World Environment Day: Update! Illegal Logging has Finished.

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Re: World Environment Day: Update! Illegal Logging has Finished.

Post by CEOCambodiaNews »

This article on the power struggle between Environment and Agriculture ministries came out a couple of weeks ago. Worth a read:
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/weekend/turf-war-124889/

Someone forgot to tell the loggers that illegal logging and transporting wood to Vietnam has in fact stopped.

Loggers Caught Trafficking Timber in 8 Trucks Bound for Vietnam
by Aun Pheap | February 24, 2017
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Authorities in Mondolkiri province seized eight trucks about to cross into Vietnam with illegally logged timber from the Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary and arrested seven of the drivers, six of them Vietnamese nationals, a provincial military police commander said on Thursday.

Sak Sarang, the commander, said a mixed force of more than 120 personnel converged on the O’houch border checkpoint in Keo Seima district acting on a tip-off from local authorities that illegal timber was crossing into Vietnam on a regular basis.

The government placed a blanket ban on all timber exports to Vietnam in January last year, in a tacit admission that much of it was illegal. However, Vietnamese customs data obtained by the U.S. NGO Forest Trends shows that tens of thousands of cubic meters of timber worth millions of dollars have still managed to make it through.

During Wednesday’s operation in Mondolkiri, authorities saw a total of 10 timber-loaded trucks lined up at the border checkpoint, but failed to stop two of them before they slipped across, said Keo Sopheak, the province’s environment department director.

The other trucks “drove into Vietnam and we did not dare to chase them,” he said. “We think our Khmer border protection officials opened the gate for those Vietnamese people because they could not enter Cambodia if we do not let them in.”...
https://www.cambodiadaily.com/news/logg ... am-125740/
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Re: World Environment Day: Update! Illegal Logging has Finished.

Post by CEOCambodiaNews »

Mondulkiri crackdown. In a huge corruption sting by government officials investigating illegal logging, two policemen will possibly have to pay some sort of fine for corruption, while others will be promoted elsewhere...

Timber graft case snares officers
More than 10 police and military officers in Mondulkiri province have been summoned for questioning over a big corruption case involving illegal timber exports to Vietnam.
The order came from the National Commission to Prevent and Suppress Natural Resources Offenses, which was set up by the government in December.

Two police officials could face court action, while others may be punished and moved to another location.

Details of a crackdown on the illegal trade of taking timber across the border were set out in a letter from National Police chief Neth Savoeun to Interior Minister Sar Kheng on Thursday last week.
It said five police officers from the Kok Ou Huch border station, five from Ou Chum police station and some border military officials had fled.

The letter said Ou Chum police chief Chum Rotana and military officials Tea Khaimeng and Em Sokhour conspired with Vietnamese timber broker Ouk Nhor to run the timber operation after a $170,000 bribe.
The letter added that $85,000 went to Mr. Khaimeng and Mr. Sokhour and the rest to Mr. Rotana to share with five other officials.

National Police concluded that 11 police officials and two military officials conspired with the Vietnamese broker in cutting down forest timber and taking it illegally into Vietnam...
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/36585/ ... -officers/
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Anchor Moy
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Re: World Environment Day: Update! Illegal Logging has Finished.

Post by Anchor Moy »

Big surprise. All that illegal wood that was seized recently in raids against illegal logging is to be sold to Vietnam - legally. (Lol) How to get rid of illegal logging ? Bingo.

Timber exported in secret
11 August 2017
The government has granted a private company an export licence to transport $15 million worth of illegal timber bought at an auction last year to Vietnam, documents show.

According to leaked documents obtained yesterday, Ung Sam Ath, director of the Forestry Administration, and Minister of Commerce Pan Sorasak signed two documents on July 6 and 7 to provide a licence for the export of Grade 1 timber to V. Energy Logistics, which bought $15 million worth of confiscated timber in October 2016...

Prime Minister HE created NADC in January last year to address claims of widespread, open-faced deforestation in the northern provinces.
The committee made a point of publicising their raids, highlighting the vast stores of timber they were confiscating before its illegal transport to Vietnam...

http://www.khmertimeskh.com/5077733/tim ... ed-secret/
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Re: World Environment Day: Update! Illegal Logging has Finished.

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If you repeat something often enough, it becomes credible. Once again, the Ministry of Environment is quoted as saying (by the government news outlet Fresh News) :
“Large-scale forest crime is no longer happening in Cambodia
MoE Releases Data on Cambodia's Forest Coverage
17/08/2017
Phnom Penh (FN), August 17 - The Ministry of Environment (MoE) reacted to national and international NGOs regarding the loss of forest coverage.

