Timber sales to Vietnam trebled in 2014, finds report

juansweetpotato · Post by **juansweetpotato** » Sat May 30, 2015 8:52 am

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/post-weeke ... nds-report

Timber sales to Vietnam trebled in 2014, finds report

Are Khmer spouting vitriol at the Vietnamese in order to enrich themselves from doing business with them whilst covering their own asses using bigotry? Let's not mention the amount of Vietnamese girls working in prostitution either

Are these considered good traditional 'Khmer values' too?

Sailorman · Post by **Sailorman** » Sat May 30, 2015 9:31 am

The King of Thailand years ago stopped the cutting down of trees by helping to pass a law that you had to get his permission to cut a tree and making it illegal to own a chainsaw. Well, the Thai people are devoted to the king, unlike here where they only recently discovered they could get a bunch of holidays after their king died (I believe he died in China.) Time for the present Cambo king to get a set and help pass laws like the King of Thailand and/or pass/enforced laws on throwing trash everywhere.

taabarang · Post by **taabarang** » Sat May 30, 2015 10:30 am

His majesty is powerless either by political circumstances or choice. If he were to try to act that way the royalty would be disbanded by the govt. HE has threatened to do it before. It's a shame, but His Majesty is at best a rubber stamp. No set in sight.

Anchor Moy · Post by **Anchor Moy** » Sat May 30, 2015 2:51 pm

Permits for chainsaws sounds good in theory, but I can imagine how it would work here - just another occasion to pay "tax".

The value of the wood was $256 million in 2014, compared to $45 million in 2013, although value figures are routinely underestimated to avoid import taxes

Truckloads of contraband wood cross the border every night and I don't suppose anyone is counting, so these figures don't mean much but sales are probably increasing. Why wouldn't they ? Everyone wants in before there're no trees left. Ratanakiri is a disaster area. The local governor is making a mint, so it won't stop anytime soon.

And well done to the Phnom Penh Post for doing this investigation and naming names.

A Post investigation last year revealed that one of Cambodia’s largest tycoons, Try Pheap – who has strong ties to Vietnamese companies – made more than $220 million in profit by illegally logging rosewood over a three-year period.

http://www.phnompenhpost.com/post-weeke ... nds-report

vladimir · Post by **vladimir** » Sat May 30, 2015 3:52 pm

I've never seen a country so intent on environmental suicide.

Isn't it true that over-farming also contributed to the decline of Angkor Wat?