Demonstrators call for release of three environmentalists
Phnom Penh (AsiaNews) - Dozens of protesters took to the streets yesterday in the province of Koh Kong, in the south-west of Cambodia, to demand the release of three environmentalists detained since last month for interfering with authorized dredging operations. According to the three activists the dredging is a source of pollution in the area and is causing the collapse of the banks of the river.
At least 80 people marched yesterday carrying banners and chanting slogans; the procession crossed some streets of the town, then stopped in front of the provincial court. The demonstrators called for the release of the three activists and dropping of all charges against them.
Speaking to Radio Free Asia (RFA) activist In Kongchit, provincial coordinator of the pro human rights group LICADHO, says that the authorities took no action to stop the protest. "If the judges take up the case in question - he says - the protests will be stopped immediately and everything will be resolved in the best way."
Otherwise the activists announce they will continue the protests indefinitely. Their campaign is now in its third week and the goal is the release of San Mala, 24, Try Sovikea (26) and Sim Somnang, 29, members of the Cambodian NGO Mother Nature. The three were arrested on August 17, for not having submitted to an interrogation by the authorities following protests against two Vietnamese companies engaged in drainage in an estuary in the province of Koh Kong.
According to experts the excavation activities have polluted the area and caused the collapse of the banks of the river, reduced the population of fish and shellfish, the primary source of livelihood of local residents. The arrest follows a complaint filed against environmentalists by one of the two companies involved in the dredging (Direct Access) for damages worth 100 thousand dollars in machinery and equipment.
In 2006, the Cambodian government issued for the first time permissions for digging, reclamation and drainage of land; however, in many cases, these operations take place in an illegal manner and are devoid of any control. Companies engaged in operations use the sand in construction both in Cambodia and in other countries of the region.
The environmental issue is one of the unsolved development problems in Asia. The continent has some of the most polluted cities in the world, there are clashes and disputes between farmers and large investors over the possession of land and productivity often comes at the cost of disregard for the basic rules governing the protection of workers' health and the environment.
Pope Francis cares deeply about this issue, and announced for today a World Day of Prayer for the care of creation, to coincide with the one already celebrated by the Orthodox world. The pontiff also dedicated his second encyclical, "Laudato si", to the environment, ecological issues and sustainable development.
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