New warrant as hunt on for Tiger Head boss

New warrant as hunt on for Tiger Head boss

Wed, 12 October 2016

The Phnom Penh Municipal Court has released a warrant for the re-arrest of Som Ek, who was imprisoned for planting a bomb at the Ministry of Defence in 2009 but escaped while hospitalised over the weekend.

Ek, the leader of the Tiger Head Movement, which is considered a terrorist organisation by the government, fled the Khmer-Soviet Friendship Hospital on Saturday, with authorities saying the guards supervising him fell asleep after eating food laced with drugs.

An arrest warrant was issued on Monday, noting that Ek, who was sentenced to 28 years in prison for the 2009 attack and another 18 years for a separate plan to bomb the Cambodian-Vietnamese Friendship Monument in 2007, had served less than eight years.

“I, Souer Vanny, a Phnom Penh municipal deputy prosecutor, order all the public armed forces to seek and arrest Som Ek, 44, to serve his sentence according to the power of the criminal verdict,” the warrant says.

Interior Ministry spokesman Khieu Sopheak said police were now searching for Ek, who previously maintained residence in Thailand. “We are taking actions to look for him. We will work hard to get him,” he said.

Sam Serey, leader of the Khmer National Liberation Front, which is also considered a terrorist organisation by the government and an outgrowth of the Tiger Head Movement, said by telephone from Denmark he had not heard from Ek.

“We used to be in the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces together, but I have not heard from him since he was sent to prison,” Serey said.

Gov’t, Vietnam exchange blame on logging

Gov’t, Vietnam exchange blame on logging

Cambodian conservation officials spoke publicly for the first time on Monday about what they described as nearly three years of corrupt practices by their Vietnamese counterparts in facilitating the multibillion-dollar illicit trade in Siamese rosewood. But their complaint comes amid allegations from Hanoi that the rot is among Cambodian officials, not their own.

In March 2013, in response to dwindling global stocks of the luxury hardwood, all 177 member states of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) voted unanimously in favour of a proposal by Thailand and Vietnam to add Siamese rosewood to its index of protected species.

Listing Siamese rosewood was supposed to curtail international trade in the precious timber. But in the three years that followed, nearly 2 million cubic metres were registered in the CITES global secretariat’s database as passing from Cambodia to Vietnam. Experts estimate as much as 95 percent of it would have been bound for China, where the rosewood market is estimated at $25 billion a year.

In an email to the Post, Cambodian CITES management authority officer Suon Phalla said his office has issued just one export permit for Siamese rosewood since the species was listed, facilitating the transfer of a single tree to China.

Meanwhile, the Vietnamese management authority insists it has only approved imports from Cambodia when accompanied by a Cambodian export permit, a copy of which they say is sent to the Cambodian management authority for authentication before being accepted.

The Vietnamese shared with the Post copies of export permits from 2014 bearing the signatures of former and serving Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Fisheries (MAFF) secretaries of state for rosewood shipments totalling 1,100 cubic metres. They also shared PDFs of email exchanges in which Cambodian CITES officer Phalla appears to be authenticating the permits.

This week, Phalla strongly denied authoring the emails, pointing to a number of discrepancies that he said revealed them to be the product of forgery, or hacking “by Vietnamese illegal persons” or the Vietnamese management authority.

He claimed on Monday that the account one email was sent from has not been active since 2012. While the Post could not verify this claim, an email sent to that account on Sunday bounced with a message saying that the account did not exist.

In an email yesterday, Vietnamese CITES employee Phan Nguyet insisted her office had been receiving emails from that account as late as 2014.

Additionally, Phalla noted, one of the batches of permits, dated February 2014, bore the signature of former MAFF secretary of state Uk Sokhonn, who left his role as director of the Cambodian CITES management authority in October 2013.

Phalla shared copies of multiple pieces of correspondence between his office and the CITES Secretariat in Geneva and the Vietnam management authority dating back as far as October 2013, announcing Sokhonn’s retirement.

Nguyet said in an email yesterday that the first she had heard of Sokhonn’s resignation was March 2015. She did not respond to a further email asking about earlier correspondence with her office on the matter.

Attached to her email were PDFs of 2015 email exchanges purportedly between her office and Suon Phalla, in which Phalla authenticates a batch of 13 permits, only to write a month later asking that five be voided, as the applicant lacked sufficient stocks of Siamese rosewood to make use of them.

