In May of 2012, three members of the Kuy, an indigenous people of Cambodia, visited the United States to seek help from the international community in the fight against the destruction of their forest, Prey Lang. The deforestation of Cambodia’s largest remaining lowland evergreen forest has mobilized 200,000 indigenous Kuy villagers in the protest over ongoing land concessions and illegal logging. In Washington D.C., the team of environmental activists attended a reception hosted by Amnesty International and met with the Cambodian Ambassador. The group also spoke with UN officials in New York.
Among those who visited was Pok Hong, a Kuy woman and mother of five who has emerged as a vibrant leader of environmental activism in her community, despite her lack of formal education. She, along with the other activists, explained that the deforestation of Prey Lang was not only a threat to the environment but also a major human rights violation. Kuy villagers are being forcefully evicted from their homes and losing their means of survival as large mining and agribusinesses tear down their forest. It is culturally and ethnically important that they maintain their freedom by continuing to make a living from the forest, which they use to gather fruit to eat, supplies for their homes, and resin to sell. Their activities in Prey Lang forest are completely sustainable, unlike those of the rubber and mining companies. One villager explicitly said that for many, another important component of maintaining their freedom is not having to work for these destructive rubber companies.
Pok Hong speaking at a press conference. During the meeting with Amnesty International, the Kuy members discussed their desire for the Cambodian government to address the deforestation issue and consult with the villagers before agreeing to further land concessions. The Cambodian ambassador Hem Heng claimed that individuals, not the government, were to blame for the deforestation of Prey Lang, as they were not adhering to government policies against illegal logging. However, the government must be responsible for enforcing the laws and protecting the forest. Thus far, they have turned a blind eye to illegal logging and continued to grant land concessions despite the 2002 moratorium banning further concessions. In some cases, there has even been government officials involved in illegal logging schemes, demonstrating the serious conflict of interest.
As a result, the villagers of Prey Lang are left to enforce the law on their own, provoking dangerous conflicts with loggers and Cambodian officials. An example of this violence occurred in 2012 with the death of a 14-year-old girl. The teenager was shot and killed by a government security officer during a demonstration against the forced eviction of a village losing its land to a rubber company. Earlier that year, well-known environmental activist Chut Wutty was similarly harassed and shot by a military police officer while investigating illegal logging activity.
International attention over these deaths prompted the Royal Cambodian Government to declare Prey Lang a conservation area and cancel four major land concessions, saving over 100,000 acres of Prey Lang land. Since then, however, the government has not effectively imposed the law and illegal logging continues to destroy the forest much to the dismay of Kuy villagers.
See our campaign to take action:
Cambodia: Help Us Save Prey Lang (“Our Forest”)
Learn more about Prey Lang forest and the activists who protect it at PreyLang.com
