Mother Nature Cambodia is one of the country's leading civil society groups, working since 2012 with frontline human rights activists to protect Cambodia's environment.
Our main mission is to assist and work alongside those Cambodians willing to take risks. Our main work focuses on exposing to large audiences the excesses, environmental destruction, and human rights abuses that all-too-often are linked to the out-of-control development the country has been seeing for over two decades.
Despite being subjected to arbitrary harassment on a regular basis, we continue to strive forward, informing millions of Cambodians of what is truly happening in the name of so-called development.
Support us in protecting Cambodia's natural heritage.
This report highlights the disproportionate escalation of judicial penalties applied to activists of Mother Nature Cambodia (MNC) through a compliant legal system that is neither independent nor impartial, and exists to accommodate the whims of the government. The apparent goal of this escalation is to keep the views of young Cambodians out of the public discourse, thereby minimising the exposure of governmental and corporate corruption.
It is worth noting the Hun Sen regime’s continual and intentional abuse of the word ‘peace’ to describe what is essentially, ‘the freedom for government and corporate interests to commit acts of environmental destruction for financial benefit without criticism, protest or accountability’. Imposing excessively harsh prison sentences has become part of the process in achieving this definition of ‘peace’.
It is important to put the harsh prison sentences into perspective. Living conditions in Cambodian prisons are considerably worse than in Western prisons. Overcrowding (e.g. 30 to 40 people in a cell designed for 10), poor hygiene, lack of essential resources (including water), and the bribery of prison guards for basic needs, are all considered normal. Long prison sentences have a crippling financial
impact on the families and communities of the convicted, thereby increasing the pressure on the convicted to refrain from any further activism after being released from prison – furthering the Hun family regime’s advancement to their notion of ‘peace’.
The abusive police treatment, psychological torture, excessive sentencing and long imprisonments described within this document also serve as a deterrent to others who have critical views of the Hun family regime.
The following provides a chronological outline of the escalation, along with contexts and accompanying perspectives…
No sewage, no garbage, no casinos, no out-of-control construction, and no economic land concessions. Instead, here you will find an island paradise of unparalleled beauty.
We take pride in seeing how such a stunning place, bestowed upon us by our Khmer ancestors, still exists.
We demand that this mysterious and jungle-clad island - the country's largest - is declared officially protected and that it remains fully preserved IN ITS CURRENT STATE for future generations of Cambodians.
Our first campaign, and perhaps our most successful so far. Plans by the Phnom Penh government to flood this stunning part of the Cardamom mountains into a reservoir for an unproductive hydro-dam were stopped on its track after years of campaigning. The dam would have obliterated one of Cambodia's most important habitats for several species of wildlife - of which we highlight the extremely rare Siamese crocodile and Dragon Fish - and thrown close to 2,000 indigenous villagers out of their ancestral lands. Despite the dam having been officially cancelled, the threats to this stunning terrain persist.
For years, government agencies aided and abetted the extraction and smuggling of millions of tons of marine sand from Koh Kong's estuaries to several countries, chiefly Singapore, under the ridiculous pretext that 'estuaries need to be deepened for navigational purposes', or that it reduces 'riverbank collapse'. After years of grassroots advocacy and a hard hitting expose on wide-scale fraud by our group, exports of marine sand have stopped since late 2016. Sadly, the extraction of river sand around Phnom Penh, which is causing widespread river bank collapses, and the secretive export of silica sand, continue unabated.
Cambodia: Conviction of youth activists a further blow to Cambodia’s environmental movement (Amnesty International)
Our campaign videos consistently attract huge audiences, and get results. Videos consistently go viral, reaching hundreds of thousands - sometimes even millions - of Cambodians. Much anticipated, our video reports are talked about in homes and workplaces throughout the country. MNC’s social media team, made up entirely of young Cambodians, gets the message across in ways that connect with the Cambodian public.
There is no secret to our popular formula. We merely provide reliable content, which Cambodian people have been increasingly denied by the ruling-regime. It has systematically shut down, and sent into exile, most independent media sources in the country, leaving little behind but fake-news, which tows the party line.
