The Mirror, Vol. 11, No. 507
“Participating recently in a meeting in Washington D.C. to seek ways to alleviate poverty in Cambodia, Ms. Nisha Agrawal, the Country Manager of the Cambodia program of the World Bank, reported to the meeting that the World Bank always expects to work with the Khmer government, when the government presents specific new plans for the management of its forests again.
“Ms. Nisha Agrawal continued, ‘Cambodia is very lucky because 60% of the area was covered with forest. However, recently we talked with Prime Minister Hun Sen again about forest management, but Prime Minister Hun Sen affirmed that there is no plan for forest management.’
“The World Bank Cambodia Country Manager said, ‘When we talked with the Prime Minister, he stated clearly that he is not in favor of big scale logging for export, because big scale logging will destroy the forest and damage the infrastructure of roads that Cambodia had tried to construct during the last ten years.’
“Moreover, Ms. Nisha Agrawal quoted the Strongman Hun Sen who said he wants to have logging for domestic use only, and that at this time large scale logging is completely forbidden.
“Logging is now illegal. Mr. Nisha Agrawal remembered, ‘The World Bank formerly helped with the development of forest management, to protect the forests so that the Khmer forests should not be destroyed, while the Hun Sen government gave concessions to logging companies.
“She told the meeting that the World Bank is involved in forest issue, and that the government had allowed economic concession for wood companies to cut trees, so that there would be wood for continuous use. But many wood companies that do business in Cambodia these days do not respect the management restrictions.
“She continued that the World Bank has helped the Hun Sen Government with forest management issues, doing assessments of logging plans and designing regulations for forest management, so that – when the concession companies do not operate according to the forest plans – the government can cancel the forest concessions. She said, ‘This is the point we cooperated actively with the Hun Sen government.’
“Ms. Nisha Agrawal stated these issues in a meeting on 16 April 2007 in Washington D.C. at the International Finance Corporation market [the private sector arm of the World Bank], where handicraft products were exhibited to help alleviate the poverty of Khmer people who live in remote areas and produce handicrafts – especially Khmer women who are skillful at handicrafts – so that they can sell their products on the international market.
“She continued, ‘The problem of forests is in bad shape, but it does not exist only in Cambodia, but it is a very bad issue world-wide.’
“But in addition, she stated that the World Bank will help with the management of Khmer forests again when the Hun Sen Government has new plans.
“However, other observers evaluated, ‘Natural resources in Cambodia are a two-bladed sword.’ Although Strongman Hun Sen affirmed that there is a logging plan for domestic use only, the actual logging activities in Cambodia are still a controversial issue.
“Deforestation, as it exists these days, is very unfortunate, it may cause natural disasters, such as droughts and floods. And natural disasters make the Khmer citizens poorer and poorer.
“In the past, Hun Sen has linked his political life to the forests in Cambodia, and his words received much interest, because everyone assumed that the words of Hun Sen as Prime Minister are more salty than salt [= effective].
“But by now, people know that the words of Hun Sen as Prime Minister are even blander than river water [= not effective], because illegal logging increases every day, and great amounts of luxury wood is transported abroad, but Hun Sen still stays in power, having broken his promise [to resign if deforestation cannot be stopped].
“Now Hun Sen should wake up, because the World Bank expresses more concern about the Khmer forests than Hun Sen, the Khmer leader, who does not have a specific plan for the management of the forests, a valuable natural resource of the Khmer nation.
“Moreover, Hun Sen should also be embarrassed in front of children in Kompong Speu, who draw pictures expressing their sympathy towards wildlife, that now lives miserably, because dishonest people destroyed the forest, their refuge.” Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.14, #3151, 7.5.2007
Newspapers Appearing on the Newsstand:
Monday, 7 May 2007
Kampuchea Thmey, Vol.6, #1332, 6-7.5.2007
- Prince Thomico Will Dissolve His Party [and join with Prince Ranariddh] after the King’s Birthday [15 May]
- Cambodia Has 2,240,357 Tonnes of Paddy Rice Surplus
- US Plans to Sell Weapons Worth US$508 Million to Iraq
Khmer Amatak, Vol.8, #471, 7.5.2007
- US Warns against Obstacles That Block Khmer Rouge Tribunal
- Asian Human Rights Committee Demands [Cambodian] Government to Reveal Identity of a Man Named “Chhit” over Involvement in Killing of Mr. Chea Vichea [head of Free Trade Union of Workers of the Kingdom of Cambodia]
Koh Santepheap, Vol.40, #6032, 7.5.2007
- Woman Gets Angry with Jealous Husband, Sets Herself on Fire with Gasoline: Her Husband Is Injured, She Is Dead, and Eight Houses Burn [Snuol, Kratie]
- ASEAN + 3 [China, Japan, and South Korea] Decide to Create Fund against Financial Crisis
Moneaksekar Khmer, Vol.14, #3151, 7.5.2007
- World Bank Country Manager for Cambodia Says Hun Sen Has No Plan for Forest Management
Rasmei Kampuchea, Vol.15, #4277, 6-7.5.2007
- A Foreman of Leang Hour Hotel, Formerly Called Chay Hour II Hotel, Is Released from Prison Temporarily [over accusation of prostitution and pimping – Phnom Penh]
Sralanh Khmer, Vol.3, #393, 6-7.5.2007
- Governor [Mak Sophea] of Soutr Nikom District Ordered Police to Hold Up Radio Free Asia Correspondent’s [Savyouth’s] Arms in Siem Reap [claiming that the correspondent attempted to get violently close to the governor and did not wear his ID card around his neck, while he was trying to get information to write a report on a students’ demonstration, demanding removal of the director and deputy director of Dam Daek High School, who tortured a student]
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