Siamese rosewood seized in Mukdahan

MUKDAHAN, Nov 5 (TNA) - The Thai Mekong Riverine Unit confiscated 42 lumbers of Siamese rosewood in Mukdahan Province in the northeastern region today while on transit to neighboring countries. Speaking to the press, Rear Admiral Varah Thaenkham, Superintendent of the MRU, said authorities found seven sacks of rosewood being placed unattended in a forest across a local school in the province. The discovery was prompted by a tip-off from an undisclosed source. Authorities found six lumbers of rosewood inside each sack, totaling 0.259 cubic meter, and worth more than 100,000 baht. All pieces have no authorized stamps on them and no one has claimed ownership of the wood. Authorities will undertake further investigations to make arrest of the owner. Siamese rosewood is a protected plant species under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to which Thailand is a ratified country. Unauthorized possession of rosewood is illegal under the Thai law. (TNA)