yeah. The loggers are on the way to kohrong to clear the iskland ready for a condo/hotel/casino complex

February 3, 2020
National military police highlights 2019 anti-logging campaign

The National Committee for Forest Crime Prevention yesterday reported it arrested about 60 suspects and confiscated more than 9,000 cubic metres of wood during its anti-illegal logging campaign last year.

NCFCP was created in December 2016 by the government and is headed by General Sao Sokha, commander of the National Military Police. The committee consists of the National Military Police officers and officials from the Ministry of Agriculture, including forest rangers. It is tasked with preventing and cracking down on forestry crime.

It said in a press release issued yesterday that last year 59 forestry crime suspects were sent to court and 9,215 cubic metres of timber and 491 vehicles used to transport illegal timber were seized.

It said 212 out of the 491 vehicles seized were dismantled and destroyed.

“Individuals or companies involved in forestry crimes will face legal action, while suspects will be sent to court under legal procedures,” it said. “Equipment and vehicles used in forestry crimes will be destroyed in accordance with Article 119 of the Criminal Code.”

“The seized timbers were kept by the committee so they will not be lost or accidentally burned,” it said. “The timbers have been put up for auction and the money received were given to the nation.”

The Ministry of Agriculture on January 23 in a statement said it accounted for about $6.3 million it received in “royalties” from timber auctions conducted last year.
https://www.khmertimeskh.com/50686496/n ... g-campaign

Anti-logging taskforce touts its case statistics
Phak Seangly | Publication date 04 March 2020 | 23:56 ICT

The National Committee for the Prevention and Crackdown on Natural Resource Crimes, led by the National Military Police, on Wednesday denied that it has hesitated to crack down on illegal logging in Kantuy Neak area located in a protected area in Ratanakkiri province.

The denial was made in a press release to respond to recent accusations in local media and on Facebook that authorities hesitated to take legal action as 1,887 logs of timber were found in the Kantuy Neak area.

It stated that the committee had gone to investigate forest crimes in the Kantuy Neak area located in Virak Chey National Park in Ratannakkiri’s Taveng district from December 29 to January 16.

Authorities discovered 2,068 logs of illegal wood including 181 logs ripped by fire. The timber was seized and handed over to provincial authorities to safeguard before sending the case to court.

“We confirm that the National Committee for the Prevention and Crackdown on Natural Resource Crimes was created on a decision by the government and that it carries out its duties in accordance with the laws. If there is a crime, it must be cracked down on. There is no hesitation,” the press released said.

The Committee has so far auctioned 7,385 cubic meters of timber seized in Mondulkiri, Kratie, and Tbong Khmum provinces, it said.

Committee spokesman Eng Hy said authorities did not see any trucks or suspects in the vicinity of the logs found in the Kantuy Neak area.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ ... statistics

Forestry officers attempting to prevent illegal logging in Phnom Aural Wildlife Sanctuary were forced to back down after they were confronted by a mob of armed and angry villagers over the weekend.

K Speu authorities, NGO confronted in timber truck raid
Soth Koemsoeun | Publication date 05 April 2020 | 22:28 ICT
The Kampong Speu provincial Forestry Administration and environmental watchdog ACNCIPO attempted to seize 20 home-made trucks and nearly 20 cubic metres of timber from the Phnom Aural Wildlife Sanctuary on Saturday but were stopped by over 100 people who gathered in groups to resist the raid.

ACNCIPO director Chea Hean told The Post on Sunday that he had collaborated with 14 forest rangers to assist with cracking down on forest crimes.

They were tasked with regularly patrolling and protecting the sub-headquarters of O’trao, Srae Kren, Phnum Toch, Teuk Pus, Khsal and others in the Central Cardamom and the Southern Cardamom conservation areas.

Hean said a working group first spotted the 20 home-made trucks which were carrying the nearly 20 cubic metres of timber.

When the crowd of more than 100 arrived, the timber ended up falling off the trucks and the perpetrators managed to escape.

Hean lamented that the transportation of the timber by home-made trucks, ox-drawn carts and vans has continued unabated.

He said the wildlife sanctuary is contained in an area where illegal transportation of timber happens frequently, and that’s why he requested rangers to inspect the area.

