Forest products
Forestry Industry
Govt widens ban on timber exports, tightens wood business
The government has announced a new ban on the export of various tree species, timber products and ornamental plants in a move to take ownership of and maximise the benefits of Laos’ natural resources. Prime Minister ThonglounSisoulith issued an order last week imposing the ban on ...
Auctions of illegal timber to resume, officials say
Top officials on 9 May said the government would be auctioning off some of the 70,000 cubic meters of wood authorities have seized in recent months, backtracking on a recent pledge Hun Sen made to stop the sales. In a surprise move at the Education Ministry’s annual ...
Laos prepares for timber trade agreement with EU
The Technical Working Group of the Lao Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) process has elaborated a first draft Timber Legality Definition in preparation for the first face-to-face FLEGT/Voluntary Partnership Agreement (VPA) negotiations between Laos and the European Union. The two-day workshop brought together 50 ...
Report calls for logging moratorium, end to state-run MTE
International and Burmese environmental organizations this week said Burma’s forest reserves are largely exhausted, calling for a moratorium on commercial logging and the dismantling or privatization of the state-owned Myanmar Timber Enterprise (MTE). Those finding came in an analysis released on 30 March in a report ...
Rosewood haul found in Tbong Khmum tied to local chief
Provincial authorities in Tboung Khmum province on 26 March said they discovered 17 tonnes of illegal rosewood hidden on a commune chief’s family’s land, only to have a mob of armed local residents break into the property that night and steal potential evidence. Keep reading ...
Mystery blaze destroys timber, vehicles at Pursat forestry office
At least 27 vehicles loaded with confiscated timber were destroyed by fire while parked in the Kravanh Forestry Administration compound in Pursat province on 13 March, leaving no evidence for potential prosecution and rights groups doubting the authorities’ version of events. Keep reading ...
Timber busts made in Stung Treng, Mondulkiri
The ongoing nationwide crackdown on illegal logging in Cambodia has produced another pair of high-profile busts touted by the national military police. On 9 March, alleged smugglers in Stung Treng were busted attempting to sneak three tractor-loads of luxury wood into Laos. The day before, some 10,000 cubic ...
Details scant for warrants issued in logging crackdown
The recently formed anti-illegal logging committee has issued 10 warrants against alleged illegal timber traders since it began its crackdown in January, officials have confirmed, although the details of those accused and the charges they face remain under wraps. The committee’s spokesperson Eng Hy said on ...
Prey Lang network calls for protections in logging crackdown
The Prey Lang Community Network has called on the Cambodian government to include the protection of the sprawling Prey Lang forest in the remit of the recently established committee to crack down on illegal logging. Keep reading ...
Company denies illegal logging allegations
A company owned by a tycoon accused of logging vast stretches of forest in Cambodia’s Virachey National Park on 28 January fired back at its detractors, claiming that it paid the state more than $1 million in taxes and was cleared by a recent anti-illegal logging ...
