Two illegal loggers were arrested by a community patrol in Prey Lang forest on Wednesday, the Prey Lang Community Network (PLCN) said yesterday.

The pair was part of a group of eight loggers seen by patrollers in Kampong Thom’s Sandan district, but the rest escaped, PLCN said.

Several cubic metres of wood and a chain saw were seized.

“As soon as they saw us, they tried to escape into the forest. But we managed to arrest two of them,” said Chhum Yin, one of the patrollers.

The loggers allegedly confessed that they had been employed to log in the protected forest by a broker in Kampong Cham, who promised $62 per cubic metre of timber they delivered, he added.

Chan Chhoeun, the Dang Kambeth commune councillor, said the pair were let go after they signed a contract promising not to log again in the forest.

“If they do it again, we will take action in accordance with the law. We will not tolerate this a second time,” he said

Rampant logging in Prey Lang continues to threaten the entire forest, according to PLCN.