The Ministry of Interior announced the creation of the Lover Environment and Society Association in a July 9 announcement.

The president of the new association, Chum Huot, said he wanted to raise awareness of human rights and protect Cambodia’s environment.

The association, which is an NGO dedicated to protecting Cambodia’s environment –including its rivers, lakes, coastline and forests – will be headquartered in Kampong Speu province.

“The vision is to create a society that values the environment ... a society in which every citizen is involved in conserving wildlife, forests, natural resources and social justice,” Huot said.

He said one of the reasons the association was created was to ensure that all of his conservation efforts are legal and in line with government guidelines.

Cambodian Institute for Democracy president Pa Chanroeun said on July 15 that there were many registered organisations and associations in Cambodia, but most don’t serve a practical purpose.

“The provision of rights or freedoms for civil society organisations is still limited. And it depends on the political situation. In the past, if the political situation is tense, then freedom is restricted and even messages or expressions are restricted,” he said.