Reached by phone yesterday afternoon, Phalla denied authoring the emails, reiterating his belief that they had either been forged by the Vietnamese office or were the product of hacking by rogue businessmen. He declined that evening to allow a colleague to log into the email account in the presence of a reporter to verify whether the emails did indeed originate from that account, citing security concerns.

Ha Thi Tuyet Nga, director of the Vietnamese management authority, countered in an email yesterday that his suspicion was that “someone from CITES [management authority] of Cambodia had a deal with Cambodian exporter[s]”.

MAFF Secretary of State Ty Sokhun, whose signature appears on the majority of the contentious permits, said last night that he believed the Vietnamese management authority is “just trying to legalise their illegal timber from Cambodia” by falsifying the permits, but that he was awaiting the findings of an investigation by Interpol.

(Sokhun himself was accused in a 2007 Global Witness report of using his control over the Forestry Administration at the time to facilitate his father-in-law’s illegal timber racket.)

In an email yesterday evening, Interpol criminal intelligence officer Davyth Stewart confirmed that Interpol had liaised with both countries’ national police and “will continue to support them in follow up investigations”. He also noted that the permits were fakes, but who was behind them is subject to further investigations.

Julian Newman, campaigns director at UK NGO Environmental Investigation Agency, said on Monday that the Cambodian management authority had shown him many of the documents they had presented to the Post.

Acknowledging that it is impossible to verify the authenticity of email printouts, Newman said, “It seemed clear that they had asked the Vietnamese to seize the wood or the permits. It did seem credible based on those emails, but there are two sides to every story.”

Marcus Hardtke, a conservationist with 20 years’ experience in Cambodia, suggested in an email on Monday that, “This permit scandal might just be the tip of the iceberg.”

“What about the massive exports by the Try Pheap Group over the last years? What kind of permits were they using, if any?” he asked.

Even excluding exports smuggled without permits, 1.77 million cubic metres of Siamese rosewood were recorded in the CITES database as having crossed from Cambodia to Vietnam between 2013 and 2014.

A CITES document issued last month reported that traders in Vietnam pay between $40,000 and $59,000 per cubic metre, valuing the two years’ permitted exports at between $70 billion and $104 billion – more than three times Cambodia’s economic output for 2013 and 2014 combined.

However, demand for Siamese rosewood in China has dropped off sharply in recent months, according to NGO Forest Trends researcher Phuc Xuan, who said in an email that a timber trader outside Hanoi told him last Tuesday that 50,000 cubic metres of Siamese rosewood was still awaiting a buyer in his village.

The CITES Secretariat had not responded to requests for comment as of press time.

ប្រទេសកម្ពុជាកំពុងរុងរឿង ?!?! Cambodia Is Fine ?!?!

ប្រទេសកម្ពុជាកំពុងរុងរឿង ?!?! Cambodia Is Fine ?!?!

Without doing or citing any scientific researches, I can say without reservation that Cambodia is ruled by a DICTATOR. Only dictator can manage to win every election to last more than 30 years. Even Vietnam and China, they replace their leaderships every 4 or 5 years.

Unfortunately, there are people who overlook this and try to justify that Cambodia is fine, and there is no need for any changes. Of course, people within the dictator circle are fine. Of course, they can smile, ... But should we use this as a yard stick to measure or to speak of Cambodia? I think not.

Please stop telling people that they could bring war to the country while you are the ones with all the guns and the tanks; stop telling people that they are not as educated while you have all the money and send your kids to study abroad; stop telling people that Cambodia is fine because you have everything (money and power to do whatever you please); stop telling people to not verbally attacking you while you are physically attacking them.

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ទោះបីជាគ្មានការសិក្សារតាមក្បួនវិទ្យាសាស្ត្រក្ដី ក៏គេអាចសន្មតបានថា ប្រទេសកម្ពុជា ជាប្រទេសដឹកនាំដោយជនផ្ដាច់ការ ព្រោះមិនដែលមានរដ្ឋាភិបាលប្រជាធិបតេយ្យណា អាចឈ្នះឆ្នោតគ្រប់វេលារហូតដល់ជាង ៣០ឆ្នាំនោះទេ។សូម្បីតែយួនឬចិនក៏គេផ្លាស់ប្ដូរក្បាលម៉ាស៊ិនគេ បួនប្រាំឆ្នាំម្ដងដែរ។  តែស្ដាយណាស់ ដោយមានខ្មែរមួយចំនួន មិនយល់រឿងនេះ ហើយថែមទាំងខិតខំនិយាយថា ប្រទេសខ្មែរមិនចាំបាច់មានការផ្លាស់ផ្ដូរអ្វីទេ ព្រោះយើងមានការសប្បាយរុងរឿងរួចហើយ។  ជាការពិតណាស់ ការសប្បាយរុងរឿងវាមានមែន នៅក្នុងរង្វង់ក្រុមគ្រួសារជនផ្ដាច់ការ ឬចំពោះជនចេញមុខសរសើរក្រុមផ្ដាច់ការ។

