Hun Sen Chastises Tonle Sap Governors for Failing to Act

[geovalin]

Authorities responsible for the Tonle Sap lake again held an “emergency meeting” then fanned out across the country’s largest lake after Prime Minister Hun Sen said they had failed to curb illegal fishing. Late last year, Hun Sen also rebuked officials around the Tonle Sap, at that time for failing to protect flooded forests and for even being involved in encroaching on them.

 

This led to an urgent display of action as officials took boats around the lake’s shores to destroy land-marker poles and cottages. This week, Hun Sen turned his attention to illegal fishing on the lake. “Because you do not want to do it — this is the issue,” Hun Sen said at the Agriculture Ministry’s annual meeting on Wednesday.

 

“Our governor said they could not catch them because they are too fast! How fast? If we put all helicopters nearby and fired from above at once, where would they go?”  Hun Sen criticized the provincial governors of Kampong Thom, Kampong Chhnang, Pursat, Banteay Meanchey, Siem Reap and Battambang for failing to stop large-scale illegal fishing. They had only arrested small fishermen, not powerful and rich illegal fishermen, Hun Sen said.

 

 

read more https://vodenglish.news/hun-sen-chastises-tonle-sap-governors-for-failing-to-act/