Sand extraction in Koh Kong province halted, ministry says
Facing mounting scrutiny over the country’s sand trade, the Ministry of Mines and Energy said on November 16 that all sand extraction had been suspended in Koh Kong province, where much of the country’s extraction takes place. “We have suspended it for a long time already,” ministry spokesman Meng Saktheara said on November 16, referring further questions to his colleague Dith Tina, who did not respond to requests for comment. Alex Gonzalez-Davidson, exiled director of the environmental NGO Mother Nature, confirmed that the group’s members had observed a lull in the activity, but said it only began in recent days. “We noticed that approximately on the 10th or 11th, most activities had come to a stop, and we will receive more reports on whether they have restarted in the next few days,” he said in an online message, adding that it was possible operations were continuing in more remote locations.
