In late February, conservationist Kheng Khou tried to enter Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary, which he routinely patrols with other members of the Prey Lang Community Network (PLCN). Instead, he and his colleagues were denied access and threatened with arrest.
Local authorities told them they couldn’t enter because they didn’t have permission from the Cambodian Ministry of Environment, but Khou suspects another reason.
“If the PLCN goes there, we’ll collect and publish evidence and then the world would know about the deforestation and destruction happening even in the protected area,” he said.