Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Sugar plantation burns in Svay Rieng province

Sugar plantation burns in Svay Rieng province

Fire engulfs a sugarcane field in Svay Rieng province's Svay Tiep district on Tuesday. Photo supplied
Fire engulfs a sugarcane field in Svay Rieng province's Svay Tiep district on Tuesday. Photo supplied

Sugar plantation burns in Svay Rieng province

A fire burned through 45 hectares of sugarcane plantation belonging to three companies in Svay Rieng province’s Svay Tiep district on Tuesday, with one company representative suspecting that the fire was intentionally set.

Kong Sokun, deputy director of Eastern Rice Field Development Co Ltd, said about half of the land affected in Koki Som commune belonged to his company, with the other half belonging to businessmen Tep Saveth and Dai Samnang.

“We’ve asked the authorities to intervene and investigate since we suspect that someone might have set the fire on the plantation,” Sokun said.

Sao Nimith, acting Koki Som commune police chief, said authorities are investigating, but he suspected the fire could have been caused by carelessness, or by another company burning off its fields to ease harvesting.

Sokun, however, contested the latter explanation, saying that burning lowers the crops’ sweetness and lowers their value.

Saveth yesterday said he was unaware of the fire. No contact information was available for Dai Samnang.

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