Volunteer claims unit moved to help smugglers

NAKHON RATCHASIMA: A former leader of a forest protection volunteer unit based in Phu Khao Luang forest reserve claimed his unit was relieved from duty in order to clear the way for criminal networks to smuggle precious wood.

Panyawat Supphalak said yesterday that his team was replaced by a group of “dishonest state officials” after it uncovered an illegal cache of Siamese rosewood (Dalbergia cochinchinensis), known locally as phayung, in April last year.

Several state officials, including a number of police officers, were named as suspects following an investigation into the case, he said.

Mr Panyawat said that villagers in the area have admitted to receiving 10,000 baht each time they helped the smuggling ring.

“State officials were paid tens of thousands of baht each time they were asked to assist,” he alleged.

According to Mr Panyawat, his unit was reassigned to another area not long after the investigation into the case began, in what he suspected was an attempt to ensure that smuggling routes out of Phu Khao Luang reserve remain clear.

Phu Khao Luang reserve is a major source of precious wood, as many trees, including century-old phayung, grow within its limits, he said.

Mr Panyawat said that the contraband logs are often transported in personal vehicles to avoid arousing suspicion at security checkpoints along the smuggling route.

“I hope [my information] will lead to better protection of the forest reserve and its resources,” he said.