Twenty people from Siem Reap province were stopped by police on Sunday in Oddar Meanchey’s Anlong Veng district as they attempted to cross the border into Thailand, officials said yesterday.

Anlong Veng military police commander Ngoun Thirith said yesterday that all 20 intended to cross the border to illegally log timber.

None were arrested, he said, but were educated about the dangers facing illegal rosewood loggers.

More than 40 people have been shot dead by Thai border security forces since January while illegally felling the highly prized luxury wood that fetches tens of thousands of dollars on the international market.

“We just educated them about the fatal risk they will face if they illegally cross to cut the timber in Thailand,” said Thirith.

He added that the loggers were freed from detention after signing a contract in which they agreed to stop logging.

To contact the reporter on this story: Phak Seangly at [email protected]