Stung Treng Authorities Crack Down on Illegal Land Occupation in Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary

• Sommana Yan
• 14 August 2024
• Local News
• 1559 Views

The Stung Treng Provincial Authority has initiated decisive action to reclaim illegally occupied land within the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary, a vital conservation area in Cambodia. The Stung Treng Provincial Department of Environment announced the confiscation of unlawfully held forest land in the Kiri Soksan and Anlong Chrey communities within Anlong Chrey commune, Thala Parivat district on 8 August 2024. This move underscores the government’s commitment to protecting the sanctuary from further encroachment.

The crackdown involves several stringent measures to safeguard the protected areas.

1. Revoke all sale-purchase certificates and certificates of illegal possession of forest land within protected areas under the jurisdiction of the Stung Treng Provincial Department of Environment.
2. Classify forest land encroachment and clearing within protected areas as a third-level natural resource offense, punishable by imprisonment of five to ten years under Chapter 3, Article 851 of the Code of Environment and Natural Resources.
3. Intensify efforts to identify, apprehend, and prosecute individuals and entities involved in facilitating illegal forest land encroachment.
4. Empower local authorities, villages, communes, and districts to disseminate information, prevent, and respond to all illegal activities related to forest land encroachment.

The public, along with all residents and stakeholders within the affected areas, have been given a strict deadline to cease their occupation and vacate the land by 30 August 2024. This enforcement is a clear signal that the government will not tolerate illegal activities that threaten Cambodia’s precious natural resources.

• land development and policy