Six men accused of illegally logging rosewood in neighbouring Thailand were arrested and reprimanded at the provincial court in Oddar Meanchey, but are facing no charges for their actions, police said.

Border soldiers with Brigade 905 arrested the men in Char Thmey village, located in Trapaing Prasat’s Tumnup Dach commune, on Saturday and found 18 pieces of illegal wood.

Three axes and two saws were also seized.

The men were sent to the provincial police station the same night, Oddar Meanchey provincial deputy police chief Loek Soupha said yesterday.

“They were carrying the rosewood on their backs, and had the axes and saws in their hands when they were coming back from Thailand,” he said, adding that the loggers hail from Trapaing prasat district, and are aged 18 to 20.

“We sent them to court [on the 23rd] to find out who hired them,” Soupha said.

“But the loggers wouldn’t tell. They said they didn’t know [anything].”

He added that, with the approval of the court, the men were given a talking to and made to sign contracts to assure they wouldn’t engage in illegal logging.