kun Kim, deputy supreme commander of the armed forces and a close confidant of Hun Sen, in order for him to dare to do whatever he pleases.

The official at the Agriculture Office of Kandal province disclosed that head of the Forest Administration Ti Sokun and Agriculture Minister Chan Sarun knew very well that the deputy governor of Kandal province, Ney Charei, has connived with the chief of Kandal province's Forest Administration in allowing the dishonest merchants to smuggle luxury wood to Vietnam through the Chrey Thom pass. However, in their personal interests, Ti Sokun and Chan Sarun have remained quiet and acted as if they see nothing, hear nothing, and are aware of nothing concerning the anarchic shipments of luxury wood by the dishonest timber merchants to Vietnam through the Chrey Thom border pass. Besides, Ti Sokun and Chan Sarun are afraid of the authority of Kun Kim, deputy supreme commander of the armed forces and head of Hun Sen's advisory board. So, they just shut up so that no one's interests would be harmed.

According to a source familiar with Ney Charei, this deputy governor of Kandal province and his sister dare to protect the dishonest merchants' smuggling of luxury wood to Vietnam through the Chrey Thom border pass because they enjoy the complicity of the head of the international Chrey Thom pass customs office named Pheang. And this head of the customs office at Chrey Thom dares to collude with the deputy governor of Kandal province because he has received green light from the arch corrupt chairman of the Customs Service, Pen Simorn. It is for these reasons that the dishonest merchants can smuggle luxury wood via boats, motorboats, and cars to Vietnam through the Chrey Thom border pass, shipping hundreds of cubic meters of wood every night without fearing anything or anybody.

A Cabinet official of the Kandal provincial hall who asked to remain anonymous told Moneakseka Khmer that currently Ney Charei and his sister, Chae Ri, are notoriously known as the protectors of dishonest traders who smuggle luxury wood to Vietnam through Chrey Thom. Even Chhun Sirun, installed by Hun Sen as governor of Kandal province after firing Khim Bo, does not dare to raise a finger against Ney Charei because he is afraid of Kun Kim, a close confidant of Hun Sen. This has greatly emboldened Ney Charei and Chae Ri into doing whatever they want, for no one dares to say a word against them.

The same Cabinet official of the Kandal provincial hall further hinted that nowadays Chhun Sirun can only silently look at the activities of Ney Charei and Chae Ri without daring to open his mouth because staying mum would bring him some benefit. If he dares to touch Ney Charei it would mean he dares to face off Kun Kim. For this reason, Chhun Sirun has preferred to stay mum so that he still can eat some good foods by letting Ney Charei and Chae Ri do whatever they please rather than open up his mouth and risk losing his teeth.

As for Ruy Chhunli, head of the Cabinet of the Kandal provincial hall who is known to be a relatively influential person, he too dares not antagonize Ney Charei and Chae Ri, for fear of being removed from his seat as head of the Cabinet of the Kandal provincial hall without prior notice.

According to an official of the Agriculture Office of Kandal Province, Chrey Thom, Kandal Stoeng district, Kandal province is not the only border pass through which the dishonest timber merchants with strong backing have been smuggling luxury wood for sale in Vietnam. The smuggling also takes place through the K'am Samnar pass in Leuk Dek district, Kandal province. The most notorious trader who brings luxury wood to Vietnam through this K'am Samnar pass is Lach Tuch. Everybody on the west bank of Neak Loeung knows Lach Tuch very well. This man has been a veteran smuggler of luxury wood through the K'am Samnar pass. He has been at it for so long that he can afford to buy the title of Oknha with the proceeds from his illegal business.

Sources further said that Lach Tuch has been able to smuggle luxury wood to Vietnam through the K'am Samnar pass and has become so prosperous because of this illegal trade thanks to the complicity and well synchronized cooperation of the local police and the competent authorities at all levels, from top to bottom. Even the economic police have been seen taking money from Lach Tuch on a regular basis. Moreover, Lach Tuch has been regularly paying the provincial police commissioner, provincial military commander, provincial Military Police commander, provincial governor, and heads of other branches so that they would leave him alone to his business.

Those who have been monitoring the activities of trader Lach Tuch said that all types of competent authorities have been seen flocking the house and timber depot of this merchant to touch their regular payments without a trace of inhibition. As for the head of the Customs Office of K'am Samnar, he also accepts rich kickbacks from businessman Lach Tuch. For these reasons, this trader has been permitted to smuggle luxury wood to Vietnam without any obstacle. The sources have not mentioned the name of the ringleaders behind Lach Tuch, unlike the main backers of the smugglers of wood to Vietnam through the Chrey Thom pass who are well known to the public.

Observers have said that the dishonest merchants whose business is to smuggle luxury wood to Vietnam through the Chrey Thom pass are not afraid of the police along the Bassak River and National Route 21 because they rely on Ney Charei and Chae Ri as their protectors. The authorities concerned are so afraid of Ney Charei that just by hearing his name they already almost want to piss in their pants because they know that Ney Charei is a Kun Kim brother-in-law. Consequently, fearing nothing and nobody Ney Charei is using the title of deputy governor of Kandal province to provide protection for the illegal timber merchants.

No comments: