Fisheries Administration officials in Kandal province have seized three excavators in as many days in separate incidents.

Officials confiscated two excavators on Monday after they were found dredging lake beds inside a protected forest in Ponhea Leu district, according to provincial Fisheries Administration chief Vith Tharith.

“We are investigating to find the owners but we have no information so far,” Tharith said.

He added that the previous day, Fisheries Administration officials confiscated another excavator in Sa’ang district’s Teuk Vil commune, but the commune chief had claimed it back.

“He said the excavator had been digging on his land,” Tharith said. “We are still checking whether the land belongs to him, so we cannot accuse him of any wrongdoing. We are waiting to see what the commune authorities report.”

In a separate case late last month and early this month in Muk Kampoul, Russey Chroy commune chief Um Chhong Sreng had excavation equipment confiscated by the Fisheries Administration.