តើត្រឹមត្រូវទេ ដែលអ្នកខំស្រែកថា ការផ្លាស់ផ្ដូរអាចនាំចូលនៅសង្គ្រាម នៅពេលដែលក្រុមអ្នក ជាក្រុមតែមួយដែលមានអាវុធគ្រប់យ៉ាង? តើត្រឹមត្រូវទេ ដែលអ្នកខំស្រែកថាអ្នកឯទៀតមិនចេះដឹងដូចអ្នក នៅពេលដែលអ្នកជាអ្នកលួចជាតិ មានប្រាក់កាសហូរហៀរ និងសមត្ថភាពបញ្ជូនគ្រួសារអ្នកទៅរៀននៅទីណាក៏បាន? តើត្រឹមត្រូវទេ ដែលអ្នកខំស្រែកថាប្រទេសខ្មែររុងរឿងណាស់ ព្រោះអ្នកនិងក្រុមអ្នកមានគ្រប់សព្វ ទាំងលុយទាំងអំណាច អាចធ្វើអ្វីបានតាមអំពើរចិត្ត?តើត្រឹមត្រូវទេ ដែលអ្នកខំស្រែកថាអ្នកចង់បង្រួបបង្រួមជាតិ ហើយចង់ឱ្យគេឈប់ប្រើភាសារស្ដីបន្ទោសអ្នក នៅពេលដែលអ្នកនៅបន្តរប្រើហឹង្សារ និងឃាតកម្ម ទៅលើប្រជាជនដែលចង់បាន សិទ្ឋិសេរីភាព?

UN Rapporteur to Visit Kingdom

October 10, 2016

UN Rapporteur to Visit Kingdom

10 October 2016

Rhona Smith, the UN special rapporteur for human rights in Cambodia, will start her 10-day visit to the Kingdom today, with plans to meet government officials, opposition party activists and civil society workers.

Am Sam Ath, a senior coordinator for rights group Licadho, said he was not sure who Ms. Smith would meet while she was here, but added that if he did get to meet her, he would ask about the situations surrounding land disputes, the country’s judiciary and systemic human rights violations.

“We will raise the issue of human rights which have seriously deteriorated and we will ask her to speak to the government,” he said.

“In this last period, human rights have deteriorated badly and the courts have become a tool of politicians,” he added, telling Khmer Times that the boycott of the National Assembly by the opposition party as well as the arrest of human rights activists and politicians critical of the ruling party were evidence that the government was not respecting human rights.

Seoung Sen Karona, a human rights monitor and investigator for rights group Adhoc, said he would have plenty to discuss with Ms. Smith because the last few months have been particularly contentious concerning human rights in Cambodia.

“In this last period, there were serious human rights violations. Politicians, land and human rights activists were used as a political tool, as seen in the case of four Adhoc officials and the deputy secretary-general of the NEC [National Election Committee],” he said, referring to the arrest in May and continued detention of four civil society workers and an election official.

Mr. Sen Karona said the issues in the political sector were permeating issues Cambodians faced on a daily basis. The goal, he said, should be to have a cohesive political process that was inclusive of all parties so the nation’s issues could be addressed instead of argued over for political gain.

“If the political situation becomes stuck, human rights issues will also get worse,” he said.

According to a press release from the Office of the UN’s High Commissioner For Human Rights, Ms. Smith will have meetings with senior government officials, head of the Cambodian Human Rights Committee Keo Remy, a number of civil society groups and other diplomatic organizations.

She also has plans to travel across the country and gather information from the provinces. In the statement, she said she planned to focus on the discrimination of minorities and other marginalized groups.

