ROSEWOOD SMUGGLING

Eight police officers have been transferred and at least four others are likely to face arrest warrants for allegedly supporting the illegal logging of the highly-prized payoong, or rosewood, in the Northeast.

Pol Lt Gen Dechawat Ramsompop, commissioner of Provincial Police Region 3, said the eight policemen transferred were six commissioned and two non-commissioned officers.

The transfers were made after illegal loggers arrested in Nam Yuen district of Ubon Ratchathani province implicated them during questioning. Pol Lt Gen Dechawat said evidence showed the officers either supported or turned a blind eye to the illegal logging of rosewood.

The officers were transferred to Ubon Ratchathani police command.

Pol Lt Gen Dechawat said he would wait for more concrete evidence before deciding whether the officers should be dismissed from the force.

The investigation into the officers' involvement should be concluded this week. He said the officers had not been caught red-handed and it was only the word of the arrested illegal loggers which had implicated them.

He said illegal logging had dramatically reduced the amount of rosewood in the Northeast.

The arrested suspects also revealed that police officers and government officials from many agencies supported the illicit business.

Pol Maj Gen Korakot Sariya, deputy commissioner of the Provincial Police Region 3, said the office is gathering evidence to seek arrest warrants for corrupt police officers.

He said four police inspectors would face arrest warrants in a few days.

Burgeoning demand from China for the valuable rosewood had seen many forest areas destroyed by illegal loggers. The wood is used to repair old palaces and to produce sacred objects and images such as the Guan Yin, the Chinese goddess of mercy. It is smuggled from northeastern Thailand through Laos and Vietnam to China.