Logo of Phnom Penh Post newspaper Phnom Penh Post - Yellow vine op flouts law: student activists

Yellow vine op flouts law: student activists

Equipment used in the production of yellow vine sits on a plot of land in Koh Kong province earlier this year. Photo supplied
Equipment used in the production of yellow vine sits on a plot of land in Koh Kong province earlier this year. Photo supplied

Yellow vine op flouts law: student activists

Student activists yesterday claimed to have unearthed a processing plant for yellow vine, the harvest of which is widely acknowledged to be environmentally damaging.

The plant is reportedly located in Koh Kong’s Thma Bang district and, according to district chief Tou Savuth, is owned by a Chinese company.

“It’s a Chinese company that collects forest products, including yellow vine among others, in order to produce traditional medicine,” Savuth said.

Law student Vong Panha said he was among a group that recently snuck inside the compound disguised as plant employees.

“There were about 40 workers who were building the factory; it was 70 percent complete. We heard from villagers that they were buying up vines for 200 to 300 riel,” Panha said.

He went on to accuse the company of preparing to manufacture ecstasy. However, experts are in agreement that while certain chemicals extracted from yellow vine are similar in composition to MDMA precursors, it is not possible to produce the drug with them.

But while the company would appear to be in the clear when it comes to narcotics legislation, it risks running afoul of the Law on Forestry.

The law prohibits the establishment of yellow vine processing facilities “that may cause significant pollution or destruction to the forest ecosystem”, with offenders punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

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

  • Ministry orders all schools, public and private, to close for SEA Games

    From April 20 to May 18, all public and private educational institutions will be closed to maintain order and support Cambodia's hosting of the 32nd SEA Games and 12th ASEAN Para Games, said a directive from the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport. Cambodia will host the

  • 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