This will be Ms. Smith’s third visit to Cambodia since she was appointed in March 2015. Among other things, Ms. Smith will primarily be reviewing the human rights situation in the country, monitoring the implementation of previous recommendations and making suggestions for future changes.

Ahead of her arrival, a number of citizens and groups suffering from land evictions across the country will meet in Phnom Penh to plan a potential protest today to commemorate the 31st World Habitat Day.

Phnom Penh City Hall refused to allow the group to celebrate the day at a variety of locations across the city, and their rejection, for many involved in the celebration, was evidence of the kind of government response they are trying to work against.

Sao Kosal, the technical program manager of urban NGO Sahmakum Teang Tnaut (STT), said more than 1,000 people involved in land disputes or evictions from 99 communities in seven provinces will celebrate the day in the Dey Krahom area near the Russian embassy, even though City Hall refused to give them the go-ahead to gather there.

But for Mr. Kosal, any potential arrests paled in comparison to the reason why they chose that specific area to hold their event.

“The reason that all communities want to celebrate it at Dey Krahom is because the area is a place where authorities evicted hundreds of families in land disputes without proper compensation and with human rights violations,” he said.

Ley Ceremony at Wat Chas, Says Wife

October 10, 2016

Ley Ceremony at Wat Chas, Says Wife

 Monday, 10 October 2016

Despite authorities rejecting an application to have slain political analyst Kem Ley’s 100-day funeral ceremony at Phnom Penh’s Wat Chas pagoda, his wife and the organizing committee insisted yesterday that it would go ahead as planned.

Speaking via a video conference to local Social Breaking News, Mr. Ley’s wife expressed disappointment at Phnom Penh City Hall’s rejection of the application, adding that she didn’t understand the decision as it was normal for people to conduct funeral ceremonies at pagodas.

“The statue has no spirit. They [the authorities] are scared and I do not understand how they think,” said Bou Rachana, referring to a statue of her husband mourners planned to carry from Phnom Penh to his home in Takeo province.

“We normally organize funeral ceremonies at pagodas and we have asked for permission from two pagodas. Pagodas are for organizing funerals and we felt such regret when they denied ours.”

On Friday, local media reported that Phnom Penh City Hall had rejected the organizers’ request to have a 100-day ceremony at Wat Chas pagoda, saying that organizers needed to obtain permission from Mr. Ley’s family first.

Last Tuesday City Hall also rejected a similar request to hold a 100-day funeral ceremony at the city’s Wat Botum Park from Friday to Sunday, saying the venue was inappropriate for such a ceremony.

However, the organizing committee and Ms. Rachana said on Facebook yesterday that Mr. Ley’s 100-day ceremony will be held at Wat Chas pagoda, the same pagoda where his funeral was conducted, from Friday until the following Monday.

On Sunday morning there will be a procession from Phnom Penh to bring Mr. Ley’s statue to Takeo province, the post added.

Ms. Rachana has been in Thailand since August 28 after leaving Cambodia for fear of her and her family’s safety. She gave birth to her fifth son there, who was named Kem Leyvireak.

Mr. Ley was shot twice on July 10 while he was reading a newspaper at a Caltex gas station coffee shop in Phnom Penh.

Opposition leader Sam Rainsy, among a host of others, claimed the government was involved in the murder.

He pointed to the fact that Mr. Ley had only days earlier commented on a Global Witness report highlighting ties between Prime Minister Hun Sen’s family and some of the country’s largest corporations. He also mentioned alleged shooter Eurth Ang’s past as a soldier known to love guns and shooting.

Critics also cited the police refusal to release video footage from the gas station and publish any information about potential motives the shooter may have had to murder Mr. Ley.

The initial motive Mr. Ang gave upon arrest – that Mr. Ley owed him $3,000 – was dismissed days later when Mr. Ang’s wife and mother confirmed to Khmer Times that the family was poor and would have had no way to loan someone that large a sum of money.

Mr. Ang has been charged with premeditated murder and illegal possession of a weapon, according to articles 200 and 490 of the Criminal Code.

Boycott May Lead to Fines

October 10, 2016

Boycott May Lead to Fines

 Monday, 10 October 2016

Opposition members of the National Assembly may soon have their pay and expenses docked if they continue their months-long boycott of the sessions.

The Parliamentary Permanent Committee is thinking of amending the National Assembly’s internal regulations to include disciplinary articles concerning members who boycott sessions, including possibly docking their pay and expenses.

