Environmental activists in Cambodia say illegal logging in the country’s remaining dense forests is continuing unchecked and accuse the government of failing to rein in powerful companies linked to senior political and military figures.
Forest protection activist Heng Sros wrote on Facebook today that if the authorities were serious about stopping the destruction, they would need to act against just one major player. He pointed to Angkor Plywood, which he described as the largest company currently clearing forest in the Prey Lang area.
According to Heng Sros, other firms with political connections are also expanding into protected and community land. He accused Global Green Cambodia Energy Development, owned by Try Daluch, the son of Try Peap, of encroaching on hundreds of hectares of forest and farmland in Preah Vihear and Stung Treng provinces. He said no government agency had stepped in to investigate or assist affected residents.
The activist alleged that the company holds extensive mining exploration rights and has seized farmland from thousands of families across Cambodia’s northeast.
His comments come as international outlet Mongabay recently published an investigation reporting that Angkor Plywood, led by business figure Chea Pov, has been operating illegal logging networks across the Prey Lang Wildlife Sanctuary. The report described a system of financial and political patronage that shields the company from enforcement.
Mongabay also detailed a hierarchy of influence that it says stretches to the top of the ruling party. According to the report, Chea Pov’s firm is one of several linked to a network overseen by party leader Hun Sen and administered on the ground by officials loyal to Prime Minister Hun Manet. It cited connections to overseas party youth groups and senior members, including business figures Mek Sophannareth and Ean Soknen.
Chea Pov is also the sibling of Chea Vuthy, a senior official at the Council for the Development of Cambodia with a key role in approving economic land concessions. The report linked this system to TSMW Company, which controls vast land concessions in Stung Treng.
The investigation further outlined ties between influential families and major agribusiness holdings in Oddar Meanchey, Preah Vihear, and other provinces, forming what activists describe as a tightly connected patronage network linked to the Council for the Development of Cambodia.
Environmental groups say these networks prevent meaningful enforcement and leave Cambodia’s remaining forests increasingly vulnerable to industrial-scale clearing.
