Alumni Groups Raise Funds To Aid Flood Victims

Say Mony, VOA Khmer

27 November 2013

A Cambodian amputee beggar is given money by a passerby while wading in the street flood in Phnom Penh, file photo.

ODDAR MEANCHEY Province - Heavy rainfall and flooding along the Mekong River killed 168 people this year and damaged hundreds of thousands of hectares of rice and other crops across the country. But this year, groups of former students who had studied abroad decided to raise funds for charity. They have so far raised some $30,000 in flood relief

Student Group Raises Funds To Aid Flood Victims

Say Mony, VOA Khmer

26 Nov 2013

Student Group Raises Funds To Aid Flood Victims ​

Heavy rainfall and flooding along the Mekong River killed 168 people this year and damaged hundreds of thousands of hectares of rice and other crops across the country. But this year, a group of former students who had studied abroad decided to raise funds for charity. They have so far raised some $30,000 in flood relief. For flood victims like 73-year-old farmer Kroch Sann, that meant a little help after flooding destroyed his rice paddy. (Say Mony, Oddar Meanchey province)

On Tonle Sap, Collusion, Corruption Mean Overfishing

Say Mony, VOA Khmer

16 November 2013

Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation (JOGMEC), a Japanese oil company, has been granted a rights by Cambodia Tuesday, May 4, 2010, to study a survey for possible oil onshore at the basin of Tonle Sap lake, or "Great Lake," the largest freshwater.

PHNOM PENH - Members of a fishing community in Battambang province say overfishing has increased in recent years, fueled in part by collusion between criminals and the authorities responsible for protecting them. Cambodia is facing a growing crisis from overfishing, as major fish stocks in the Tonle Sap lake are being depleted, diminishing a major source of protein for millions of people.

In Kantrai village, Battambang province, fisherman Lorn Rim said the are “no fish now.”

Some Return After Eviction From Coastal Resort Development

Say Mony, VOA Khmer

27 July 2013

In this Oct. 6, 2012 photo, local workers adjust stones at a dam construction site by China National Heavy Machinery Corporation on the Tatay River in Koh Kong province, some 210 kilometers (130 miles) west of Phnom Penh.

KOH KONG Province - Thousands of people have been evicted from their homes to make way for a Chinese development in Koh Kong province. But some of the families have returned to their land, leaving a relocation site they say was insufficient for their needs. For families like those of Chum Siran, life has become more difficult since their removal from the development site,

to this relocation site in the mountains of Koh Kong. Before the relocation, her family raised cashews, while her husband fished.

On Coast, Chinese Development Pushes Thousands From Land

Say Mony, VOA Khmer

24 July 2013

In this Oct. 6, 2012 photo, a Chinese engineer, left, walks by a fence with Chinese slogans reading: Safety first, highest quality and quantity near an entrance of a dam construction site by China National Heavy Machinery Corporation on the Tatay River in Koh Kong province, some 210 kilometers (130 miles) west of Phnom Penh.

KOH KONG - Thousands of villagers in a remote district of the coastal province of Koh Kong have been evicted or are facing eviction in the face of a Chinese resort development project. Some families have moved unwillingly to relocation sites. But others are refusing to leave, setting the stage for another land dispute.

The villagers are facing eviction from a 36,000-hectare resort project by the Chinese Union Development Group, which holds a 99-year lease on the land.

Chinese Hydrodam Remains a Concern, Mystery to Locals

Say Mony, VOA Khmer

10 May 2013

As Dam Plan Goes Ahead, Villages Face Displacement

Say Mony, VOA Khmer

02 Apr 2013

Villagers living along the Sesan river in northeastern Cambodia protest the construction of the Sesan 2 dam in March 2013. The construction of the hydropower dam would force as many as 1,500 families to resettle.

PHNOM PENH — Along the lower Sesan River, villagers say they fear what a move will mean when a hydropower dam comes to Stung Treng province. Last month, hundreds of them marched along the river, protesting the construction of the dam, which would force as many as 1,500 families to resettle.

Documentary Looks at Impact of Mekong Dams

Say Mony, VOA Khmer

22 March 2013

The Xayaburi dam, which would produce hydropower for market, has become a divisive issue among Mekong River countries.

PHNOM PENH - An updated documentary, “Where Have All the Fish Gone?,” examines the impacts of hydroelectric dams on the Mekong River. In particular, the film shows construction of the controversial Xayaburi dam, in Laos. The film screened recently at the Australian Center or Education in Phnom Penh.

Illegal Fishing Threatens Tonle Sap Lake Villagers' Livelihood

Say Mony, VOA Khmer
Thursday, 11 October 2012

TONLE SAP LAKE, CAMBODIA — Villagers on Tonle Sap Lake in Cambodia, who depend on fishing for subsistence, say their livelihoods are threatened by illegal commercial fishing, which continues after a government ban. And they say authorities in charge of enforcing the ban are being bribed to look the other way. Despite a government ban on commercial fishing across Tonle Sap Lake -

the largest lake in Southeast Asia -- fishing communities say bribery of corrupt local officials has meant the illegal practice is actually increasing.

Families Feel Squeeze From Tonle Sap Lake Fishing Net Ban

Say Mony, VOA Khmer

Tuesday,11 September 2012 

Villagers here, who are ethnically Khmer or Vietnamese, depend on the fish for daily survival.

