Photo by: Heng Chivoan

Forestry Administration Director Chheng Kim Son speaks at a conference in May, one month after Prime Minister Hun Sen announced his appointment to the post.

THREE forestry officials have been appointed to lead new administrative zones in Cambodia’s northwest, the director of the Forestry Administration said Monday.

Chheng Kim Son said the three officials were sworn in Monday morning and will be in charge of newly created cantonments in Siem Reap, Banteay Meanchey and Oddar Meanchey.

Previously, all three provinces fell under the watch of a central cantonment based in Siem Reap town, and officials had difficulty covering such a large area, he said.

“They will start their work in each province now after they were sworn into their positions,” the director said. He declined to name the new officials or discuss the issue at length.

Another official within the Forestry Administration, who declined to be named, identified the new officials as Tea Kimsoth, Chheang Tola and Em Mony, who will lead the new cantonments in Siem Reap, Banteay Meanchey and Oddar Meanchey, respectively. All three have held positions in the Siem Reap office.

The shift represents Chheng Kim Son’s first public move since he was appointed head of the Forestry Administration in April, when Prime Minister Hun Sen sacked former director Ty Sokun, saying he had not done enough to fight illegal logging.

Srey Naren, coordinator for rights group Adhoc in Oddar Meanchey, said Chheng Kim Son’s administrative move was a good one, explaining that officials in the area had been too spread out, leaving them unable to curtail illegal logging.