Two individuals — a landowner and a tractor operator — have been detained by the Kampong Chhnang Provincial Court for more than a month for their involvement in the illegal clearing of protected forest land on Phnom Neang Kangrei, in Kampong Leng district.
The Provincial Department of Environment stated on Tuesday, July 8, that rangers assigned to the Phnom Neang Kangrei Phnom Touk Meas multiple-use protected area were conducting a June 5 patrol within the nature reserve when they discovered a tractor clearing land at a location known as “Ang Krapeu” in Kampong Leng district’s Tumnob village, of Trangel commune.
The rangers used maps to verify that the clearance was taking place within a protected area, determining that the activity constituted a clear offense under Article 851 of the Environmental and Natural Resource Code. They classified it as a Level 3 Natural Resource Crime.
The rangers reported the case to the provincial environment department, which then requested guidance from the provincial prosecutor. The prosecutor authorised the arrest of the suspects and the opening of a legal case.
While attempting to stop the clearing activity, the rangers ordered the tractor to cease operation. However, the operator fled in his vehicle. The rangers gave chase on motorbikes for over a kilometre before successfully intercepting the vehicle.
The department reported that the rangers brought the tractor and two suspects in for questioning. The suspects include a man named Kay Kan, who was hired to clear the land, and a woman named Yuth Phally, the landowner. The recently cleared area measured 1.43 hectares.
Previously, Phally had cleared a 6.45-hectare plot of forested land within the same protected area.
The suspects were questioned at the department headquarters while a case was built.
“Judicial police officers from the environment department transferred the two suspects to the provincial court for further legal proceedings. On June 7, the investigating judge ordered both of them to be placed in pretrial detention,” the department noted.
