Blood spilledAccording to the DNP and suppression sources dealing with the issue, illegal logging of Phayung emerged on Thai soil in the late 2000s. Thai security intelligence identified some security officers from neighbouring countries with a Colonel rank as being behind the foreign armed groups protecting the loggers, said a source. Neighbouring tensionsDuring 2012, illegal Phayung logging escalated into regional tensions as Cambodia accused Thailand of killing its citizens over the smuggling. Both sides then sought cooperation to suppress the problem, initiating bilateral talks and meetings which years later were expanded into multilateral platforms to discuss the best way to deal with illegal Phayung logging. As of the latest data, from 2016, the DNP has made 98 arrests, with 111 wrongdoers nabbed, and 1,766 logs or pieces of Phayung wood seized.

Source: The Nation Bangkok December 21, 2018 17:48 UTC