PURSAT Province - An ongoing ban on large fishing nets for non-commercial fishing has made life difficult for many families on the Tonle Sap lake. Residents in the floating villages here say they rely on fish to feed their families, but they are only allowed to use nets 50 meters in length or shorter. The ban, intended to mitigate overfishing of dwindling stocks in the Tonle Sap, is seasonal, but the ban has been extended from the end of July to the end of September.

As Tonle Sap Fish Dwindle, Illegal Catches Persist

Say Mony, VOA Khmer
Saturday, 01 September 2012

Meanwhile, local officials from the Ministry of Agriculture’s fisheries administration denied such corruption takes place.

A Japanese oil company, has been granted a rights by Cambodia Tuesday, May 4,  2010 ,to study a survey for possible oil onshore at the basin of Tonle Sap lake, file photo.

BATTAMBANG Province - Despite a government cancellation of commercial fishing lot permission across the expansive Tonle Sap lake, fishing communities here say bribery of corrupt local officials have meant the illegal practice is actually increasing. The ban was meant to decrease the rapid overfishing of the lake, a major source of food for much of the country, which has seen its stocks dwindle in recent years.

Family, Activists Vow To Continue Work of Slain Conservationist

Say Mony, VOA Khmer
Wednesday, 02 May 2012

Family members and supporters of Chut Wutty, the conservationist who was shot dead in a remote region of Koh Kong province last week, say they will continue his work and seek to protect what remains of Cambodia's dwindling forests. The shooting, which also saw the death of a military police officer, has underscored the dangerous work of activists in the arena of illegal logging and deforestation.

Promise of Riches Lures Many to ‘Forest of Gold’

Say Mony, VOA Khmer
Tuesday, 01 May 2012

In their search, however, the miners expose themselves to the risks of dust,  mercury and other chemicals used to purify gold.

Poor villagers are increasingly looking for gold in a remote province of Cambodia following the recent skyrocketing price of the precious metal. But in their rush to find this buried fortune, they are at great risk of dangerous chemical exposure and malaria. Phon Pheak and a few of his family members came to dig for gold here in Phnom Pang mountain in the village Prey Meas, or Forest of Gold, some 90 kilometers from Ratanakkir province’s Banlung city, with the international price of gold continuing its ascent.

On Mekong Commission, a Stark Absence of Two Countries

Say Mony, VOA Khmer| Phnom Penh
Wednesday, 04 January 2012

Cambodia is a member of the Mekong River Commission, alongside Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.But there are two countries that also have great influence over the Mekong—Burma and China—who remain mere partners in official discussions over the use the river.The relationship between the commission, Burma and China has come into sharp relief in recent months, as plans for the development of hydroelectric dams

No Laos Dam for Now, But Mekong's Fate Unclear

Say Mony, VOA Khmer
Tuesday, 20 December 2011

Although Laos has officially put off building a dam in Xayaburi province, researchers say the future of the Mekong is still unclear. Laos's decision to put off the dam was a positive step that recognized the river as common property, but more studies need to be done to find its best use for everyone. (Say Mony, Phnom Penh)

Laos Could Face Major Objections Over Dam: Official

Say Mony, VOA Khmer 
Thursday, 08 December 2011

A senior official for the Cambodian Mekong Committee says that Laos could face a complaint at the International Court if it chooses to go forward with a planned hydroelectric dam without the support of other Mekong countries. The Xayaburi dam project is not supported fully by other Southeast Asian countries, and if it goes forward unilaterally, the country will be in "noncompliance" with a 1995 Mekong River agreement, said Watt Botkosal, deputy secretary-general of the committee.

 Ministers from Mekong countries are scheduled to meet in Siem Reap later this week. (Say Mony in Phnom Penh, interviewing Watt Botkosal.)

Villagers, Officials See Prey Lang Land Concessions Differently

Say Mony, VOA Khmer
Friday, 10 June 2011

Granting economic land concessions to private companies in the northeastern Cambodia area of Prey Lang means development for the government but to communities depending for generations on the dense forest it means the destruction of their livelihood. Chhoun Long, a 24-year-old farmer in Kampong Thom's Sanden district, says he's concerned about the environmental impact of 'development' in this rural area. Bak Kimsok, 57, is worried for his village's survival.

Villagers See Negative Impacts from Proposed Dam

Say Mony, VOA Khmer
Tuesday, 31 May  2011

River protection groups and villagers along the Sesan River in Ratanakkiri province have appealed to halt the Lower Sesan Dam II project, insisting more studies are needed on the dam's impact on community livelihoods. The appeal followed the government's approval of the dam project during a Vietnam-Cambodia investment conference in Phnom Penh last month.

Mekong Dam Hurts Villagers Along The River

Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer
Thursday, 05 May 2011

Lao villagers living along the Mekong river say their livelihood would be harmed by the proposed Xayaburi dam in their country if it is built as planned. Villagars voiced their concerns after the meeting of the Mekong River Commission (MRC) failed to decide if the dam project should go ahead. VOA Khmer's Pich Samnang reports from Vientiane, Laos.

Buddhist Monk 'Robes' Trees to Save Them

Pich Samnang, VOA Khmer
Friday, 07 January 2011

Bun Saluot says that logging and hunting of wildlife has decreased in a forested area in northwestern Cambodia since he and his associates began more than 10 years ago draping ancient and large trees with orange and saffron cloth. He is the director of a Buddhist forestry association in Banteay Meanchey province. He said that local villagers and farmers initially opposed the action but eventually grew to appreciate it as they gained understanding that their livelihoods were tied to a healthy natural environment. ''Robed trees make this forest sacred and powerful,'' he said. (Pich Samnang, Banteay Meanchey province, VOA Khmer)