“When we patrolled the forest, we spotted 20 home-made trucks transporting timber and we held them. Moments later, people armed with knives, axes and home-made rifles came to liberate them and shouted threats at us.

“We backed down a little for fear of our safety. Suddenly, they let the timber fall and drove the home-made trucks away.”

Phnom Aural Wildlife Sanctuary office deputy head Hul Mara said on Sunday that he and a working group of 13 other people had joined the patrols with Chea Hean.

He confirmed the incident and said that because his group was small in number, they couldn’t confront the offenders.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ ... truck-raid

Heads up ! It's World Environment Day tomorrow. Latest news from the Ministry of the Environment:


Cambodia News, Phnom Penh : This is the statement of Secretary of State Neth Pheaktra and spokesman for the Ministry of Environment on 2 June 2020.The Ministry of Environment has cracked down on 3333 natural resource crime cases in the first four months of this year, much of it involving illegal encroachment on forest land, illegal logging and other natural resources offenses.

The Secretary of State said that among these violations of natural resources in a protected area, 179 cases involving nearly 200 people were filed in court for trial and the suspects were fined, 403 cases were transferred, and 613 cases of criminal offenses resulted in 'education' by the authorities and contracts signed by the suspects not to repeat their offenses.

Weapons and chainsaws were seized, as well as trucks and motorbikes.

Good to see that people have noticed that illegal logging has not, in fact, finished in Cambodia, and they are speaking out. It is now four years ago this month that this thread was started after the Cambodian Environment Minister first declared that major illegal logging and forest destruction was a thing of the past.

Official Order to End Illegal Logging Deemed ‘Show’ by Cambodian Activists
They say the authorities are complicit in rampant logging and encroachment.
By RFA - June 26, 2020

Indigenous groups and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) on Thursday dismissed a recent directive from Cambodia’s government ordering local authorities to end illegal logging, calling the move a “show” aimed at mending its reputation of being too soft on forest crimes.

On June 19, Minister of Agriculture Veng Sakhon issued a statement asking all provincial agriculture directors to take action against illegal logging, land encroachment, and forest destruction according to the law.

“Illegal fishing, illegal logging, and illegal encroachment on state land remarkably continues to exist in a few provinces, so in order to ensure effective management—especially of forests and fisheries—the Ministry of Agriculture calls on provincial and municipal agriculture officers to take action to prevent and crack down on [these violations] through any means necessary,” the statement said.

In full: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/cambod ... 71222.html

Cambodia News, Kratie: Three motorcycles illegally transporting timber from Snoul district in Kratie province to the Vietnam border were found abandoned at 9:20 pm last night, July 11, 2020, after a raid by Snoul police.
The local authorities had information about the transport of some illegal wood being trafficked and they intercepted 3 motorbikes transporting illegal timber across the border, while the traffickers disappeared, leaving their cargo.

The crackdown on illegal loggers by the police force 709 follows a series of media reports of anarchic cross-border trafficking of illegal wood to Vietnam in the border area of ​​Snuol district in recent days.

Cambodia News, Kampong Speu Province: According to the authorities, before the crackdown, Oral Santuary Wildlife rangers received a report that a gold color Samsung car with license plate number 2A-3690 would be transporting illegal timber through O Trav checkpoint in Kampong Speu province. The pieces of illegal wood were being transported from Pursat province to be stored at an unknown location in Por Meas village in Phnom Penh.
The anonymous report to the authorities suggested that the vehicle was expected at the checkpoint and an appropriate amount of money was expected to change hands in order to allow the vehicle to proceed.

Unexpectedly, the army team from the sanctuary was at the checkpoint to intercept the car full of 20 sizeable pieces of illegal timber and confiscate it. The driver of the vehicle ran away.

Its amazing he driver of the vehicle ran away, when the army team from the sanctuary was at the checkpoint to intercept the car. Oh well you loose some, maybe on his running travels he may bump into another runner, there's plenty of them here.

Cambodia News, Ratanakkiri Province: Andong Meas District Gendarmerie found several piles of wood hidden by traders at 7 pm on September 16 2020, at a point in a rubber company located in Muy Sre village, Nhang commune, Andong Meas district, Ratanakkiri province.


According to the source, the wood is between 1 and 3 meters thick and 3.20 meters long. It was stockpiled ready to be illegally transported across the border to Vietnam.