Chheang Vun, a spokesperson for the majority Cambodian People’s Party (CPP) at the National Assembly, said a proposal was made last month to conduct an in-depth study into fining MPs who boycott sessions or “use inappropriate words.”

“The decision to modify the internal regulations requires a 50 percent plus one vote only. So the CPP members have enough votes to do so,” he told Khmer Times.

“I think the reason for the opposition’s boycott is just an excuse, as they just want to waste time,” he added.

Ou Chanrith, the vice-president of the assembly commission that will likely conduct the study, and a member of the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Yem Ponhearith, a spokesman for minor parties at the National Assembly, said they would oppose any additional disciplinary articles since the current internal regulations are enough.

“There is no need for any change to the regulations that are written already,” he said.

At a press conference at the CNRP party headquarters in Phnom Penh on Friday, party spokesperson Yim Sovann insisted that MPs not attending sessions did not mean that they were boycotting their duties as a whole, and said they would continue such actions as summoning government officials for questioning over their conduct.

While the CNRP had suggested it would start attending sessions again last week, its members were not present at Friday’s session due to vague safety fears, said Mr. Sovann.

“The latest information we got from our source is that there would be threats to us if we entered the parliament on that day. For the following sessions, we will consider to join if it’s necessary.”

Sok Eysan, the CPP spokesperson, dismissed the CNRP’s claims as simply an excuse aimed at negotiating the release of their members now in prison.

“This is just an excuse by the CNRP,” he said, calling on foreign governments not to listen to the claims.

The CNRP boycott started in late May after security forces attempted to arrest deputy leader Kem Sokha after he refused to attend questioning at the Phnom Penh Municipal Court over an alleged affair.

Prime Minister Hun Sen said at the time that the National Assembly would be able to continue working normally with or without the opposition members.

On Friday, he took a more conciliatory position, writing on his Facebook page that the assembly is where both parties meet and work and it was best for the nation if they sat down and discussed their issues.

Jarai Say No to Ratanakiri Gold Mine

October 10, 2016

Jarai Say No to Ratanakiri Gold Mine

Khmer Times/Sonny Inbaraj Krishnan and May Kunmakara Monday, 10 October 2016

An insurrection led by ethnic Jarai villagers against the Kingdom’s first commercial underground gold mine, to be operated by Indian-owned Mesco Gold (Cambodia), looms over the green, serene remote hamlet of Plung, a few kilometers from the Vietnamese border, in Ratanakiri’s O’Yadaw district.

About 140 Jarai families live at the edges of the forest there that are still teeming with wildlife and home to the much sought after Siamese rosewood. Chainsaws and bulldozers have spared these jungles, unlike the neighboring forested land that has been decimated and converted into mammoth rubber and cassava plantations.

“This Indian gold mine would destroy the environment by their dynamiting and the chemicals they use to extract the gold underground will poison our land,” Romam Davit, a 28-year-old Jarai villager, told Khmer Times.

“Our forests are also sacred to us. We have our spirits here, where we can make sacrifices to our ancestors. If all this is taken away, we will have nothing to pass on to our children,” he said.

“If the company doesn’t agree to stop mining and leave our land alone, we will stop them by using force if necessary,” warned the villager.

Last month the Ministry of Mines and Energy issued Cambodia’s first industrial mining license to Mesco Gold, with a 30-year concession, to start operating a 12-square kilometer underground gold mine in Phum Syarung in O’Yadaw district.

“With the grant of the first fully approved mining license in Cambodia to Mesco Gold, a new stage in the evolution of the mining industry in the country has begun, which so far was limited to exploration only,” JK Singh, chairman of Mesco Gold’s parent company, Mesco Group, said in a media statement.

Mesco Gold (Cambodia) is a subsidiary of Indian steelmaker Mesco and purchased the rights to develop and mine the Phum Syarung prospect from Canadian exploration company Angkor Gold Corp in 2013.

Angkor Gold holds six exploration licenses in northwestern Cambodia, and sold its rights to the O’Yadaw license to Mesco Gold for $1.9 million. Angkor Gold also negotiated a net smelter agreement of between two and 7.5 percent that will see it receive a share of any gold extracted.

The forests and its surrounding land in O’Yadaw district are valuable to the Jarai of Plung village, and they claim Mesco Gold is already preventing them from gathering fruit, medicinal plants, rattan and bamboo from the jungle and working in their small upland rice fields.

