Community activists patrolling the Prey Lang forest for a second day yesterday claimed to have found more evidence of illegal logging – in the form of hundreds of cubic metres of timber and several hectares of cleared land.

Prey Lang network representative Hoeun Sopheap said villagers had taken photos of illegally felled timber and would submit them as evidence to authorities.

“During two days monitoring Prey Lang, we found several areas where land had been cleared,” he said. “We also found piles of freshly cut timber and equipment used to cut wood.”

Sopheap said the roughly 70 villagers who had patrolled the forest had disproved provincial officials’ claims that no logging was occurring.

“The information we got from the local officials [that there was no logging in Prey Lang] was wrong, because we are stilling see a lot of logging crime,” he said.

Sandan district Governor Sim Vanna said he has yet to receive information from the Prey Lang network community about their patrol.

“They have to inform to us if they found illegal logging, but until now, we did not get information from them,” he said.

To contact the reporter on this story: Mom Kunthear at [email protected]