Governmental officials have denied recent accusations from Thai
environmental authorities that Cambodians are involved in the illegal
trafficking of dolphins to Thailand, where they are allegedly sold as
meat. "I guarantee that my province's people did not do it," said Yuth
Phouthang, governor of Koh Kong province. "I ban my people from
catching dolphins for business, and ... they draw a lot of tourists to
visit my province every year."
Touch Seang Tana, director of the
Dolphin Protection Committee, said that the government had committed
itself to preserving local dolphin populations. "We have put strict
pressure on dolphin-catching since early 2006," he said.
