The government made numerous attempts to discredit the findings, and then shut down international sand exports a month later under growing pressure from opposition lawmakers and environmentalists. Finally, the estuaries and residents of Peam Krasop had some peace.<\/p>\n
But for three activists who have spearheaded Mother Nature campaigns, the peace was short-lived. Six weeks after they unearthed the off-the-books sales, San Mala, Sim Somnang, and Try Sovikea fled the country<\/a>, fearing persecution after they were called to court over an old charge. In 2015, the trio was sentenced to 18 months in prison for threatening to destroy a sand barge<\/a>. They were released after 10 months, with the remaining eight suspended. The case lay dormant until this summons, which the men see as a direct threat.<\/p>\n \u201cThe judicial system in Cambodia is weak,\u201d says Mala. \u201cWe suspect that powerful and rich individuals are using the courts as a tool of revenge against us.\u201d Such intimidation is not foreign to Mother Nature activists, however, as they expose corruption and environmental threats in a country where both are rife. In 2015, the government made its strongest statement against the group when it expelled cofounder Alex Gonzalez-Davidson<\/a> for overstaying his welcome following protests against a planned hydropower dam. Gonzales-Davidson is a British-Spanish citizen who had called Cambodia home for 14 years.<\/p>\n When Cambodia\u2019s murky sand trade was first exposed in a 2010 report by London-based environmental watchdog Global Witness<\/a>, two ruling party senators\u2014Mong Reththy and Ly Yong Phat\u2014were at the helm of the sand mining industry, and two of the prime minister\u2019s daughters were listed as part owners of one of the country\u2019s most active mining firms\u2014Udom Seima Peanich Industry and Mine Co., Ltd.<\/p>\n These big names have since disappeared from official documentation, but according to Mother Nature, their influence in the sand industry remains.<\/p>\n A dredger pulls sand from the Mekong River in Cambodia. Photo by John Michaels\/Alamy Stock Photo<\/p><\/div>\n \u201cMake no mistake, this was not a few small boats stealing sand and smuggling it out under the cover of darkness,\u201d Gonzalez-Davidson says in reference to the recent revelation unearthed by his organization. \u201cThis pillage of one of our nation\u2019s most precious resources was conducted by government agencies, their friends and families, and their business partners, working together.\u201d<\/p>\n With public furor over the stolen sand at a high, Dith Tina, a spokesman for Cambodia\u2019s Ministry of Mines and Energy, said in January<\/a> that Cambodians \u201cshould be proud that our sand is taken for use everywhere around the world.\u201d The ministry did not respond to numerous requests for comment on this story.<\/p>\n Gonzalez-Davidson is fighting to be allowed to return to Cambodia. But for Mala, Somnang, and Sovikea, returning to the country with suspended prison sentences hanging over their heads is a risk too great to take.<\/p>\n
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