Nothing really left to protect. I wonder when HE will cut his own head off...

Bitte_Kein_Lexus wrote:Nothing really left to protect. I wonder when HE will cut his own head off...

Indeed.

Among the Cambodian PM’s statements against the illegal logging and deforestation problem is a notable one, where he said that allowing expansive tracts of forests to be cut down was “the biggest mistake” of the last decade. He also added, that if the licences of companies found to be logging illegally were not revoked, “I will cut my own head off”.

Let's hope he's reading the Khmer Times who continue with their articles denouncing the massive logging that's going on in Prey Lang forest.
It appears that there is now also a "legal" wood factory to process the trees illegally cut from the nearby forest.
Entrance to the factory is guarded.

PREAH VIHEAR – Prime Minister HE has repeatedly called for a stop to deforestation in the country, but his pleas have fallen on deaf ears in Preah Vihear province, as an investigation this week by Khmer Times has shown.

One company with alleged links to people in high places has just opened a large wood processing factory in the O’Sneat area near Tor Sou village in Tor Sou commune, which is in Chen Sey district in Preah Vihear province.

Local residents allege that the trees being felled to feed the wood processing factory are coming from the nearby Prey Lang forest, which is now supposed to be a protected area.

Full article here: http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/29149/ ... restation/

Previous article from further up the thread: http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/28863/ ... continues/

This is a global witness film divided into 3 parts on Utube called "The Green Deal in Cambodia". It dates back to before 2007(when it was uploaded here), but is interesting to see how little the situation has changed despite the hand-on-heart promises of politicians - including the famous "I will cut off my own head" speech which is a moment worth watching in Part 1 at 7mn. All the promises made are of equal worth.

Another point of interest in this little film is the part about the role of resin trees as a cash provider in poor Cambodian communities. There has been a lot of talk about the destruction of resin trees in Prey Lang forest recently, and you can see the importance of these trees to the community in the video.





As I said, the video is at least 10 years old but nothing has changed. Still logging, still promising...

Prey Lang activists laud researcher’s accolade
26 November 2018
Prey Lang forest activists were delighted to hear that Ida Theilade received an award during a ceremony presided over by the Queen of Denmark at the University of Copenhagen last week.

At the awards ceremony on November 20, Theilade, a senior researcher at the university in Denmark, met with the Queen and talked about the Prey Lang communities’ efforts to protect the forest and the use of a mobile app to track activities there, said a Facebook post by the Prey Lang Community Network (PLCN).

“The Prey Lang app was created by Ida Theilade to help the PLCN patrol and inspect the geographical area and collect, share and store data of all forest and wildlife crimes that have occurred at the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary.

“We were happy to hear that she received this prestigious award from the University of Copenhagen,” said Sok Plok, the PLCN representative in Kampong Thom province.

Preah Vihear PLCN head Srey They told The Post that through the mobile app, Prey Lang activists can share information to prevent forest and wildlife crimes.
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ ... s-accolade

Funny

Monks to bless trees at Prey Preah Roka Forest
5 January 2020


The Prey Preah Roka Forest Community Network (PPRFCN) will organise a tree blessing ceremony at Prey Preah Roka Forest from January 10-11 to remember those who sacrificed their lives to protect the forest.

It will also serve to forge a renewed sense of cooperation between the authorities and villagers on a common platform to protect the Prey Preah Roka Forest.

A PPRFCN member in Tbeng Meanchey district, Choem Chien, told The Post on Thursday, that the tree blessing ceremony is being organised by 300 villagers and PPRFCN members in the Prey Preah Roka area, which is located in the districts of Preah Vihear province – Tbeng Meanchey, Chheb, and Choam Ksan.

PPRFCN has also sent an invitation to the Prey Lang Community Network, provincial and district governors, local authorities, officials from the provincial department of environment and civil society organisations.

Chien said on January 9, participants will gather in Chheb district’s Pou Teap commune and then travel to O’Thar Chunhchaing which is in the middle of Preah Roka forest.

The tree blessing and food offering ceremony for the spirit in the forest will be held the following day.

Monks will chant and preach from Buddhist religious texts. January 11 will see food offerings made to the monks and 1,000 trees blessed.

There will also be a lunch offering to the monks as a final stage of the ceremony, after which there will be a dialogue between the authorities and communities in the afternoon.

Chien said: “Thousands of small and big trees left behind after the perpetrators cut them down will be put in the tree blessing ceremony to be protected. Now the big trees have already been cut down but we are afraid that the perpetrators will come to grab land for farming, so we have to protect the small trees.”
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/ ... oka-forest

It's also worth noting the vast amount of people sell Khmer wood on Facebook in various forms.

Massive tables, statues, wardrobes, beds, poles, and other various furniture.

Mind if you purchase new Khmer wood for anything (including your house).

Se are quite brazen as well. One guy showed up on my feed with huge unfinished slats which were clearly fr right near where the trees were felled. I wrote a comment in Khmer asking is the trees were legally logged and he quickly banned me from his page, lol.