Environment group slams Cambodia ban on logging report

Cambodia's ban on a report accusing the country's political elite of illegally plundering the kingdom's forests was denounced as "senseless censorship" Wednesday by the study's authors.

The London-based watchdog Global Witness, which released the report June 1, also condemned threats of violence against its staff that were made by Prime Minister Hun Sen's brother.

The report, a damning indictment of corruption in Cambodia, alleged that the country's most powerful illegal logging syndicate, the Seng Keang Company, is controlled by people related to Hun Sen.

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Minister Chan Sarun and Forest Administration director Ty Sokhun were also fingered for their alleged role in robbing the country of tens of millions of dollars in natural resources.

The report enraged government officials, who called it "fiction," and prompted the information ministry to ban it from the country Sunday.

"This is senseless censorship," said Global Witness Director Simon Taylor in a statement.

"Attempts to suppress this report will not make the facts that it presents disappear. We would very much like to know the legal basis for this decision," he added.

While the government has ordered its own forest monitoring unit to investigate the Global Witness allegations, some officials continue to react angrily.

The premier's brother, provincial governor Hun Neng, is reportedly annoyed by allegations against his wife and son and was quoted in local press Tuesday as saying: "If they (Global Witness staff) come to Cambodia, I will hit them until their heads are broken."

Taylor called the threat against his staff "entirely unacceptable."

"Such crude intimidation by a senior public official says little for the government's commitment to upholding human rights and freedom of expression," he said.

The row comes just days before the June 19-20 annual meeting of Cambodia's foreign donors, whose pledges make up at least half of the impoverished country's national budget.

Donors have repeatedly said they are frustrated over Cambodia's lack of reform, particularly the government's apparent unwillingness to tackle rampant corruption.

Global Witness has urged more action from the international community to force Cambodia's government towards accountability.

"The reaction to this report raises a serious question for Cambodia's international donors," Taylor said.

"Is the government sincere in its pledges to strengthen governance and the rule of law, or is it simply paying lip service to these ideals to secure aid and international respectability?" he added.