Our brave campaign activist reporters refuse to be silenced. They have endured harassment, oppression, and even imprisonment. Their courage is leading by example.
We provide what the Cambodian people crave: truthful, evidence-based reports, that expose negligence and corruption, by Cambodia’s rich and powerful, on environmental issues.
Results are mounting, as time and again our videos hit home, highlighting issues that cannot be ignored. The mass social-media attention we attract gives the mainstream media stories it feels compelled to report. This builds momentum around the burning environmental and human-rights issues we seek to address. Political pressure applied to the ruling-regime, and especially to the individuals in our spotlight, has repeatedly led to changes in behaviour and policies. This has not gone unnoticed by our growing audience, hungry for political change, after decades of corrupt rule.
To name but a few of the successes some of our short but hard-hitting videos have achieved over the last few years: We have forced the Hun Sen regime cancel plans for a large (non-productive) hydro dam in the country's largest forest, put an end to fraudulent and destructive extraction and exportation of marine sand, pushed the government to put an end to widespread sumping of sewage water into pristine beaches, and a large etc.
🌱🌱 They dreamed of protecting Cambodia’s remaining natural resources, making them safer, and preserving the beauty of this golden land for future generations. But in pursuit of that dream, they have faced repeated imprisonment and injustice. This is not the end, brothers and sisters. Their fight is not over. It is now up to us to carry it forward. #FreeOurFriends #notforgotten
This is a garbage incinerator located in Kirirom National Park. Not just one, not two, but many! Has the Ministry of Environment run out of options, resorting to using protected areas like this as garbage dumps?
The so-called "City of Peace" boasts only about the wealth gained from development, but never speaks of the scale of destruction to natural resources, the quality of life, culture, and the lifestyles of its citizens. Furthermore, it never dares to address the enormous debt it has incurred against the people. Has the praise and celebration truly contributed to improving our quality of life? I invite everyone to share your thoughts and opinions!
Recently, we have received information from sources within the industry that the Ministry of Mines and Energy is currently in discussions to issue a license for sand dredging and export to a company named "Cateris Marine & Resources (Cambodia) Co., Ltd” in Koh Kong Province.
Will the illegal activities of sand dredging and export return, and how will we participate together to protect our maritime territory from unscrupulous groups if this indeed happens?
We, Mother Nature Cambodia cannot preserve our natural resources everywhere throughout Cambodia if the laws at the borders are like this. Therefore, the voices of our people, especially the local communities in the affected areas, must be strong and united to protect their land. Only by doing so can we save ourselves from exploitation.
Urgent
Phnom Penh City!
The PM2.5 levels have reached hazardous levels on the AQI scale, posing a silent threat to the health of millions of people. However, the Cambodian government remains silent, with no action or concern, while citizens are breathing in polluted air.
We continue to hear "thank you for peace," but what is peace when there is no clean air to breathe? What is peace when people are poisoned by pollution day after day?
Where is the urgency to protect public health?
PM2.5 is not just invisible—it is life-threatening. Long-term exposure leads to respiratory diseases, heart disease, and premature death. This is not a minor issue. It is a public health crisis that is visible but largely ignored.
If the government truly values peace, urgent and transparent actions must be taken to manage polluters, reduce emissions, and protect future generations.
#ThanksPeace
This is the reality for those who dare to speak up in defense of Cambodia’s natural resources. Our friend, Ms. Long Kuntha, is an honest, humble, and selfless person, yet she has fallen victim to the unjust actions of the ruling regime. They wanted her arrested, charged, and imprisoned for 6 to 8 years simply for speaking out. Not only was she detained unjustly, but she was also subjected to abuse and exploitation.
Kuntha has said, ‘May I be the last victim of such injustice.’ It is deeply painful.
Many young Cambodians, including those of us continuing her mission, have drawn strength from her bravery. What has she done wrong?
#IAmLongKuntha
See this cartoon on our FB page
Mother Nature Cambodia is a movement devoted to the protection of Cambodia's most precious asset: our nation's natural resources.
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