Authorities seized more than 30 cubic metres of luxury timber and roughly 1,000 kilograms of illegal rosewood in separate raids in three provinces over the weekend.

Chea Hean, head of the Natural Resource and Wildlife Preservation Organization, said he and Pursat environmental officials confiscated and burned 25 cubic metres of wood in a protected forest on Saturday.

Prak Sileng, leader of the patrol group, said “we found two production locations. One had been abandoned for a long time. We found the wood at the other location.”

Sileng explained that the wood was burned because it was too difficult to transport.

In a separate case, military police confiscated 1,200 kilograms of rosewood in Kampong Chhnang’s Teuk Phos district on Saturday night.

“The military police reported to the provincial prosecutor that they had confiscated the wood,” said Long Sitha, spokesman for the Kampong Chhang Provincial Court. “Now the Forestry Administration is working on the case”, he added.

Meanwhile, Kampong Speu authorities confiscated 12 cubic metres of luxury wood on Friday night that was being transported to Vietnam, according to court spokesman In Sovanthany.