A three-day operation by the Kratie provincial Military Police ended in the seizure of three lorries, two trailers and about four cubic meters of timber. The suspects escaped.
The GRK News website reported National Military Police chief of security unit 706, Tep Dara, as having led a mixed force to stop the unauthorised transport of timber in Keng village, Chroy Banteay commune, Prek Prasap district, Kratie province.
During the operation, a lorry carrying 126 pieces of first-grade timber equal to 3,528 cubic meters was confiscated and handed over to the Kratie Forestry Administration.
The report said that on Thursday, Kratie provincial police forces, in co-operation with the National Military Police, discovered another vehicle in Romoul village of Kampong Cham commune, Sambor district, Kratie province, but the owner escaped.
The report said Kratie provincial military police forces on Friday also investigated forest crimes in Village I, Sangkat Rokar Kandal, Kratie city, and seized two motorbike-trailers filled with mixed timber (trach and sralao). A total of 21 were sent to the forestry administration.
Kratie military police chief San Bunthan said on Sunday that Kratie provincial military police had been steadily going after forest crimes in the area last week.
Having seized the timber transport lorry, he said the suspects hid trailers for transporting logs in the forest, but the owner got away.
He said he did not remember the amount of timber and the evidence seized because he immediately ordered the authorities to send both the case and the evidence to officials at the Forestry Administration.
“When we caught all of those offences, we sent them to the officials to continue working on the case,” he said.
Kratie provincial Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries director Try Sopheak could not be reached for comment on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Ratanakkiri provincial military police officials on Thursday found a total of 60 pieces of Sokrom, Srolaov and rosewood, about 20-30cm in diameter, hidden in the forest behind the Phi village of Sesan commune, O’Yadav district, but the owner wasn’t found.
A report by the National Military Police showed that on Sunday, the local military police force of O’Yadav district led by Sok Min, a local military police chief, had been investigating forest crimes in Phi village, Sesan commune, O’Yadav district, and found a pile of logs which traffickers had hauled by motorbike, hidden on a cashew farm 350m from the Phi village police station.
The report by Bou Rady, a deputy prosecutor at the Ratanakkiri Provincial Court, said the force seized 60 pieces of mixed timber such as sokrom, sralao and rosewood with sections ranging from 20-30cm in diameter. The evidence has been handed over to the Bakeo Forestry Administration.
