More than 100 military police officers were deployed on Tuesday in Kompong Speu province’s Oral district to guard a furniture depot where authorities found stockpiles of luxury-grade wood during a raid, district governor Moung Thy said.
“We have found nine piles of Marinh and Thnong wood in the depot’s property, but we do not know how much wood yet because our authorities have not taken any measurements,” he said, adding that provincial and district military police officers found some of the wood in two trucks, suggesting it was being prepared to be moved.
The depot is owned by Kou Sokhoeun, who Mr. Thy said had received a license from the government to process wood for furniture.
“We are not sure that all the wood is illegal because the depot’s owner has a license for processing the wood,” he said, adding that authorities would seize the wood if it was determined to be obtained illegally.
Authorities will begin measuring the wood today, Mr. Thy said, and there was no plan to arrest the depot owner.
