Authority inspects deforestation in Thai North

BANGKOK, April 26 (TNA) - About 4,000 rais (2.5 rai = 1 acre) of forest in Thailand’s northern Mae Hong Son Province had been fallen over past three months. According to Caretaker Vice Minister for Natural Resources and Environment Damrong Pidej, who flew in a helicopter to inspect forests near three villages in the locality of Mae Sam Laep of Sop Moei District, the areas are the inhabitation of Karen hill tribe and are part of national forest reserves, calling for the Forest Department to urgently deal with the situation. Most of the fallen trees were Teng-rang, Paduak, Macea and teak, he said, noting that the woods were used to build house and were transported to Myanmar for furniture making before the products were sent to Thailand for sale. Meanwhile, authorities have found and seized some 700 logs of restricted Siamese rosewood from a forest in Nakhon Phanom Province. The logs, with 1-2 meter in length, were believed to have been transported from the Phu Pha Yon National Park, awaiting to be illegally exported to neighboring countries. In Si Sa Ket Province in the Thai Northeast, authorities have also found and seized 36 logs of Siamese rosewood worth 3 million baht from a pick-up truck which crashed into a roadside in a car accident. (TNA)