“The gold mine does not allow us to go into our own land to farm, and we can’t go into the forest to gather plants and fruits and also hunt small animals for food,” said 34-year-old Romam Char.

“The gold from our land is mined by the company and taken away. Nothing comes back to us, and to insult us further we now cannot even have access to our own land and the forests.”

Rajeev K Moudgil, director of Mesco Gold, in an interview with Khmer Times said the notion that gold mining gives high returns to companies “is based on wrong perceptions.”

“Projects of this nature require major investments and payback periods are usually long, due to the complexity and uncertainty in gold mining, and even when profits come they are very nominal,” said Mr. Moudgil.

Commenting on the lack of access of the Jarai in Plung village to their farmland and forests, Mr. Moudgil said: “The project will not prevent in any way access to farms and people’s normal life will continue without interruption. Mesco Gold is operating according to the laws of Cambodia and it will support programs for development of the villages near its operations.”

“If any land is needed for the mine infrastructure then following a due process of consultation, adequate compensation shall be paid to the existing land user in a transparent manner,” he added.

Last March 18 Jarai families in Pheak village, at the fringe of the Phum Syarung gold mine, occupying an area of 40 hectares, were paid $1,500 per hectare compensation by Mesco Gold.

“The amount of compensation was well above the market rates. On this piece of land, mine construction and the process plant will be commissioned,” said Mr. Moudgil.

The Mesco Gold director also stressed that no damage to land or soil will take place due to the mining operations.

“It is to be noted that these are standard processes and are approved in countries like Australia, US, India and elsewhere. It would cause no damage to land or water,” he pointed out.

Meng Saktheara, Secretary of State for the Ministry of Mines and Energy, told Khmer Times that the ministry had been working closely with both Angkor Gold and Mesco Gold (Cambodia) and conducted feasibility studies over the mining area before granting a mining license to Mesco Gold to start their mining operations in Phum Syarung.

Mr. Saktheara clarified that though the mining license was for a 12-square-kilometer concession, mining at the moment will start in a one-square-kilometer area.

“There is no argument with local villagers on this area. However, for the other 11 square kilometers the company [Mesco Gold] has yet to do its own feasibility study and an environment impact assessment,” he said.

“Later on, they [Mesco Gold] will work on other 11 square kilometers if they think it has mining potential. If it doesn’t have mining potential, the company can decide not to work on it.”

Mesco Gold’s Mr. Moudgil said the project will create jobs, generate tax revenue for the government, provide training skills to those who want to work in the mining projects besides assisting local people for their development.

But the prospect of being reduced to a day laborer, earning a pittance on a gold mine and needing cash to buy food that previously came from the community through farming, bartering and hunting is just too harrowing for 45-year-old Jarai villager Sow Lit.

“I would not work for Mesco Gold even if they offered me $30 a day. We, the Jarai people, live off the land and we depend on the land. Nature doesn’t need us but we need nature,” said Mr. Lit. “Without our land we would die.”

“We need help to fight this mining company. Please help us tell our story to the outside world,” he pleaded.

Mr. Lit’s plea resonated with Greg McCann, an environmentalist and field coordinator for Habitat ID, an NGO that works in Ratanakiri’s Virachey National Park bordering Vietnam.

“From a bio-regional perspective, the mine is insane. The project epitomizes everything that is wrong with big decisions being made from afar by people who have no connection to the landscape,” said Mr. McCann who is also the author of “Called Away by a Mountain Spirit – Journeys to the Green Corridor” – an ethnographic travelogue based on Cambodia’s remote northeast.

“The Jarai of O’Yadaw have every right to be fretting about the ecological impacts of this mine. It will be an environmental disaster, there can be no doubt about it. In a sense it’s almost like someone detonating a tactical nuke in their terrain, leaving them with a mangled and permanently contaminated landscape,” he added.

The Jarai, Cambodia, and the world would lose the forests, the animals, and the free-flowing freshwater sources, said Mr. McCann. “But we will lose more. The landscape becomes ‘de-storied.’  The legends, the myths, the oral histories, and animist beliefs will dissipate in the smoke of chainsaws and bulldozers.”

Mr. McCann concluded: “I really hope they [the Jarai] do not resort to violence. I don’t want to see anyone hurt or killed and the sacrifice would probably not help them achieve their aim.”