Timber burned at Mondulkiri ELC

[geovalin]

Phak Seangly

Hundreds of logs of timber, including luxury wood, as well as sawmill camps were torched at a controversial Vietnamese-owned economic land concession in Mondulkiri province’s Keo Seima district in an apparent bid to destroy evidence of illegal logging ahead of a raid by a new anti-logging committee.

Eng Hy, spokesman for the joint committee – formed by Prime Minister Hun Sen on January 14 to crack down on illegal logging and timber smuggling to Vietnam – said the team was investigating after inspectors found charred logs at the rubber concession of Binh Phuoc Kratie Rubber 1, a subsidiary of the Vietnam Rubber Group (VRG).

“The burning down of timber did happen … Whether it was to destroy evidence or not, it is a crime,” Hy said, adding he had yet to receive a report from his men on the ground and could not talk in detail about the case.

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