MoE's forest coverage data indicated that the annual average loss of forest coverage had decreased from 2.7% in 2010-2014 to 0.8% in 2014-2016.

“Large-scale forest crime is no longer happening in Cambodia, and the relevant authorities continue to crackdown small and medium scale to effectively strengthen the protection and management of natural resources,” according to a press release by MoE dated Thursday.
FRESH NEWS
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Re: World Environment Day: Update! Illegal Logging has Finished.

Post by Barang chgout »

Dat's why da boys bring my building materials at 4 a.m. .....
Lol!

Sent from my SM-G570Y using Tapatalk

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Re: World Environment Day: Update! Illegal Logging has Finished.

Post by AndyKK »

^^And that's the way it is. I built a house in the north. I was buying wood from the saw mills and timber yards along the banks of the Mekong.
The wood would be delivered to them at night time to be cut and then ferried across the river and sold in Laos.
Always "hope" but never "expect".
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Re: World Environment Day: Update! Illegal Logging has Finished.

Post by CEOCambodiaNews »

The disconnection between words and facts goes on shamelessly:

Fight forest crimes, PM urges
23 August 2017
- Prime Minister HE declared a passion for forest protection yesterday, urging officials to improve the efficiency of forest crime prevention.
He told a forum at the Peace Palace on protection and conservation of natural resources of his earlier call for a national movement to protect the environment and the country’s natural resources.
In 2015, the prime minister established a commission to prevent and suppress deforestation, illegal timber exports and other forest offences.

Yesterday, Mr HE said he hated people who cut down trees. And he said that at party meetings he reminded members not to pardon those who destroyed forests, no matter who or how high-ranking they were.
“I hate people who cut down trees because it is like cutting off my head,” he said, calling for a census of loggers so that they could be recognised more easily.

Data released by US-based NGO Forest Trends this month said that between January and June Vietnamese customs registered the importation of 313,000 cubic metres of Cambodian timber, worth $142 million...
http://www.khmertimeskh.com/5079501/fig ... -pm-urges/
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Re: World Environment Day: Update! Illegal Logging has Finished.

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Officials deny timber sent to Vietnam via Sesan
22 December 2017
Ratanakkiri Military Police officials yesterday denied multiple local media reports that thousands of logs of luxury timber were being transported on the Sesan River to be sent to Vietnam illegally.

Various local media outlets on Tuesday aired a one-minute video clip showing large stockpiles of luxury timber, including the thnong and neang nuon varieties, being pushed into the Sesan River by nine workers.

News outlets suggested the timber was being illegally transported via the river to Vietnam through the O’Yadav border checkpoint.

Kim Raksmey, provincial Military Police commander, said he was instructed to look into the claim after Deputy National Military Police Commander Hong Vinol asked for an immediate investigation.

However, Raksmey said the timber was not being illegally transported and was from a licensed economic land concession controlled by Hong An Mang Yang K Rubber Development.
“We checked and found that the company collecting the timber was legal. The company was recently permitted to transport six trucks of timber,” he said.

But, Soy Sona, head of the provincial Agriculture Department, said that the company had already cleared the forest within its ELC to plant rubber and only some old timber remained.

Sona said he didn’t know whether there was any illicit timber collection going on outside the company’s land, and acknowledged that some locals in the area were known to sell timber for extra income.
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/o ... tnam-sesan
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Re: World Environment Day: Update! Illegal Logging has Finished.

Post by Kammekor »

Well, technically the Ratanakiri police is speaking the truth.
Ratanakkiri Military Police officials yesterday denied multiple local media reports that thousands of logs of luxury timber were being transported on the Sesan River to be sent to Vietnam illegally.
The Se San river is not deep enough at this time for year for this kind of transport, and transporting wood upstream is quite a hassle. But apparently the road to the Vietnamese border is quite busy at night with heavy loaded trucks with covered loads...
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Re: World Environment Day: Update! Illegal Logging has Finished.

Post by CEOCambodiaNews »

Kammekor wrote: Sat Dec 23, 2017 10:24 am Well, technically the Ratanakiri police is speaking the truth.
Ratanakkiri Military Police officials yesterday denied multiple local media reports that thousands of logs of luxury timber were being transported on the Sesan River to be sent to Vietnam illegally.
The Se San river is not deep enough at this time for year for this kind of transport, and transporting wood upstream is quite a hassle.
Various local media outlets on Tuesday aired a one-minute video clip showing large stockpiles of luxury timber, including the thnong and neang nuon varieties, being pushed into the Sesan River by nine workers.
Good point. Will try to find the video. It may be old or at least date back to the end of rainy season.
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