Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Rosy take on logging prompts scepticism

Rosy take on logging prompts scepticism

Environment Minister Say Samal speaks yesterday at a forum on the protection and conservation of natural resources organised by the ministry in Phnom Penh.
Environment Minister Say Samal speaks yesterday at a forum on the protection and conservation of natural resources organised by the ministry in Phnom Penh. Pha Lina

Rosy take on logging prompts scepticism

Attendees at a forum on the protection of natural resources yesterday largely described a drop in the scale of illegal logging, echoing government claims of success in a crackdown launched last year, though other conservation activists not in attendance said that painted a false picture.

The Ministry of Environment-organised event was designed as a way to collect input for a forum to be presided over by Prime Minister Hun Sen next month.

Hoeun Sopheap, an activist operating in the the Prey Lang forest, which spans five provinces, was one of many to say they had noticed a slowdown in illegal logging. Even so, he said, all the small-scale logging added together represented “a lot”.

Another activist working in Prey Lang, Chea Sokhoeun, requested a ban on the import of chainsaws, saying they were easy to hide and use. According to his community survey, there are at least 900 chainsaws in three communes in Stung Treng’s Thala Barivat district.

Environment Minister Say Samal told attendees that the ministry was trying to provide alternative jobs to people who mostly depended on forest products, adding that he would also move to ban the import of chainsaws.

But independent analyst Marcus Hardtke yesterday argued there was little reason for the positive sentiment on display. “[Illegal loggers are] moving away from big trucks … to small trucks, [but] … it’s still organised crime,” he said.

Hardtke said people were cautious of “speaking the truth” in these formal meetings and called for a more continuous dialogue between civil society organisations and the government.

Seng Sokheng of the Prey Lang Community Network sounded a similar note, saying that only small-scale loggers were busted, while bigger tycoons and government officials could continue unharmed.

“If they catch the [bigger loggers], they will release them after one or two nights,” he said.

MOST VIEWED

  • Wing Bank opens new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004

    Wing Bank celebrates first anniversary as commercial bank with launch of brand-new branch. One year since officially launching with a commercial banking licence, Wing Bank on March 14 launched a new branch in front of Orkide The Royal along Street 2004. The launch was presided over by

  • Girl from Stung Meanchey dump now college grad living in Australia

    After finishing her foundational studies at Trinity College and earning a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Melbourne in 2022, Ron Sophy, a girl who once lived at the Stung Meanchey garbage dump and scavenged for things to sell, is now working at a private

  • Ministry using ChatGPT AI to ‘ease workload’; Khmer version planned

    The Digital Government Committee is planning to make a Khmer language version of popular artificial intelligence (AI) technology ChatGPT available to the public in the near future, following extensive testing. On March 9, the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications revealed that it has been using the

  • Wat Phnom hornbills attract tourists, locals

    Thanks to the arrival of a friendly flock of great hornbills, Hour Rithy, a former aviculturist – or raiser of birds – in Kratie province turned Phnom Penh tuk tuk driver, has seen a partial return to his former profession. He has become something of a guide

  • PM urges end to ‘baseless’ international Ream base accusations

    Prime Minister Hun Sen urges an end to “baseless” foreign accusations surrounding the development of the Kingdom’s Ream Naval Base, as the US has consistently suggested that the base is being expanded to accommodate a Chinese military presence. Hun Sen renewed his calls while

  • Almost 9K tourists see equinox sunrise at Angkor Wat

    Nearly 9,000 visitors – including 2,226 international tourists – gathered at Angkor Wat on March 21 to view the spring equinox sunrise, according to a senior official of the Siem Reap provinical tourism department. Ngov Seng Kak, director of the department, said a total of 8,726 people visited Angkor Wat to