Forest chief lashes out at dirty officials: Local villagers irked at continued logging
Copyright 2000 FT Asia Intelligence Wire, BANGKOK POST
October 3, 2000
State officials were involved in illegal logging at the Mae Yom National Park in Phrae, the Forestry Department chief said yesterday.
"We found from recent arrests that officials were deeply involved," said Plodprasop Suraswadi, who declined to identify the suspects.
"We now know the criminals. I warn all of you to be prepared because I will get you soon," Mr Plodprasop said, adding that the crackdown would be tough and frequent.
He spoke after an hour-long meeting of local forestry officials which was called following complaints from local people about widespread logging and poaching in the park, earmarked as the site for the controversial Kaeng Sua Ten dam.
Residents of Phrae, which boasts the country's best teak forests but suffers the highest rate of illegal logging, last week asked Mr Plodprasop to take tougher action against illegal loggers. They wondered why the chief failed to notice the thousand rai of tree stumps during his inspection of the park a few months ago.
The meeting was attended by park and forestry officials from Lampang, Phrae and Tak.
Mr Plodprasop said the number of arrests in illegal logging cases has become more frequent. The latest arrest was last Friday when forestry officials and police confiscated a pick-up and a jeep loaded with fresh teak logs in Phrae. However, the driver escaped.
"We later found these logs were cut by local villagers who knew how to get away," Mr Plodprasop revealed.
Lampang has become a new transport route for loggers and come under close scrutiny, he said, adding that loggers often used elephants hoping officials would not bother to arrest the large beasts.
Although no officials were arrested, Mr Plodprasop said his officers were given a tongue-lashing for their ignorance and lack of action.
"I believe there's some degree of negligence among the officials but the main violators were investors," he said.
Mr Plodprasop denied the increased logging was caused by his department's relaxed regulations after its success in increasing forest cover nationwide.
Eight forest encroachers sent to jail
The Supreme Court has jailed eight people for encroachment on the Dong Lan forest reserve.
The defendants, leaders of the Assembly of Small-Scale Farmers in the Northeast, were given two years each for the encroachment in 1998.
About 1,500 people occupied parts of the reserve, and 1,000 police and forestry officials were sent to evict them.
The encroachers later agreed to quit, but the eight, including Prachuab Kangnork were arrested.
The eight were found guilty by the Khon Kaen provincial court and by the Appeals Court last year. Their appeals were accepted by the Supreme Court in May this year.
About 200 villagers showed up at the provincial court yesterday to give moral support to the defendants who were whisked away to the central prision following the guilty verdicts.