Timber smuggling worries Kon Tum
Local residents are concerned about timber being smuggled on the Đắk Bla River in the Central Highland province of Kon Tum, after authorities failed to stop the illegal activity. Last Tuesday, local media reported that smugglers are using tyres to float timber on the Đắk Bla River during the day. The timber is then stored at a location in Đắk Ro Wa Commune, just a kilometre from the office of the commune’s People’s Committee. Reporters witnessed two trucks full of timber, and three other trucks and two cranes ready to transport additional lumber piled by the riverside. The reporters informed Kon Tum City forest rangers of the smuggling. On arrival at the scene, the rangers found that the five trucks loaded with timber had disappeared, and they were able to seize just 25 planks, measuring over eight cubic metres.
