Joint Statement
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Of the Concerns of Youths and the Love-Environment People in
The 40th Anniversary of Global and National Environment Day on
June, 5 2012
We, the students and the people of forest
and fishing communities and indigenous community, farmer association and
non-formal economic association, who have lived on natural resources and worked
dealing with environment in the Kingdom of Cambodia, have great concerns about
the loss of natural resource; especially deforestations which affect
environment. Despite of issuing a
number of standard documents by the Royal Government in protection of environments
and forests, we have observed that there are lacks and loopholes in
implementation of these standard documents.
In the past few years the issues of
changing climate because of deforestations and
the loss of forests as well as the loss of natural resources, are
significantly facing problems for the people of Cambodia and the worlds
encountering the same problems.
Anarchic deforestations by the rich and the powerful have become rampant
and are operating unsurprisingly.
Provisions of economic concession lands, mines concessions and
constructions of hydroelectric dams are devastating natural forests and have
made the cover of forests significantly decrease. Due to negative impacts of climate change, temperature increase, the change of rain
regimes, floods and draughts, the loss of biodiversity both in water and ground,
have seriously happened very often and many other problems are sequently
occurring. All these issues have
affected the conditions of the people such as: livelihood, business doing and
the important things are health and safety of the people thanks to natural
phenomenon that we don’t have any means to fight and forecast it. Obviously in the past 2011 the Cambodians
suffered the floods, which claimed 247 lives and injured 20 and destroyed
232.377 hectares of agricultural crops.
The floods hit 18 provinces out of 24 city-provinces in Cambodia. In Kg Thom the flood claimed 41 lives and
affected 54, 414 families.
Thus
if the Royal Government, concerned ministries and parliamentary
institution don’t pay attention and effectively address deforestation issue on
time, valuable, natural resources and forests of Cambodia must be destructed
and deforestations will aggravate environment.
Additionally it also affect the whole national economic developments and
the livelihoods of the people; especially the indigenous.
We, the youths,
community people and forest activists, would like to request the Royal
Government of Cambodia to effectively take legal action in protection of forest
and natural resource; and to create the policy sustainably protecting the
environment.
Suggestions:
We would like the Royal Government:
·
To halt forest crimes, which are
happening.
·
To control the use of natural
resource with transparency and accountability and to properly assess the impacts.
·
To urge competent authorities
and government institutions to implement the 01 regulation of the Royal Government
on the effective halt of the provisions of economic concession lands.
·
To punish any government
official who conspires with log traders in deforestations.
·
To support and recognize the
community’s activities and the association of the students who have made efforts to protect natural resource and
environment.
More information:
·
Mr. Tim Malay, chairman of the Cambodian
Youth Network. Phone number
017 990 689.
·
Mr. Vorn Pao, chairman of
(IDEA). Phone number: 012 534 796.
·
Mr. Seng Sok Heng, representative
of (CPN). Phone Number: 092
324 668.
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