TIMBER RACKETEERS HOLD UP WILDLIFE RAIDERS

An eight-member team of Wildlife Conservation Department officers, who set out to conduct a raid on an organised timber racket being carried out in Somawathi National Park, was forcibly held by the racketeers by blocking all roads and retained in the forest from 8 pm on Saturday (09) to 1 am on Sunday, the Wildlife Department officers said.

The raid was planned on information received about felling large size Mee and Palu trees in the second division of the Somawathi National Park.

“There were large trees of about 15ft There were large trees of about 15ft circumference felled by racketeers when the officers reached the spot circumference felled by racketeers when the officers reached the spot,” a spokesman for the department said.

“Many chainsaws and other equipment and containers of fuel which were left behind by the suspects have been taken into custody,” the official said.

“After the raid, they found all roads had been blocked with tree trunks and the team had to wait several hours in the forest before clearing the roads,” he said. They had to make a great effort for about five hours to clear the road with the help of the chainsaws left behind by the suspects and make their way out, the official said.

Range Security Officer attached to the Polonnaruwa Wildlife Office G.M. Rathnayake, Assistant Range Officers P.M.B. Wijekone, S.A. Wickramarathne, Wildlife Guards W.A.D. Wickremasinghe, S.R.M. Adikari, G.R.M. Amarasinghe and Dileep Rohana were in the raid team.

Polonnaruwa Wildlife Assistant Director D.M.J. Wickremasinghe said investigation had begun to arrest the suspects.