DOCUMENTS obtained by the Post reveal that both co-prime ministers were privy to

and agreed to an elaborate scheme by RCAF to appropriate 30,000 cubic meters of felled

logs to finance its military operations.

In a letter addressed to the co-premiers in February last year, General Chief of

Staff Ke Kim Yan requested permission to confiscate logs from three districts in

Koh Kong and Kompong Speu provinces and "use them to fulfill the necessary needs-especially

material and supplies to serve the RCAF operation during the dry season offensive

1995-1996."

No copy of the request letter appears to have been sent to the Ministry of Finance.

In a letter dated March 30, after receiving the go-ahead from both co-prime ministers,

Ke Kim Yan issued orders to the commander of Military Region 3, Samreth Dy, to set

up a chain of command to insure the removal of logs by RCAF soldiers.

Documents reveal that several civilian and military authorities in Koh Kong were

mobilized to support RCAF's enterprise, including governor Rongphlam Kesan, the chiefs

of both military and civilian police and the director of customs.