Mondulkiri provincial environment officials and National Military Police early yesterday morning confiscated a seemingly abandoned Toyota Land Cruiser loaded with more than 10 poles of luxury thnong timber in the Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary, though no arrests were made.

Kong Puthira, project director at the Keo Seima Wildlife Sanctuary, said the seizure happened at about 1am yesterday after officials, who were jointly patrolling the area, spotted the vehicle stuck in a ditch on the side of the road. However, no driver was found at the site.

Each piece of wood was about 2 metres long and about 2.5 centimetres around.

The vehicle and the timber are being temporarily impounded at the sanctuary office, where officials are waiting for the owner to come and settle the case.

“But until now, no one has shown up to claim that vehicle and the timber,” Puthira said. “However, our authorities are working with military police forces to investigate.”

The military police’s Kham Sarim said the case must have involved illegal logging, given that the car had no plates and the driver had fled.