Annual Progress Report , January to December 2010
In 2010 there were two calamitous events that occurred locally within our project area. The
first event occurred at Kok Lak commune in Vernsai district where several deaths were
attributed to angry spirits linked to the encroachment of land and forests by outside mining
exploration activities. The second event was the widespread outbreak of cholera in a number of
Ratanakiri’s districts.Both of these events seriously affected NTFP’s fieldwork in the impacted
areas, since the communities ceased to participate owing to their fear of cholera and the
mystery surrounding the deaths at Kok Lak.
