Khmer Times/May Titthara
Friday, 11 November 2016
Ten trucks fully loaded with timber have been spotted entering a heavily guarded sawmill near the Lower Sesan II dam on an hourly basis, claimed a report by the Cambodian Human Rights Task Force (CHRTF), which was released yesterday.
According to the report, photos taken from a drone showed 40 large chainsaws being used to quickly log timber from the surrounding forests, supposedly in the dam’s reservoir zone in Stung Treng province’s Sesan district, while dozens of trucks waited to transport the timber to a nearby sawmill.
“We saw a big sawmill which has logged, transported and supplied timber for five years already. It is located along the Sesan River.
“The working team saw…at least 10 trucks carrying timber into the sawmill per hour,” the CHRTF report said, adding that the sawmill also had armed guards who would not allow anyone to enter, apart from the hundreds of workers carrying timber into the factory.
The report added that the timber would be divided by its quality to determine if it would be sent abroad or kept for local use.
“Luxury wood was transported to Vietnam and non-luxury wood was transported to supply local depots, with Forestry Administration officials helping the legal transportation,” the CHRTF report said.
CHRTF president Ouch Leng claims the logging, responsible for the massive destruction of the forests along the Sesan River, had the support of the governments of Cambodia, Vietnam and China.
“It is big destruction. Cambodia, Vietnam and China decided to destroy the forest and the environment’s protection system just to get profits and become billionaires, all with the full support of the governments from these three countries,” Mr. Leng said.
Construction of the 75-meter-high dam started last year with a total cost estimated at $816 million. China’s Lancang Hydropower International Energy has a 51 percent stake in the project, Cambodia’s Royal Group owns 39 percent and Vietnam’s EVN International owns 10 percent.
Mr. Leng added, however, that the company responsible has been logging there for five years and only cared about making a profit, having earned billions of dollars throughout the duration of their operation.
“It means that the company destroyed the lives of thousands of ethnic families, the environmental system and the forest officially and openly for big international timber business,” he said.
Logging tycoon Chey and Ta Som, who are responsible for buying the wood at the reservoir, could not be reached for comment yesterday.
National Anti-Deforestation Committee spokesperson Eng Hy said, however, that companies operating in that area were doing so legally as authorities had already conducted an operation to crack down on all illegal activity in Stung Treng province.
“What the organization should do is meet with the company, which is working legally,” he said.
Mr. Leng, however, was skeptical of the logging company’s legality due to the presence of heavily armed guards and them not allowing anyone to enter the facility.
“And if it is really legal, why did they hide and why is it so strictly guarded?” he asked.
To prevent illegal logging offenses, Prime Minister Hun Sen last year established a committee intended to prevent indiscriminate deforestation, illegal timber exports and other related offenses. The committee was to work with Vietnam and Laos.
Last year, local residents called for the clear demarcation of the dam’s reservoir zone as loggers were indiscriminately clearing forests, far more than what was needed for the construction of the dam, they said.
Forest monitors alleged that contracts to clear the reservoir zone, without clear demarcation, has led to large-scale deforestation of protected timber, according to local media reports.
Local media reported last month that 80 percent of the Lower Sesan II dam was completed and by October 2017, the first turbine would start generating power.
By the end of 2018, according to reports, a total of eight turbines would be fully operational – generating 400 megawatts per hour.