TREE TRAFFICKING
Phayung seized in Si Sa Ket
Authorities arrested 11 Cambodians who allegedly encroached on a forest in Si Sa Ket to fell protected phayung, or Siamese rosewood trees.
22 phayung logs worth about 1.5 million baht were confiscated during the raid by police and forestry officials in Khun Han district of Si Sa Ket on December 24, about 6 kilometres from the Thai-Cambodian border.
Authorities said they saw about 20 men sawing and processing the trees, but many of them managed to escape the raid. The Cambodian suspects admitted that they would deliver the phayung logs to sell to a Cambodian trader.