Environmental rights defenders have been detained for their involvement in a protest against International Rainbow Co. Ltd. & Direct Access Company, which are allegedly engaged in illegal sand dredging activities. According to the information received, on November 4, 2015, an investigative judge questioned Messrs. Sim Somnang, Try Sovikea (or Tri Sovichea), and Sun Mala. The three were arrested on August 17, 2015, for their involvement in protests against a company registered in Cambodia called “Direct Access” accused of illegally dredging sand in Koh Kong Province. The three are accused of “threatening to cause destruction, defacement or damage” and “ordering others to do so,” under Article 424 of the Criminal Code. Their local environmental group known for its efforts to stop illegal sand dredging and the construction of a controversial hy­dropower dam in Koh Kong Province by Chinese Sinohydro company. They believe that the proposed dam will cause massive social and environmental damage in the region and could lead to flooding in parts of the Areng Valley, displacing the Khmer Daeum indigenous population and destroying the ancestral homes of the valleys inhabitants.