Rosewood haul found in truck with Sokimex logo

Ten tonnes of protected rosewood found stashed in a tanker truck bearing the logo of petroleum giant Sokimex was seized by police in Oddar Meanchey province on Friday.

The driver and any passengers escaped, police said, in the second such incident involving a truck bearing the Sokimex logo since August.

Police yesterday said they were unsure whether the truck belonged to Sok Kong, the tycoon who owns Sokimex.

“The truck bore the Sokimex Petroleum Company’s logo and was loaded with rosewood,” said Yang Vang, an Anlong Veng district military police officer.

Koy Kanya, Oddar Meanchey provincial prosecutor, did not rule out the possibility that the truck was owned by Sokimex.

“We do not know whether it is Sokimex’s truck or not. But it has Sokimex branding,” he said.

In August, police found 14 tons of rosewood hidden in the tanker of another truck bearing the Sokimex logo. Police said yesterday’s haul was logged in Thailand to be smuggled through Cambodia.

In February 2013, the collection, storage and transportation of Siamese rosewood was banned under an executive order.

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