A recent report in the Cambodian daily Phnom Penh Post documented the disastrous effect of “anarchical,” “reckless” gold mining in Prey Lang forest -- one of Indochina’s last great expanses of lowland evergreen forest and one of Cambodia’s key watersheds.
The mining is destroying the ecology of the forest -- the site of a recent conservationist murder that caused international outrage -- and making locals sick, the newspaper reported.
It said substances used by Chinese-run firms and villagers engaged in informal mining in the region have apparently killed 70 percent of local trees and tainted rivers and lakes. At least 50 buffaloes and cows have died from drinking river water, the report said, citing claims that local officials were bribed to ignore the alleged problems. Officials denied the allegations
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