A Change of Guard

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Monday 18 May 2015

Illegal Loggers Take Their Chances at Bokor

Sunday, 17 May 2015; News by Khmer Times/Seng Siphan


An ox cart laden with sawn timber emerges from thick undergrowth at Pongrok Village’s dirt road trail to its waterfall. KT Photo: Seng Siphan

KOHSLAR, Kampot province (Khmer Times) – On a track to Pongrok waterfalls in Chhuk district one morning, three ox carts packed with sawn timber emerge from thick undergrowth.

Their point of origin: about six kilometers from the waterfall, across two mountain ranges. Their destination: Kohslar, where sawn timber is sold for approximately $400 per cubic meter.

Despite frequent patrols by park rangers, illegal logging and sawmill activities at Bokor Mountain have continued unabated.

When approached, one ox cart owner said that the path down the mountain ranges was treacherous. The journey to the village to sell timber is marked by numerous illegal roadblocks.

“It takes my two buffalos and me about a day to get down from the mountain range if the weather is good and there are no patrols,” said Ren, the cart owner. “I have to pay up to $50 in bribes at illegal checkpoints set up by various people.”

“I know it is illegal but I have to earn a living and the mountain offers good wood which has value,” Ren continued. “Other wood at Taken Kohslar, Techo Aphiwat and Pongrok village are of poor quality and don’t fetch good rates. The good wood in these areas has been logged more than seven years ago.”


From Pongrok waterfalls to Kohslar, he said, the journey could take up to two or even three days if the weather was bad. The carts are forced to use dirt roads and old logging trails to avoid detection. 

“Today I am unlucky and yet lucky as you have spotted our carts and will report it,” he said. “But lucky because the rangers with you did not take any action. Usually they confiscate the timber and send it to Kampot province.”

Park rangers escorting this writer and a representative of VG Plantations say that it is difficult for them to cover all areas 24 hours a day due to limited human resources and a lack of infrastructure.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, one ranger said: “We are aware it is illegal. The wood cutters and illegal sawmill operators are well-connected, protected and illusive. They have watchers along the tracks we normally use and as such, they create new tracks.”

For the rangers, their daily duties play out like a cat-and-mouse game. 

“We are concerned as the operations are high up in the mountain range and in very remote areas, making it difficult for us to track up there,” said the ranger. 

Villagers say up to 10 ox carts laden with wood cross their village on weekends and late at night on their way to a neighboring concession.

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