A notable environmentalist in Cambodia, Ouch Leng, along with five others, was taken into custody while probing illegal logging activities in Veun Sai-Siem Pang National Park, Stung Treng province. Rights group Licadho conveyed that these arrests occurred as part of an expanded campaign against environmental activists in Cambodia. The group has documented increasing deforestation near an economic land concession. No charges have yet been filed against Leng, who was awarded the 2016 Goldman Environmental Prize, or any of the others.
The arrests align with a broader governmental crackdown on activists. In July, 10 members of the environmental organization Mother Nature Cambodia were sentenced to six years imprisonment on charges of conspiracy. Stung Treng's spokesperson, Men Khung, confirmed the recent arrests, asserting that the individuals defied orders to leave a restricted forestry area. He said they were attempting to sow anarchy and provoke officials, denying their status as actual activists.
The conflict is rooted in a governmental economic land concession given in 2022 despite a 2012 suspension on new concessions aimed at controlling deforestation and mass resource extraction. The Cambodian government, under Prime Minister Hun Manet, appears to maintain prior administration's stance, facing persistent allegations of judicial misuse to suppress dissent. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
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