Military police and forestry officials made a string of illegal luxury timber busts on Wednesday, various local authorities said, following Hun Sen’s demand for more action in preventing illegal logging.

Sak Saraing, military police chief for Mondulkiri province, said 10 cubic metres of luxury timber were confiscated after a truck skidded off a mountain road early on Wednesday morning in Sen Monorom commune. Authorities found the truck abandoned with luxury timber spilling out of it and no sign of the driver.

On the same day in the same commune, military police arrested a man and confiscated his car after finding 1 cubic metre of luxury timber.

“We arrested Su Sen, 58, for transporting wood without permission,” Saraing said. “Military police sent the wood to the Forestry Administration, and sent the suspect to the court.”

And in a third case in neighbouring Kratie province, forestry officials in conjunction with military police confiscated vehicles laden with wood on Wednesday night in Kratie town.

“We cooperated with military police and confiscated a car and truck on Wednesday night,” said provincial forestry director Try Sopheak.

No mention was made of the fate of the transporter.

According to a post on Wednesday on the Forestry Administration’s Facebook page, officials also confiscated a car loaded with 98 pieces of luxury timber in Stung Treng town.