PRACHIN BURI - A probe is being launched into the acquisition of 65 large logs and almost 1,000 processed wood planks, worth at least 5 million baht, seized from the wife of a senior forestry official in this central province.
The investigation followed a raid on a small warehouse in Si Maha Phot district on Friday evening by a combined force of police and soldiers.
The force, led by Pol Lt Col Prasit Hakao, deputy Prachin Buri police superintendent, raided the venue following a complaint by local residents that many large logs of various species had been transported to the godown for wood processing for quite a while.
The complainants suspected the wood might have been acquired illegally and then alerted authorities to investigate.
Songkran Thahin, head of Village Moo 1 in tambon Khu Lampan of Si Maha Phot district, showed up after learning about the raid and told the officers that the godown belonged to him. He said all logs belonged to Lai Suebsaeng, a senior forestry official attached to Prachin Buri’s forestry conservation zone 1, who was his brother-in-law.
Authorities later invited the forestry official for questioning.
Mr Lai insisted the logs -- teak, takhian (hopea odorata), pradu (pterocarpus macrocarpus) and makha (afzelia xylocarpa) -- and all wood planks, had been legally acquired by his wife Hathairat Thahin, a younger sister of the village head.
The forestry official said his wife had bought the logs from villagers and the wood would be used to build a house. He produced official documents relating to the wood to police as proof. The documents, which had official stamps, matched the wood descriptions.
But the force found Mr Lai was the official who approved the documents for his wife. The conflict of interest raised a suspicion of irregularities.
When asked where the logs were acquired, the forestry official only said his wife purchased the wood from local residents in Si Maha Phot and Prachantakham districts of this province. However, he could not give the names of the buyers when asked.
The combined force found the logs seized from the godown had a diameter of 40-100 cm and were 6-12 metres long. They then seized the logs and wood planks for investigation.
If the probe found the wood was unlawfully acquired, Mr Songkhran, who kept the wood for his younger sister, would also face legal action, said the authorities.