Thirty-four Cambodians were arrested for illegal logging on Saturday by a joint government force in Thailand’s Nakhon Ratchasima province, the Bangkok Post reported yesterday, while another four Cambodians caught illegally logging will be sent home Tuesday. The joint operation began after Thai police in Buri Ram province stopped a truck carrying 14 planks of processed rosewood and arrested 33-year-old Arwut Ditprasak from Sa Kaeo province on Thursday, the report said.
 

“From his answers, the police learned that many Cambodian migrants had been sent across the border by a timber smuggling ring, whose members comprised both Thais and Cambodians, and deployed in the Thap Lan National Park to fell protected Siamese rosewood trees,” the Bangkok Post said. Mr. Arwut, whose mobile phone was seized, told police he was supposed to go into the national park to pick up the migrant workers after they finished their jobs. A police officer, disguised as Mr. Arwut, went to the national park in an attempt to find the men.
 

The officer “went into the national park to contact the loggers. The loggers were told to wait at a rendezvous in the Khon Buri forest reserve. On Saturday, a number of officials went into the forest reserve on Mr. Arwut’s truck and two other vehicles to pick up the Cambodian migrants, while others were deployed around the area,” the report added. The Cambodian loggers, who hid in the forest, ran toward the two vehicles with their belongings, not knowing they were trapped and only knew they were arrested after arriving at the Khon Buri district police station.

read more http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/29038/illegal-loggers-nabbed-in-thailand/

 

-- © Copyright Khmer Times 29/08