BANGKOK: Thai authorities are investigating a suspected transnational timber-trafficking operation after a raft containing between 60 and 70 teak logs was seized along the Salween River in Mae Hong Son.
Paramilitary rangers from Company 3602 at the Ban Tha Ta Fang base found the large raft during a river patrol on Wednesday (Aug 26).
The logs had been tied together near Ban Mae Waen in Mae Yuam subdistrict, Mae Sariang district. Most appeared to be old teak, although officers found about 10 newly cut logs among them.
Natural Resources and Environment Minister Suchart Chomklin ordered the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation (DNP) to work with security agencies and paramilitary rangers to secure and inspect the timber.
“Forest resources belong to all Thai people,” Suchart said.
He ordered officials to pursue legal action against everyone found to have been involved, without exception.
Raft believed to have come from Karen State
DNP director-general Atthaphon Charoenchansa said the raft was found on the riverbank near Ban Mae Waen, according to a report from Chaichan Sriyong, director of Protected Areas Regional Office 16’s Mae Sariang branch.
Officials initially assessed that the logs had been towed from Ban Ko Ke on the Karen State side of the river, in an area the department associated with the Karen National Union (KNU).
They suspect the raft was being prepared either for an illegal crossing into Thailand or for onward transport along the river.
No suspects were identified in the announcement, and the origin and ownership of the timber remain under investigation.
Logs to be measured and formally seized
Salawin National Park officers have been instructed to tow the raft to a secure location.
Officials will measure each log, calculate the total volume of timber and prepare a formal seizure record in accordance with official procedures.
The examination will also seek to distinguish the newly cut teak from the older timber and gather evidence for possible legal proceedings.
Investigation targets wider trafficking network
Security agencies and military units in the border area have been ordered to investigate the route used to move the timber and identify the organisers and other people involved in the suspected cross-border operation.
Authorities will seek to establish where the logs were cut, who assembled the raft and where the shipment was intended to be delivered.
Suchart also ordered more frequent river patrols along the Salween to prevent the waterway from being used for further illegal timber shipments. - The Nation/ANN
