Ratanakkiri province officials have accused local rights group Adhoc of fabricating a complaint, purportedly thumbprinted by more than 40 villagers and officials from Kon Mom and Lumphat districts, alleging involvement by local authorities in illegal logging.
The complaint, which was sent to Prime Minister Hun Sen’s cabinet on March 3, alleges that luxury wood has been rapidly and continuously cut and transported in small quantities since 2002 by unidentified local authorities.
Ratanakkiri Adhoc Coordinator Pen Bonnar said Monday that a deputy district governor, a military commander, police officers, a commune chief and five other commune council members had joined villagers in thumbprinting the allegations. Those who thumbprinted the complaint, who are named on the document, could not be reached for comment.
Ratanakkiri Governor Moung Poy dismissed the document, which he said villagers and officials have distanced themselves from. He said they were asked to thumbprint the document at a recent Adhoc seminar before they could receive compensation for their travel expenses.
“In December of last year, commune councilors, people from the community and district officials attended a seminar organized by Adhoc in Kon Mom district, and they had to thumbprint [a document] to get funds from Adhoc,” Moung Poy alleged.
Youkan Vimean, Ratanakkiri’s deputy chief of forestry, made similar accusations; he said forestry officials were not involved in illegal logging.
“[Adhoc used] thumbprints for other subjects to create a petition,” he alleged. “Adhoc wrote it.”
Pen Bonnar denied that Adhoc had fabricated the complaint or required thumbprints for seminar cost reimbursement.
“The people and officials wrote this petition, and we have the discussion on tape,” Pen Bonnar said. “They were not forced. They are officials who are educated and can read.”
Pen Bonnar also alleged that both Kon Mom and Lumphat district officials have tried to force people who thumbprinted the petition to write letters denying that they had supported the complaint or witnessed any illegal logging.