Prey Lang Community Members Call for Action Over Threats From Loggers
Published on 30 July 2026
Members of the Prey Lang Community Network (PLCN) in Preah Vihear province are calling for local authorities to take stronger action against a group of illegal timber traders who threatened community members during a patrol of the wildlife sanctuary last week.
PLCN members encountered a group of timber traders preparing to load illegal logs onto a truck on 26 July while patrolling in Thmea commune, Chey Saen district. A video clip published on forest activist Ma Chettra’s social media account shows the alleged loggers insulting and threatening to beat community members who were trying to stop them, and later leaving the area without the logs.
PLCN members filed a complaint to the Thmea commune police the next day, and reported being told by authorities to wait until the end of the month for a "solution."
Kuth Soeum, a PLCN representative, called for stronger action.
“I want the authorities to take action following the procedure on the forest perpetrator, rather than letting offenders commit a forest crime and then it gets with settled or smoothed over with solutions," he said. "It seems too easy, as if the offender has no fear of the law or remorse for the wrong that they have done.”
Kuth Soeum, a PLCN representative
Yesterday, members of PLCN in Preah Vihear also submitted a report about the incident to the provincial department of the Environment Ministry in Preah Vihear province, who said they referred the case for prosecution.
Ma Chettra also expressed concern over the incident. "If the offender is not arrested and held accountable to the law, or if the relevant ministries and authorities don't take legal action, it could discourage the community, leave some people with a lingering feeling of fear, give rise to verbal and physical violence and so on," he said.
The PLCN monitors forest crimes in the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary and the surrounding community forests. These areas are frequently plagued by illegal logging, processing of illegal timber, illegal forest clearing, and loss of land to private companies whose Economic Land Concessions overlap with forests. For instance, in 2023 the mining company Global Green — which is linked to timber tycoon Try Pheap — received an Economic Land Concession for mine exploration in five different locations covering approximately 28,000 hectares, part of which allegedly overlaps with the Prey Lang and Beoung Per Natural Protection areas.
Meanwhile, Prey Lang Community members and forest activists frequently face threats, intimidation, and criminal prosecution for their protection efforts. In November 2024, six forest activists were arrested and detained by local authorities for their monitoring work in a national park in Stung Treng province.
