The Ratanakiri Provincial Court has dropped forest-clearing charges against four indigenous forestry activists after a crime was not found, according to a rights group supporting the activists.
The activists in Lumphat district had filed a lawsuit against local authorities alleging officials had sold forest land to real-estate agents, leading to deforestation. But the local officials, including the Seda commune chief, countersued the four activists for “clearing, burning and encroaching on forest land” to claim ownership.
According to Din Kony, Ratanakiri coordinator for rights group Adhoc, the provincial court dropped the countersuit against the activists on Tuesday.
Kony applauded the court’s decision to drop the charges, but noted that there has also been “no punishment for the perpetrators who cut and sold” the forest.
Kony added that Adhoc had been supporting the four indigenous Tampoun environmentalists in their activities pushing back against deforestation.
“All of those Adhoc [supported] activists, they are the one who actively came forward to denounce forestry crimes in Kaeng Sann village,” he said.
The four activists in the case are Kham Nin, Kham Louk, Han San and Soth Muth.
Nin said on Wednesday that he was glad the charge was dropped as he had “done nothing wrong” in working to preserve the forest.
“I did all of this for the public property of the state, not for my [personal] advantage. Secondly, and importantly, I want the authorities to protect it, leave some of it for our next generation to see the nature. It is beautiful,” he said.
Seda commune chief Ang Bun Teang could not be reached.
Seda commune has also seen the prosecution of environmentalist Chhorn Phalla, sentenced to five years in prison late last year by the Ratanakiri court for the same charge of clearing forests. That conviction was dropped in July, but Phalla has also been sentenced to six years in prison for instigating damage to forest land and remains in jail.
Phalla had also raised allegations of local officials encroaching on community forests.
