14 migrant brokers nabbed
AS OF February 15, Battambang provincial authorities have arrested 14 brokers and others involved with facilitating the movement of workers who are crossing the border illegally to avoid quarantine.
Nine suspects were taken to court and four others are still being detained for questioning after having been caught attempting to transport five workers across the border from Thailand.
Battambang Provincial Administration spokesman Soeum Bunrith told The Post on February 16 that following Prime Minister Hun Sen’s order, the provincial authorities had increased border guard force to 875 people to carry out strict inspections of all trucks transporting goods from Thailand to prevent migrant workers sneaking into the country.
Bunrith said that on February 15, five workers were found hiding on two trucks transporting fruit. Authorities have already questioned the five and sent them to quarantine centres.
Authorities are working on
sending four more people – including the drivers and their assistants – to court.
Bunrith said that on February 16 Battambang provincial governor Nguon Ratanak and Sam Vanvirak, director of the Ministry of Interior’s internal security department, chaired a meeting to further tighten measures to
prevent illegal border crossings in Kamrieng, Phnom Proek and Sampov Loun districts.
He said the provincial authorities had also issued additional orders to all administrations along the border regions to prevent anyone from hiding migrant workers in their homes because in the past people have done so to help workers evade quarantine.
“People in in Kamrieng, Phnom Proek and Sampov Loun districts who want to leave their area must have a certificate from the commune police showing that they are really residents of that village or commune in order to help us catch any migrant workers attempting to skip quarantine,” he said.
Sum Art, deputy chief of the Cambodia-Thailand Border relations working group at the Daung International Border Checkpoint in Kamrieng district, also said on February 16 that they had cooperated in restricting entry and exit through the border checkpoint by carefully inspecting all trucks.
On February 15, the prime minister ordered the municipal and provincial authorities to enforce stricter measures for crossing through border checkpoints. He ordered that anyone caught trying to avoid quarantine be interviewed to determine the identities of any brokers or others who may be providing assistance to workers to cross the border illegally.
RESIDENTS of the capital’s Meanchey village living near the Black Soldier Fly (BSF) Farm have complained of a persistent, intolerable stench, prompting authorities to intervene.
Thefarm,locatedinMeanchey district’s Stung Meanchey I commune, cultivates fly larvae for animal feed. Local residents said the situation began to improve following mediating from commune officials.
Meng Chou, a grocery seller near the farm, said the smell had diminished for the past half month.
“Now, it’s better. Previously, the stench was all over the village. I could not sleep, and everyone needed to cover their noses. I had a headache everyday because of the bad smell. Now, maybe they have some technique to reduce the smell – I don’t know,” she said.
Song Kheng, another nearby resident, said there had been a bad smell every day, but after neighbours complained repeatedly, officials came to the farm and issued instructions to the owner.
“It was a terrible smell, making it difficult for us to live, so we told the farm owner about it. Since authorities inspected the farm, it’s gotten better. The smell travels on the wind. Depending on which direction it blows, the people in that direction will get a stronger smell,” she said.
Local resident Ra Sieng said the smell had not caused major health impacts, but it had made living in the area unpleasant and difficult while the flies caused a nuisance.
“It stinks, and there are flies – it’s nearly unbearable. I kept shouting that it smelled bad. It doesn’t seem to cause any serious disease – it just smells very sour day and night, and we find it difficult to endure. But the last few days have been better,” Sieng said.
Tim Rath, a technician at the BSF Farm, said that raising flies does not harm the environment. On the contrary, it is helpful because flies improve the disposal of perishable waste like organic materials.
“In environmental terms, it helps reduce waste. The downside is the bad smell. As we collect and store vegetable and fruit waste, it produces an odour as it decomposes. But when we process it into our raw materials, there is no longer a problem with the smell,” said Rath.
He said raising flies is very useful for farmers, especially for those raising animals who need livestock feed. The farm’s products are good for feeding chickens, ducks, edible-nest swiftlets and all kinds of fish.
He said flies and larvae are high in protein, which helps animals grow faster, keeps their skin shiny, strengthens their bones and makes them resistant to disease.
“We produce black soldier flies. It is a protein fly and does not harm human health. The larvae we raise are for animal feed, and the waste they leave makes good compost soil,” he said.
Acting commune chief Soeng Mom told The Post on February 16 that authorities had summoned complainants and the farm’s owner for a meeting at the Phnom Penh Municipal Hall the previous day to discuss the farm’s impact on the local community and negotiate a solution.
“On February 15, they negotiated over the problem, and now it is resolved. There was only one complainant present, perhaps because the smell had been worse before, but it seems to have been better contained lately. And besides, this farm will soon be moving to Kean Svay,” she said.
BSF Farm owner Sao Sensamnang said authorities applauded the farm’s work raising flies but noted that the facility must be equipped with mechanisms to prevent odours from affecting the community.
“The meeting was very successful. [Officials] support our efforts to raise many flies and are pleased with their positive environmental impact. But [they] advise using techniques which will stop the bad smell from harming neighbours,” Sensamnang said.