NAKHON RATCHASIMA -- Two Cambodian men were arrested with 11 blocks of phayung wood in a search of a house in Khon Buri district on Sunday morning. Phayung trees are protected plants which grow well in the forests of northeastern Thailand. Each year, tonnes of these highly prized trees are illegally felled in the Northeast for lucrative profits. The search was carried out on a tip-off that the house was where illegally-cut phayung wood had been stored before being transported to investors. Found in the house were two undocumented Cambodian men, Luem Ad, 41, and Mad Heng, 24, from Si Sophon province and 11 blocks of phayung wood, each about 25 centimetres in circumferrence and 2 metres long.

Source: Bangkok Post March 19, 2017 04:07 UTC