Two Phuket firms raided for illegal possession of protected timber

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Two Phuket firms raided for illegal possession of protected timber
Darawan Naknakhon


Officials inspect some of the huge slabs of timber found at Ayutthaya Atlantic.

PHUKET: -- Crime suppression officers from the Department of Natural Resources and Environment today (July 25) seized just over seven cubic metres of allegedly illegal timber from the Underwood factory on the bypass road and another 4.4 cu m from Ayutthaya Atlantic, also on the bypass road.

Pratew Mansap, 38, at Ayutthaya Atlantic, was found in possession of seven large planks of Takian Sai wood. Takien Sai (Shorea gratissima) is listed as an endangered species by the UN-affiliated International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

At the Underwood factory another nine large pieces of the same timber were found, totalling 7.01 cu m.

Because neither the Underwood factory nor Ms Pratew was able to produce the correct paperwork, both were charged under the 1941 Forest Law, which relates to receiving undocumented timber, being in possession of it, or offering it for sale.

Penalties for illegal possession of timber from protected species of trees are tough: imprisonment of one year to 20 years and a fine of B5,000 to B200,000.

Investigators are now attempting to get more details of the timber’s origins.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/two-phuket-firms-raided-for-illegal-possession-of-protected-timber-47523.php


-- Phuket News 2014-07-25

[Grindting]

Need to see more of these crackdowns all over asia

What I saw going down the river in kalimantang was 100s of 1000s of logs, some absolutely gigantic, all on barge ships going to makeshift crinkly tin cutting factories on the riverside. So sad. Driving back you see the vast forests destroyed, waiting to be burned to make space for more palm oil plantations and what not

[PilotEd]

Now if they would do the same about the ivory trade.

Save the elephants

[belg]

did the timber rob, stab or rape anybody ?

20 years? while serial offenders / robbers / druggies are known for up to 100+ cases and still running around