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Thai park officials and troops detained nine Cambodians for allegedly felling and processing Siamese rosewoods inside forest reserves in Sa Kaew’s Mueang district.
Pang Si Da National Park chief Panatchakorn Phobanthit said the arrests were made on Monday following a tip-off .
Panatchakorn said the informant told authorities a large group of
Cambodians were felling trees in the Kaeng Dinso, Kaeng Yai and Satone
national forest reserves.
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Park officials and troops later found around 40 Cambodians walking
in line, each carrying a plank of Siamese rosewood on their back to
smuggle the precious wood out of the forest. On seeing the authorities
approach, they ran into the forest – but nine were apprehended.
Officials seized 75 planks and two chainsaws.
The arrested Cambodians said they sneaked across the border at night and
walked four days to the forest reserves. They spent five days
processing the planks before starting to walk back when the authorities
swooped.
Source - TheNation
