Scam prompts urgent steps to counter threat to forests

The five-million-baht logging bribery scandal has prompted urgent measures to counter a serious threat to the forests.

The army agreed yesterday to help the Forestry Department by sending troops to stamp out logging in the Salween wildlife sanctuary and Salween national park in Mae Hong Son.

Gen Chettha Thanajaro, the army chief, said he would ask Gen Maung Aye, his Burmese counterpart, in Rangoon next month, to tell Democratic Karen Buddhist Army rebels not to help Thai loggers falsify the origin of timber.

Logs have been hauled across the Salween river, given Burmese seals and returned via passes in Tak.

Gen Charn Boonprasert, the army chief-of-staff, said after talks with forestry officials that the first, second and fourth regional commands were authorised by law to arrest illegal operators in their areas of operation.

Emphasis would be placed on intelligence to keep track of logging gangs, said Gen Charn. Once illegal operations appear imminent, patrols would be despatched.

Pongpol Adireksarn, the Agriculture Minister, said a total ban on log movements was being considered. Auctions of seized logs by the Forest Industry Organisation had indirectly encouraged destruction, he said.

Alarm bells were sounded after the prime minister turned down a donation of five million baht believed to have been paid as bribe to Mr Prawat to ignore illegal operations in the Salween forests.

Phakdi Chomphooming, the Mae Hong Son governor, said border passes would be closed until matters are cleared up. Denying he had failed to stem logging since he became governor in 1996, Mr Phakdi said: "I will take responsibility but I am not the blame. I will take punishment if they deem I deserve it but I am not guilty."

Mae Hong Son administrators have ordered the transfer of four forestry officials from the Mae Sariang and Pai district offices to Bangkok pending investigations into allegations they assisted loggers.

Two forestry officials from Tak have also been transferred to Bangkok for alleged involvement in the payment to Mr Prawat.

In Mae Hong Son, Sa-nga Uatrakul, the provincial forestry chief, said the best way to protect the Salween forests was to present them to Their Majesties the King and Queen. No logging operators would dare fell trees, he said.

Boonchu Trithong, a deputy Chart Thai leader, said the source of the payment to Mr Prawat had been involved with illegal logging in the Salween area since his concessions in Burma expired in 1992.

Mr Boonchu said the operator has close connections with Burmese authorities and minorities and had bought promotion for several forestry officials.

The Lampang MP, who said he had been out of the logging business for six years, said he was ready to give police information about another influential logging operator from Chiang Mai.

A source in Mae Hong Son said several thousand logs were about to be smuggled in from Shan State by the two operators mentioned by Mr Boonchu, former chief executive of Sirin Technology Co, an importer of logs from Burma in 1989.

Mr Boonchu called for tougher action in fighting corruption, saying senior civil servants ranging from division directors to permanent secretaries should be forced to declare their assets and liabilities.

Two House panels are investigating the logging bribery scandal and illegal logging in the Salween forests.

Kaew Buasuwan, chairman of the Local Administration Committee, said Mr Sathit, Mr Prawat and other senior officials would be called to testify on Thursday.