Koh Hey, 45, came to Tham Hin camp in 1998.

In 2010 he became a bamboo worker on a TBC programme.

To start, he began planting bamboo on 30 acres of land on a nearby mountain-side. Three years later he began to add banana, eucalyptus and other plants on an additional 10 acres.

The years of hard work are paying off, said the committed employee.

“This area used to have no trees and was very dry. Since we’ve grown the plants, the environment is more moist. People can use bamboo for buildings. They have bamboo shoots to eat,” said Koh Hey.

Every morning he and five co-workers go to the plantation area, where hazards like mosquito bites, bee stings and snakes are all part of the picture. Koh Hey doesn’t mind; he’s focused on the future.

Some day, the plantation will become a forest, with even more benefits to the camp population, he said, smiling.